Top-100 DL George Toia has eight schools at the top of his recruitment
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Trophy Club (Texas) Byron Nelson four-star defensive lineman George Toia has garnered some serious interest from a slew of elite programs. He’s narrowing his focus heading into the spring.
On Tuesday, Toia told Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett that he’s now down to eight schools: Auburn, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas and Texas Tech.
Toia is the No. 83 overall prospect and No. 7 DL in the 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 12 player in Texas.
It’s been a busy start to the year for Toia. He was visited by coaches from Oklahoma, Michigan, LSU and Oregon. All four have now made his latest cut. Amidst that, the 6-foot-2, 300-pounder saw his stock rise once more at the Polynesian Bowl.
Toia drew serious praise from Rivals’ Greg Biggins after his performance in Hawaii:
“Toia was named the game’s defensive MVP after a dominant 2nd half. Toia lived in the backfield and finished the game with six tackles, three for loss and a sack. He plays with a relentless motor, a quick first step and uses his hands well. He’s a powerful interior lineman who can manhandle opposing guards and centers and shows multiple ways to get in to the backfield. His older brother Jay Toia played at UCLA and was a 7th round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 NFL Draft and George is probably the better player at the same stage in their development.”
Toia talks some of his top schools
Back in December, Toia updated his recruitment with Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman. USC was one program mentioned back then that did not make his top eight on Tuesday. Toia, who originally hails from California, tabbed Oregon, Texas Tech and Oklahoma as schools recruiting him the hardest.
On Texas Tech: “I’ve been talking to the coaches a lot. They’re hitting me up every day. That makes me feel like a priority,” Toia said. “As far as fitting in, they have some top guys like me that aren’t too tall on the defensive line. They’re going crazy right now, so me not being that tall and their production on the DL … that has me very excited about Texas Tech.”
On Oklahoma: “The visit to Oklahoma went great,” he said. “The defense there and the coaches over there have me excited about Norman. It’s a great place to play.”
On Oregon: “The defensive players that they produce,” he said of what stands out about Oregon. “Also, the culture that they have up there in Eugene … It’s different! The coaches have been studying my film and it makes me feel like a top priority.”
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