Top 5 Georgia RB trims list of schools down and includes Miami Hurricanes

Running back Nigel Newkirk has been one of the busiest 2027 prospects in the country, and his recruitment has moved one step closer to his commitment. The Red Elephants junior, already regarded as one of the top underclassman backs in Georgia, has trimmed his list down to five schools: Miami, Alabama, Michigan, Florida State and Georgia.

Newkirk, listed at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, is rated a four-star prospect and a top-35 running back nationally in the 2027 class by the 247Sports Composite and Rivals Industry Ranking. He transferred from Ola High School in McDonough to Gainesville for the 2025 season.

4-star running back Nigel Newkirk

At Ola, Newkirk rushed for more than 1,500 yards and over 20 touchdowns across his freshman and sophomore seasons. This fall at Gainesville, he has continued to put up big performances, including a 166-yard, three-touchdown night in a win over Milton.

Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan and USC made his original top five late in the summer, and he later added Miami to that group. He then reshuffled and trimmed back down to the new top five we see now: Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Florida State and Michigan.

Miami has wasted little time making an impression. Newkirk took an unofficial visit to Coral Gables for the Hurricanes' Oct. 25 home game, and he praised the energy around the program, the running backs room and the appeal of playing in a major media market. For a Miami staff that has leaned heavily on South Florida backs in recent classes, landing a blue-chip RB out of Georgia would be a nice win on the recruiting trail.

The Miami Hurricanes currently only have one running back committed (Javian Mallory) in the 2026 class and none in the 2027 class. That could be enticing to a young prospect looking for immediate playing time.