Even as the Georgia Bulldogs were preparing to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the College Football Playoff semifinals, coach Kirby Smart and his staff did some impressive work on the recruiting trail.

In fact, when the first-ever early signing period started, it’s fair to say no team had a better day than the Bulldogs. Six 5-star players signed with the Bulldogs on Wednesday, two more than with Clemson (which had a second-best four 5-star players sign).

Currently, only Ohio State has a better-rated class on 247Sports than Georgia, and Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes have only three 5-star players.

It’s obvious that Georgia is going to get a great grade for its first Early Signing Day haul, but here’s a breakdown of how this excellent class stacks up:

Top player: No. 1 dual-threat QB Justin Fields

Fields, rated the second-best overall prospect in the country, committed to the Bulldogs in October, raising some eyebrows as true freshman QB Jake Fromm led Georgia to the College Football Playoff.

Why would Fields commit to a school that seemingly already has its quarterback of the future? Well, some players aren’t afraid of a little competition, and Fields certainly fits that mold.

There was some late concern that Florida could swoop in and steal Fields, but he never wavered on his commitment to the Bulldogs and is the crown jewel of Kirby Smart’s 2018 recruiting haul.

How we’ll remember this class

This likely will go down as one of the best recruiting classes in Georgia history, as the Bulldogs landed an incredible six 5-star players. To put that in context, the rest of the SEC had a grand total of one 5-star player! (That player, unsurprisingly, went to Alabama.)

Georgia landed No. 1 dual-threat QB Justin Fields (see above), No. 1 RB Zamir White, No. 1 OG Jamaree Salyer, No. 2 OT Cade Mays, No. 1 OLB Adam Anderson and No. 2 strong-side DE Brenton Cox.

Additionally, the Dawgs also have nine 4-star players in the class, which 247Sports currently has ranked as the No. 1 class in the SEC and the No. 2 class nationally (behind only Ohio State).

That is quite a haul for Smart and the Bulldogs, and one that even Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide will look at with envy. This solidifies Georgia as an SEC East power, and the Bulldogs should be in a great position to challenge for conference titles for years to come.

Biggest need filled: Offensive line

Clemson may have landed 5-star OT Jackson Carman, the No. 1 tackle in the 2018 class, but the Bulldogs added the close No. 2 tackle in Cade Mays, who recently decommitted from Tennessee.

Mays is the sort of star lineman who can anchor an offensive line for the next few years, and the Bulldogs weren’t done making improvements to that unit, as No. 1 OG Jamaree Salyer also signed with Georgia.

Yes, Georgia’s offensive line (led by freshman OT Andrew Thomas) improved greatly in 2017, but the Bulldogs will have some incredible reinforcements coming next year. It’s an excellent time to be RB D’Andre Swift, who will likely be the feature back in Georgia’s offense next year and should have some absolute studs to run behind.

Still need: Linebackers

The Bulldogs added No. 1 OLB Adam Anderson, but the Georgia linebacking corps is about to take a huge hit. Star LB Roquan Smith is likely to forgo his senior season and enter the 2018 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, LBs Lorenzo Carter, Reggie Carter and Davin Bellamy are all seniors, so there will be plenty of reps to go around next year. Another 4- or 5-star addition to Georgia’s linebacking corps is something Smart and his staff will certainly focus on moving forward.

Overall early class grade: A+

Again, it’s hard to look at the six 5-star players Georgia signed on Wednesday and not see great things in the Bulldogs’ future.

Smart has his squad flush with young talent, and it will be exciting to see which players contribute right away in 2018. It’s a great time to be a Bulldogs fan, and that’s even before the team takes on Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Based on what Smart has done with this program in two short years, and looking at the 2018 recruiting haul, the Bulldogs could be a perennial CFP team.