Marlin Dean decided that he could go back to being a homegrown Bowman Bulldog again. That’s pretty much the bottom line after the 3-star DT recommitted to the class of 2021 at Georgia in honor of his mother’s birthday.

He will now always remember Sept. 4 as his mother’s birthday and the occasion of his recommitment to Georgia.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder committed to Georgia earlier this year on the occasion of the Georgia-Florida basketball game but then chose to reopen his recruiting back on July 18.

Dean also transferred away from the same Elbert County program which produced former Georgia star Mecole Hardman, Jr. to IMG Academy in Florida over the summer.

Why did he recommit back to UGA? Dean kept it simple.

“Love the environment,” he told DawgNation on the morning of his commitment.

With his decision, he becomes the 15th public commitment for Georgia in the 2021 recruiting cycle. The 3-star DT ranks as the nation’s No. 28 DT and the No. 467 overall prospect for the class of 2021 on the 247Sports Composite ratings.

Dean becomes the third prospect with a 3-star rating in the 2021 class for Kirby Smart and his staff. Georgia remains at No. 11 nationally on the 247Sports Team Composite rankings with its class rating for 2021.

Check out his junior film below.

Want to get to know Dean a little bit better? Check out his DawgNation conversation interview from earlier this year.

Coachspeak: What UGA is getting (again) with Marlin Dean

Brad Waggoner coached Elbert County High last fall before moving on to be a defensive coordinator at South Pittsburg High School in Tennessee. He played his high school ball at Landmark Christian and was a linebacker for two seasons at Georgia Tech.

He believes Dean will wind up as a 300-pounder in the SEC as his body develops. That is the logical call.

It seems natural when a kid is already 265 pounds as a junior in high school. Especially given his frame.

“He can run as well,” Waggoner said. “He’s very athletic. Very agile. Got great feet. He will run extremely well for a big man. That was the one thing that stood out to me when I got here to Elbert County. He’s raw. He’s got a way yet to improve but at the same time, his ceiling is going to be very very high. He’s got a long way to improve but the things that he has got for sure is he has great great feet and he can run.”

Waggoner used a former Bulldog as a means of comparison. The player parallel he had in mind was a former sixth-round draft pick who wound up playing 11 seasons in the NFL.

“I coached Kedric Golston all through high school,” he said. “He went on to play at the University of Georgia. When I first saw Marlin, he made me think about Kedric back when I coached him in high school. Kedric was a little bit bigger from a weight standpoint and a little more explosive but Marlin can definitely run better than Kedric did.”

Dean also joins 4-star Georgia RB commit Lovasea Carroll as Bulldogs on the 2020 roster at IMG Academy. Check out how some members of the 2021 class welcomed him back into the fold.

His decision now gives the Bulldogs a pair of defensive line prospects committed for this cycle. Jonathan Jefferson, a 4-star DT from Douglas County High in Douglasville, committed way back in March shortly after Dean originally did earlier this year.