Tate Ratledge was a major worry for Dawgnation in the wake of the Sam Pittman news to Arkansas. Pittman leaving the UGA staff meant a great deal here.

It was why a family that grew up wearing Tennessee Vols gear saw the nation’s No. 3 OT prospect wind up committing to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Ratledge took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to reaffirm his commitment to Bulldogs.

He did so by letting a picture do the talking. Ratledge tweeted out a picture of him shaking hands with Herschel Walker from a visit to Georgia earlier this year.

Ratledge also said that his recruiting was shut down and he will sign on Wednesday during the early period. If one can’t read between the lines there, then they need some 5-star help in the deductive reasoning department.

The nation’s No. 36 overall prospect for the 2020 cycle liked everything he heard in his meetings with Matt Luke and Kirby Smart on Wednesday.

The Darlington School (Rome, Ga.) standout followed up those good vibes with an unofficial visit to Athens on Saturday afternoon.

“The time I have spent with coach Luke I have developed a faster relationship than any coach I have been around,” Ratledge told DawgNation on Saturday. “I watched them practice today and I liked his style of coaching and his enthusiasm.”

It means that the 6-foot-6, 325-pound All-American will be a Bulldog.

That’s some great early momentum for the Bulldogs as they are within a critical official visit weekend on the final recruiting window before the early signing period opens up on Dec. 18.

Making sure Ratledge was still a part of the 2020 class is a big deal. Pittman is Arkansas now. So that means it doesn’t get one of those “yes sir” videos anymore. That’s true.

That said, the thinking here is that a handshake pic with Herschel Walker will do just fine.

Ratledge came up with the idea himself. That young man might have a future in marketing when he hangs his helmet up many many years down the road.