BELTON, South Carolina - Three-star junior cornerback Bralyn Oliver of Belton-Honea Path High School caught many Georgia fans off guard last Thursday when he announced his commitment to the Bulldogs.

Yet those same fans might be more surprised by the brutal road Oliver has had to travel to put himself in a position to make such a pledge.

"When I came up, it was me, my mom, my brother, and my sister," Oliver said. "We went through a lot of struggles. Actually, at one point, we were homeless, and it was devastating. That's when I knew I got to get out of here. I've got to change the lifestyle."

He did.

"When I started to get offers, I realized I got a chance to change that. And then, I'm going to go to my dream school. Momma had a dream. She said, 'You'll be playing. You're going to the League.' I said, 'Yeah, this is it.' I overcame a lot of stuff. People don't know what's that like. That's why I've always stayed humble."

Oliver has already dealt with the passing of both his father and brother early in his life. The tragedies cut deep, but provided a will to succeed.

'Sometimes, I would just sit down and just think about it. Sometimes tears would fall," Oliver said. "I hate crying, but sometimes tears would fall. I would just start thinking, 'I got to go harder, I got to grind harder. I got to get out of here.'"

Oliver plans to get out. Despite making his home in the heart of Clemson country, landing with the Bulldogs was something that felt preordained.

"Believe it or not, Mom always told me I was going to play for Georgia when I was coming out of middle school," Oliver said. "That started my 8th grade summer, coming into my 9th grade year, and she saw me playing at University of Georgia."

When the opportunity to play in Athens presented itself, mom was quick to jump on board.

"She just kept saying, 'You're going to make the decision. Come on. Let's do it, let's do it. Come on. You know you want to play, let's go.' We went on a visit May 15th, and she was like, 'Oh, I got to come to these games. I'm coming back.' We watched them practice. The whole time she was like, 'Yeah, they're going to keep you in check. They'll keep you in line. I know you going to get offered. I ain't going to be worried about nothing.' She's happy to see how they care for their players when they were out there coaching them. So, she was like, 'You're going into good hands. This is a great place. You can come here.'"

Of course, getting to see the coaches in action was also a boost for Georgia's chances.

"After working with [Charlton Warren] when I did one-on-ones, it took him three minutes to teach me his technique," Oliver said. "When we went in the goal line, he's like, 'Do what I taught you, put me on a five.' The receiver came up the body, he was like, 'Don't you move, don't you move, receivers about to cut,' and he said, 'Now, hit 'em, that's the pit.' So I was like, 'Yeah this is it. I'm going to get one of the best DB coaches in the world.'"

Bulldogs' coaches were similarly impressed with Oliver.

"When Dan Lanning talked to me, he liked the way I played my game. My first play on my highlight is a pick-6. He loved the way I moved, this real speed. My first time meeting Coach Warren, we talked and we talked to his room. We had a little meeting, me and my mom, my step-dad, he told me like he seen all my film, and the plays I made at receiver, breaking people. When I go to DB, I'm just aggressive, and I'm everywhere with the ball. It's like I'm a ball hawk. When I was first there, I was about 185, and he's like, he sees me as a lengthy safety and making big plays for them. As I went back, I gained weight and stuff, he sees me at nickel, moving around, making hits, getting out on coverage."

That plan sits well with Oliver, who now tips the scales at 200 pounds to go along with his 6-foot-2 frame. He has two years to grow, but Oliver is ready to come to Athens and prove he's got what it takes to change his family's story.

"I finally got the chance to do it. I mean, nobody in my family ever got this chance to go play college football, and I'm going to take full advantage of that opportunity," Oliver said. "When I get to UGA I'm coming in, coming in strong. I'm trying to be an early graduate here. I get out in December, get down there, so I can get in with the spring and work, work, try to get in there early, do a little playing time, and take off from there."