Elijah Holyfield to Georgia: Bulldogs Land 4-Star RB Prospect

Elijah Holyfield, one of the top running back recruits in the class of 2016, announced Friday he's decided to play college football at Georgia.

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports confirmed Holyfield, the son of former boxing legend Evander Holyfield, selected the Bulldogs. Woody Wommack of Rivals provided a look at the unique announcement, which included live animals:

Holyfield later tweeted a picture of himself wearing a Georgia shirt:

"

Feels great to be a Dawg!!! #CommitToTheG pic.twitter.com/FTLahNnioQ

— Elijah Holyfield (@EH_taught_me) September 4, 2015"

Holyfield is a 4-star prospect who ranks inside the top 175 of next year's incoming class and checks in as the No. 5 running back in the group, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. The Atlanta native also rates as the No. 17 prospect in the football-rich state of Georgia.

Holyfield received 32 offers before making his final choice, and he follows the lead of numerous top running back recruits heading to Athens in recent years, as ESPN Stats & Info notes:

It's a key addition for Georgia, which had placed an emphasis on landing Holyfield. The Woodward Academy product told Chris Kirschner of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution both head coach Mark Richt and assistant coach Thomas Brown made it clear they felt he was a top priority: "They have been pretty adamant about it. They have told me that I am No. 1 many times now."

In high school, Holyfield displayed an intriguing combination of vision and power that allowed him to attack holes at the line of scrimmage. What he lacked in straight-line speed, he made up for with agility and quick cuts.

He'll face competition for playing time early in his career with sophomores Nick Chubb and Sony Michel ahead of him on the depth chart. The focus while he waits for a bigger role will be filling out his frame so he can handle the workload as he rises up the pecking order.

Holyfield's long-term outlook is promising, which is why Georgia recruited him so heavily leading up to his decision. Now, the Bulldogs can celebrate a mission accomplished.