The timing of Tramel Walthour‘s commitment to Georgia won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
He will not be seen solely as the 3-star recruit who made up his mind after visiting UGA in Week 1 and South Carolina in Week 3.
Walthour won’t even be remembered as the player who followed former teammate Richard LeCounte III from Liberty County High School in Hinesville, Ga., to UGA.
His commitment story will always be framed by the following: He made DawgNation feel like it was Christmas in September.
The fans went to bed Sunday night. When they woke up Monday morning, the news of the 14th commitment for 2018 kicked off everyone’s day.
Walthour tweeted at 12:55 a.m. that he would play college football for his dream school.
His choice also means it is now time to come up with a new answer to that “Who’s most likely to commit next” question. Walthour, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound prospect, ranks as the nation’s No. 47 DT for this year’s cycle per the 247Sports composite.
He visited Georgia for the season opener against Appalachian State but wasn’t quite ready to commit yet. That trip to South Carolina appears to have given him his final assurances that he was ready to announce his decision.
The 3-star prospect told DawgNation earlier this month the Bulldogs had remained his leader over contenders such as Auburn and Tennessee because they always had shown him the most interest.
A closer look at Tramel Walthour
Walthour has said he plays the game for his family. He aims to “make them proud” and to become the second member of his household to attend college and play football. Tracy White Jr., his brother, is a freshman cornerback at Old Dominion. White was a 3-star cornerback at Liberty County in 2016.
Walthour was named to the Rising Seniors all-state game last December. That game is reserved for the state’s top talent.
The 3-star tackle, who wants to study sports medicine in college, was a key target for UGA in this cycle. The Bulldogs did not sign a defensive lineman in 2017.
Devonte Wyatt signed with UGA in 2017 but was unable to qualify. He is only expected to spend one semester at Hutchison Community College in Kansas. If Wyatt is able to record a “B” average after the fall semester, he will be able to enroll at UGA in January.
Liberty County uses Walthour as a 3-technique in its defensive front. That’s the spot on the line where he should feel most comfortable playing right away.
He takes a lot of pride in his effort level.
“I feel like I’m a good team player who doesn’t like to lose and will give it the best I got and will go out and try to play as smart as I can to make as many plays as I can to help the team,” Walthour told DawgNation earlier this month.
Walthour said first-year defensive line coach Tray Scott was a plus for Georgia.
“He’s a real cool coach,” Walthour said. “He likes to get after his players to make sure they are pushing themselves to get better each day. He’s one that his players can feel comfortable about going to talk to about anything. I think he’s a great guy.”
LeCounte apparently did not factor heavily in the recruiting decision made by his former high school teammate.
“We don’t talk much, but every time we do he’s just checking up on me and just always tells me to do one thing, and that’s to always dominate,” Walthour said.