No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 TCU will face off on Monday for the right to be crowned the national champion of the 2022 college football season.
Though both teams earned the right to compete for that title, it's worth noting that the Bulldogs' and Horned Frogs' rosters are not built equally. Georgia enters the College Football Playoff championship as a 12.5-point favorite, largely in part to the disparity in blue-chip talent between the teams.
Speaking strictly in terms of recruiting rankings — which mean little to college football coaches — TCU has been a massive overachiever this season. That the Horned Frogs are competing for the championship is a testament not only to player development under Sonny Dykes, but also the systems in place on offense, defense and special teams to maximize their potential.
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The same is also true for Georgia, at least in part. Stetson Bennett, the Bulldogs' unquestioned leader, has bucked the trend of teams needing blue-chip talent at quarterback to lead championship-caliber teams.
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Even so, Bennett is the exception for Georgia, not the rule, and the difference in both teams' rosters bears telling. That's especially true since teams built like TCU's so rarely earn a chance to compete for a national title.
How the likes of Max Duggan, Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, Kendre Miller and others fare against Bennett, Jalen Carter, Brock Bowers and the rest of the Bulldogs will be the biggest factor in who wins on Monday.
With that, The Sporting News breaks down the differences in Georgia and TCU's rosters, from unranked players to five-star talent:
Georgia, TCU recruiting comparison
Star ratings for Georgia, TCU players reflect 247Sports assessments.
How many 5-star players does TCU have compared to Georgia?
TCU has only one five-star player on its roster: senior linebacker Marcel Brooks, listed as the No. 32 overall recruit, No. 2 outside linebacker and No. 5 player in the state of Texas in the 2020 recruiting class. His official bio lists him as having played in just four games this season, logging stats in only three. He last played in the Big 12 championship vs. Kansas State, against whom he did not log any stats.
Compare that to Georgia, which has 15 players on its roster rated as a five-star, per 247Sports' Composite rankings:
- Smael Mondon Jr.
- Daylen Everette
- Jaheim Singletary
- Xavian Sorey Jr.
- Marvin Jones Jr.
- Darnell Washington
- Malaki Starks
- Brock Vandagriff
- Jalen Carter
- Broderick Jones
- Amarius Mims
- Arik Gilbert
- Mykel Williams
- Kelee Ringo
- Nolan Smith
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How many 4-star players does TCU have compared to Georgia?
The talent disparity doesn't just stop at five-star players. The Horned Frogs have 16 four-star players on their roster, only two of whom — receivers Jordan Hudson (freshman) and Quentin Johnston (junior) — ranked in the top 100. Duggan, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting this year, is among the group of 16 four-star players.
- Micheal Ibukun-Okeyode
- Sam Jackson
- D'Arco Perkins-McAllister
- Quincy Brown
- Bud Clark
- Terrence Cooks Jr.
- Keontae Jenkins
- DJ Allen
- Ezra Dotson-Oyetode
- Max Duggan
- Chace Biddle
- Wes Harris
- Shadrach Banks
- Garrett Hayes
- Jordan Hudson
- Quentin Johnston
- Marcel Brooks
That list doesn't include players such as Hodges-Tomlinson or Steve Avila, who earned All-America considerations in 2022. Both were considered three-star recruits out of high school.
Georgia, meanwhile, has 53 four-star players on its roster. That's nearly as many as TCU has three-star players on its roster (59).
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Georgia | TCU
Georgia, TCU roster breakdown
Below is a breakdown of both Georgia's and TCU's rosters, including unranked, two-star, three-star, four-star and five-star players. It's worth noting that not every player will play — or even suit up — for their respective teams:
| Georgia | TCU | |
|---|---|---|
| Unranked players | 38 | 51 |
| 2-stars | 3 | 2 |
| 3-stars | 23 | 59 |
| 4-stars | 53 | 16 |
| 5-stars | 15 | 1 |
Here is the percentage those players represent for their respective teams:
Georgia
- Unranked players: 28.7 percent
- 2-stars: 2.2 percent
- 3-stars: 17.4 percent
- 4-stars: 40.1 percent
- 5-stars: 11.3 percent
TCU
- Unranked players: 39.5 percent
- 2-stars: 1.5 percent
- 3-stars: 45.7 percent
- 4-stars: 12.4 percent
- 5-stars: 0.7 percent
