Rivals250 DE Sawyer talks SEC finalists

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When it comes to his recruitment Rivals250 defensive end Dante Sawyer has been a bit of an enigma. After initially naming a final two of Alabama and Georgia he moved on from those SEC programs and reset his recruitment. Now just a little more than a week away from his Dec. 17 decision, things appear to be coming into focus again.

"It's down to Missouri, South Carolina and Auburn," Sawyer said. "Those are my final choices. I'll be announcing on my birthday so I'm looking forward to that."

But before he can make a decision, Sawyer is focused on winning a state championship. Sawyer and his North Gwinnett teammates clinched a spot in the Class 6A Georgia State Championship Game with a win over McEachern on Friday and will play Norcross this weekend for the title.

"It was just a crazy feeling winning that came and knowing we're going to state," Sawyer said. "I knew we could do it and we could pull it off so it's a pretty good feeling right now. I'm really excited to play Norcross and I'm looking forward to getting it done."

Sawyer's teammate and fellow four-star Nate Brown is already committed to Missouri and the Tigers have made a strong push during the year to try to add Sawyer to the fold. He said he's been paying close attention.

"What they're doing with their program is really impressive," he said. "Coming into the SEC and playing like they are. Their defensive line play mesmerizing."

Sawyer is still planning to take official visits but his decision will likely come before making those trips.

"I'm going to take my official to Missouri when Nate takes his," Sawyer said. "It will probably be after I announce but that's OK."

Despite being viewed as his leader for long stretches of the season, Sawyer didn't get a chance to visit South Carolina until recently. He said he like the trip.

"It was fun and I really enjoyed myself," he said. "Being in Columbia was fun and I liked the atmosphere and everything about it. I just loved being up there and seeing everything."

While Brown is clearly in his teammate's hear about the Tigers, 2014 four-star South Carolina commit Bryson Allen-Williams hasn't stopped helped recruit Sawyer for the Gamecocks.

"He's still talking to me about them no doubt," Sawyer said. "He wants me up there with him."

While Sawyer is still considering both Auburn and Missouri, he said the outcome of Saturday's SEC championship won't factor into his decision.

Woody Wommack is a Southeast Region football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.

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