UGA checked all the boxes, Dawgs land Jalen Perry

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are rolling on the field with a perfect 8-0 record, now ranked as the No. 2 team in college football. To have that type of record playing in the SEC, you have to top players to coach and Georgia is hot on the recruiting trail.

Big names in the 2018 class, like James Cook, a five-star running back out of Miami (Fla.) Central, Rivals 100 defensive end Adam Anderson out of Rome (Ga.) and Justin Fields, the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country out of Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison have committed to Georgia in October.

It has been a little quiet in the 2019 class though since JD Bertrand and Dominick Blaylock committed to the Bulldogs on back-to-back days in the middle of July, but Jalen Perry has decided he wants to be the seventh name on that commitment list.

He actually committed to Smart a few weeks ago when Georgia defeated Missouri, but he wanted to take visits to Alabama and Ohio State the last two weekends to verify his decision and he did just that.

"I have felt it was Georgia for a little while now," said Perry. "It is the home-state school and I have grown up a fan of Georgia, but I had to give other schools a chance too.

"After doing that, it came down to Alabama, Ohio State, South Carolina and Georgia, and I know that Georgia is the right school for me. For so many reasons, it just feels right."

One of those reasons, actually two of those reasons were Georgia coaches Kirby Smart and Mel Tucker. Knowing their history as players and coaches only helped Georgia lure one of the top defensive backs in the country in.

"It is huge knowing I could trust who I am learning from and who I am going to be growing as a player under. Having guys like coach Smart and coach Tucker is huge because they have been through this and they have coached in the NFL and at top college programs.

"They have been through this, they have lived through the moment, so they can tell guys like me first hand what you need to do to be better as a defensive back. I want to be the best I can be, so getting to work with guys like this is so important to for me.

"Both the head coach and the defensive coordinator played defensive back in their day, both have coached the position, both have developed top players, so them being at Georgia gives me a lot of confidence going into college."

Coach Tucker took an early liking to Perry, the Rivals 250 star athlete out of Dacula (Ga.) very early and the two have developed a strong bond.

"We have many conversations since Georgia has been recruiting me and he has really impressed me. He has talked about being a cornerback, the defensive back position in general and he has discussed with me how he likes my stature, my size and things like that, but also how he really likes how I compete and can come up and work to me and others better.

"He just knows so much about the position and he talks coverages and so much more with me. Coach Tucker is one of the best out there and I am looking forward to learning from him."

Being a fan all of his life and having a cousin (Tavarres King) that played between the hedges, the new commit has seen a lot of Georgia games.

What he sees in the team this season is a little different — in a good way.

"I love what I see out of Georgia this year," said Perry. "I feel like coach Smart has really changed the culture there this year and it is exciting to think about the future. It is a defense that looks like it is ready to win an SEC Championship and not just compete.

"They have really taken to the next level from the front seven to the back end of the defense in the secondary. Everything is evolving there and I can see it changing. I see a very different toughness and the guys aren't backing away from anyone.

"They are playing the type of SEC football that wins championships. They are running it down people's throats, the defense is holding teams under 10 points and they are playing a lot different than they have in the past."

Georgia won out and kept Perry at home. He is just three months into his junior year, so he still has well over a year before he signs his letter of intent, so what makes now the right time for Perry to commit to Smart.

"My heart is telling me that it is time to make that decision. I have had many talks with my family, with my coaches and I am ready. God has told me I am ready too.

"There is no need for me to wait when I know I am 100-percent sure, so I went with my heart, and it is telling me there is no need to wait any longer.

"I have known for a little while that I wanted to be a Dawg."

You hear it all of the time if you follow recruiting — recruiting's not a sprint, it's a marathon. Each visit is important, the phone calls, when coaches stop by in the spring, those Junior Days, when you get kids on campus for games — all that, plus more led to Perry's decision.

"There was not one key moment for me in this decision, but a combination of things for me," said Perry. "Over time I checked all of the boxes, put all the pieces together and I am comfortable now enough to commit.

"I know Georgia feels like home and it is a place I feel I can be very successful."