Rico McGraw to Georgia: Bulldogs Land 4-Star Safety Prospect

After struggling to come to a definitive collegiate decision, highly touted defensive back Rico McGraw has finally signed a letter of intent to play for Georgia, the school announced. 

Photo credit: 247Sports

McGraw is listed as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports, and he is ranked as the No. 144 overall recruit in the nation. It remains to be seen what position McGraw will play in college, but he was among the top players available at both safety and cornerback before ultimately finalizing his choice.

The road to this conclusion has been a long and winding one, as McGraw had previously made commitments on a few different occasions.

More than a year ago, he initially announced that he would play for Georgia. Several months later, though, he decommitted from the Bulldogs and chose Alabama instead.

Just when it seemed like McGraw was set to become a member of the Crimson Tide, he decommitted for a second time.

Despite McGraw changing his mind, Bama attempted to sway him and bring him back into the fold, according to Michael Carvell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The Tide were fighting an uphill battle, however, due to the fact that Georgia had a bit more to offer, per Carvell:

Whatever the case, the battle between SEC rivals for McGraw's services made it quite clear that the Nashville, Tennessee, native out of Ensworth High School is viewed as a very special player.

He has incredible versatility, as evidenced by his ability to play multiple positions, and he also has decent size at 6'0" and 190 pounds, according to 247Sports.

Above all else, though, Ensworth defensive coordinator Jonas Rodriguez revealed that McGraw has an uncanny nose for the ball and a desire to compete, per Drew Champlin of AL.com:

"

Rico is a good-hearted kid who has a fun personality and is fun to be around. He brings a lot of energy to the locker room. As a player, he has some special abilities. In particular, he's got really good ball skills, anticipation and he is willing to compete. When the ball is loose, you can count on Rico to get it. He's that kind of kid. That's it in a nutshell.

"

The qualities that Rodriguez described will certainly go a long way toward helping McGraw have success and reach his full potential in major college football.

Now that McGraw no longer has to worry about the recruiting process, he can set his sights on preparing for the 2015 campaign.

There are no guarantees that he will receive a great deal of playing time as a freshman, but he has a long collegiate career ahead of him, and he possesses all the tools needed to be a star.

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