Jacoby Stevens, the nation’s top-rated athlete, has made up his mind about when he will make up his mind.
The 5-star prospect from Oakland High School (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) told DawgNation that he will announce his decision on July 19. That’s his birthday.
Stevens is rated as the nation’s No. 25 overall prospect for the Class of 2017.He announced his Top 10 on April 3 and said at that time that UGA was his leader. The Bulldogs have remained his leader up to this point.
UGA sets up to be a prime contender because Stevens has already established a strong relationship with 2017 commits like Richard LeCounte III and others.
Stevens has also been in touch with UGA coach Kirby Smart and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker on a weekly basis. He’s actually had weekly phone call times set up with both coaches for quite some time. Stevens projects to play safety at the next level although he’s quite an adept receiver on the high school level.
His off-the-charts athleticism was on full display earlier this year when he landed a standing broad jump with scant practice or preparation that would have been the best effort at the NFL Scouting Combine this year.
He committed to LSU last September but backed off that pledge. Stevens is a Louisiana native and the Tigers are seen as one of the other top contenders to sign Stevens in 2017.
Stevens also plans to enroll early.
Jeff Sentell covers UGA football and UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges. Unless otherwise indicated, player rankings and ratings are from the 247Sports Composite.