Rivals 250 TE John FitzPatrick stays home, commits to Georgia
It has not been an easy last few weeks for John FitzPatrick.
The No. 1 tight end in Georgia and the Rivals 250 talent has over three dozen scholarship offers. Not only are Power 5 schools after the four star, but numerous Ivy League schools have been on his radar too.
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It came down to Georgia and UCLA though. The school in Athens (Ga.) is the home-state school, but his sister is in Los Angeles, so he has a connection, a strong connection, to the Bruins.
His mind is made up and he acted on his feelings. On Wednesday afternoon, FitzPatrick and his parents took a little drive east and told Kirby Smart and numerous Georgia coaches the good news.
"My parents and I drove over to UGA and met with coach Smart, coach [Jim] Chaney, and coach [Shane] Beamer. I told them I was committing to Georgia and that I want to help push for a national championship," said FitzPatrick.
The coaches were thrilled with the news and committing in person was a great experience for FitzPatrick and his family.
He could not feel better about his decision and although the decision was tough, he feels great about being a Bulldog. FitzPatrick knew he was a priority and he sees a great opportunity between the hedges.
"I really liked both programs but when I look at the two, the proximity to home was a factor and the potential opportunity to play sooner as UGA didn't sign a TE in 2017 were a couple of the reasons I picked Georgia.
"As I spent more time up at UGA, I felt more comfortable with the coaching staff each time too."
Lining up at tight end, FitzPatrick will be spending a lot of time with Beamer. The Georgia coach is known as a strong recruiter and he put a lot of time and effort into this one.
"Coach Beamer has been incredible. He took the time to get to know me as a person, as well as my family. He gave me a lot of insight on how they would use me. I feel like he could develop me into a top tight end."
With there still being over six months until Signing Day, many top prospects that commit this early still visit other schools and keep their options open.
FitzPatrick will not be one of those.
"The last few weeks have been difficult because I have had so many great opportunities presented to me," said FitzPatrick. "I wanted to make the best decision. It felt like it was over a hundred times that I was going back and forth, but I kept leaning the same way.
"Commitment means everything to me. I am all in for a national championship. My recruitment is over, and I'll do my best to recruit whoever I can to UGA.
"It feels great to be a Georgia Bulldog. I'm really thankful for this amazing opportunity. Go Dawgs."
