George Pickens is on his way to Georgia. Have you read about that news today?
The 5-star signee met with reporters after his big decision on Wednesday. Pickens made the flip to commit to Georgia after a long time with Auburn. He was Gus Malzahn’s first commit of the 2019 class back in July of 2017.
“I just felt like it was a right spot for me,” he told AL.com. “I always knew if I didn’t go to Auburn, I’d go to Georgia.”
He also said the decision had a lot to do with Georgia coach Kirby Smart.
“I just felt like it was the right place for me,” Pickens said. “Just coaching wise. Knowing that Kirby Smart he is always going to be up for like a national championship. I also felt like I had good communication with them all through the process.”
The full AL.com interview from his press conference is embedded below.
That wasn’t the only interesting thing he said after he shared the news of his decision.
What did it come down to between Auburn and Georgia? He answered that question for WBRC-TV sports reporter Christina Chambers.
“I mean it came down to the wire actually,” Pickens told Chambers. “They both had good coaches. Great everything. They both were actually the same in my mind. It is just what separated them was the winning factor.”
“They both had great quarterbacks and then the past that Kirby has with Nick Saban so that kind of brought a lot out to me.”
Pickens produced a stellar senior year in Alabama Class 7A football playing for one of the top programs in the nation. He recorded 69 catches for 1,368 yards and 16 TDs despite being the marked man by every defensive coordinator and his bag of coverages that his Bucs faced in 2018.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound receiver did sign with Georgia shortly thereafter. He becomes the 23rd signee and the third receiver in the 2019 class for the Bulldogs.
That was important for the Bulldogs to restock the receiver room after senior Terry Godwin exhausted his eligibility and juniors Mecole Hardman and Riley Ridley chose to come out a year early for the NFL.
The 5 quick things to know about UGA signee George Pickens
The historical perspective here must be noted first. Pickens, a 5-star in the 2019 class, becomes the first wide receiver recruit the Bulldogs have signed with a 5-star rating since Marlon Brown in 2009.
Dominick Blaylock, another 2019 signee, did have a 5-star rating at the time he signed with the Bulldogs. Yet the elite talent lost his fifth star in the final rankings evaluations for the 2019 cycle for the 247Sports composite rating.
Georgia did sign 5-star ATH Terry Godwin back in 2015, but he was not rated as a receiver when he signed.
- Huge catch radius
- Not a real burner. He was only clocked at 4.73 seconds in the 40 at The Nike Opening regional
- Has made big play after big play for one of the nation’s top programs at Hoover High
- Starred with former UGA commit Jadon Haselwood on Cam Newton’s 7-on-7 team
- He sees the opportunity at UGA as a way to better himself both on and off the field
