Taylor and Savannah Searels remember the days when they were kids going from one floor to another in Georgia’s Butts-Mehre building, playing a game called elevator tag.

Their father then, like now, was the Bulldogs’ offensive line coach.

“We literally owned those elevators,” Taylor Searels said. “We were definitely menaces in that facility. Nobody could ride the elevator without us on it, but we passed out candies so there were perks.”

Stacy Searels’ coaching career has included more than a half dozen stops and his daughters have been with him along the way starting in Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina, where they were born, and places like Cincinnati, LSU, Texas and Virginia Tech.

Now the Searels' daughters are on their own, making their home in Austin where the Georgia football team and Stacy Searels have a big day Saturday as the No. 4 Bulldogs face No. 1 Texas,

It’s a big day for Taylor Searels, too.

She’s director of recruiting for Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorn program where she’s been since his first season in 2021. She will oversee multiple official visitors this weekend, along with more than 100 families attending the game on unofficial visits.

“I won’t lie, I’ve been stressed about the game because somebody’s going to lose and somebody’s not going to be happy,” Savannah said. “I don’t want to be in the middle of it, but it is a really cool experience for our family to have — both being able to meet while their teams are both doing really good.”

It will be a whirlwind on Saturday for Taylor with recruits going by the College GameDay set, attending recruiting tailgates, getting them in front of the right coaches and people on campus.

“It’s a really important day,” she said. “We’ve got a ton of commits coming.”

That leaves little time to see her parents or sister this weekend.

“Dad asked if I can come to the hotel, but I don’t think I’ll be able to go see him,” she said.

When they talked on Monday, Stacy Searels told her “I’ll wave to you on the field.”

“I was like, ‘Perfect,’" Taylor Searels said. "I’m hoping I can sneak away from the recruiting tailgate for a second to go say to him pregame on the field, but I’ve got a lot of humans to look after. Postgame, a bunch of those guys we’ll still do recruiting with them. I’m hoping to see the family for a minute, but it’s going to be crazy.”

Taylor said her start in recruiting happened in her father’s first go-round at Georgia from 2007-10 when she was in middle school. She’d go into recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner’s office or try to help her father on junior days.

When Searels left for Texas, where he coached the line from 2011-13, Taylor pitched in again.

“I loved it,” she said.

When Taylor went to college at Auburn — where her father was an All-American offensive lineman blocking for Bo Jackson and Savannah also attended — she worked in football recruiting and then landed a job at Vanderbilt as on-campus recruiting coordinator.

She came to Texas as director of recruiting operations in 2021 and was promoted to her current role in February. Savannah moved to Austin six months after Taylor because it was one the favorite places she’s lived growing up.

“Coach’s kids either go one way or the other,” Taylor, now 27, said. “They either run straight into football or they run straight away. My sister, obviously, went the normal person route.”

Savannah, 24, is a fifth-grade teacher in Austin.

Taylor said her mother, Patricia, is actually the best recruiter in the family.

“She’s my dad’s director of recruiting basically,” Taylor said. “I’ve learned everything in my job now from both of them. It’s definitely a way of life for my family.”

Stacy Searels, 59, is in his third season back at Georgia under Kirby Smart.

During his first stint working under Mark Richt, Savannah remembers getting stuck in those elevators while playing with Anna Courson, now a Georgia recruiting staffer.

“We were pretty kid friendly while I was there,” said Richt, who also had Searels on staff at Miami from 2016-18. “There was a lot of that — kids running around practice, running around the building. Bowl games were a blast for those kids.”

Patricia Searels, who met her husband when they both attended Auburn, is a licensed mental health professional and Taylor said she’s able to talk to families of any type of background.

“She can find a way to connect with them,” Taylor said. “My dad does not go to a recruiting event without her by his side.”

Taylor said it’s been an all-hands on deck thing for the Searels with both her and her sister going all the time to practices growing up and her mother working as a counselor previously at Georgia and at LSU.

“She taught how to relate to people, how to be present and how to help in recruiting,” Taylor said.

Savannah helps Taylor on recruiting tailgates and on Thursdays in picking out her outfit to wear on gamedays.

“I’m on FaceTime with my Mom and my sister,” Taylor said.

Texas currently has the No. 6 recruiting class nationally by the 247Sports Composite, one spot behind Georgia. The Longhorns have five offensive line commitments.

“Half of his O-line, Texas offered,” Taylor said. “Half of Texas’ O-line, Dad offered. We’re really competitive and we’re really close in that sense.”

Negative recruiting has gotta be out in this case, right? Not exactly.

“I always ask the recruits, who’s your favorite Searels? Surely, it’s not that old man. It’s me, right?” she said laughing.

Taylor knew that Georgia-Texas was bound to fall on the schedule once the Longhorns jumped to the SEC.

“I’ve never in my life cheered against my Dad, so this is my very first time having that experience where I’m not with my mom and sister in the stands,” Taylor said. “It just feels surreal that it’s finally here. I’m kind of ready for it to be over.”

All of the Searels went to Auburn, but Savannah expressed their divided allegiances now, especially for this game: “Go Dawgs and Hook ‘Em!”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia-Texas brings together Stacy Searels, daughter on opposite sides