Georgia dipped into the NCAA transfer portal for the third time Friday, garnering a commitment from former South Carolina defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod.

The former Rivals 250 player (159) committed after officially visiting Athens this weekend.

McCleod, a native of Camden, South Carolina, held 25 offers, including one from Georgia, before signing with the Gamecocks.

He took an earlier visit to Georgia in January of 2022. McLeod is Georgia’s third addition from the transfer portal, joining former Vanderbilt receiver London Humphreys and former UCLA long snapper Beau Gardner, who is coming as a walk-on.

Recently, McLeod told UGASports said his confidence Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott was a big reason he favored the Bulldogs.

"Means a lot. I have faith in him," McLeod said. "He can train and guide me in the right direction, and he told me I can be the next. He really wanted to coach me from the 2023 cycle."

McCleod comes to Georgia after being dismissed by South Carolina in late October. He only played in four games and has four years of eligibility.

The former 4-star prospect was the nation’s 159th-ranked player according to Rivals.

His only recorded stats came in a game against Furman, when he chipped in with an assisted tackle, a pass breakup, and an interception.

During an October press conference, head coach Shane Beamer had this to say about McLeod’s dismissal.

“There’s an expectation level of what it means to be a football player at the University of South Carolina, and I take a lot of pride in all these young men and care for all the young men in our program,” Beamer said. “I met with Xzavier and decided to dismiss him from the football team, but that was what was best for our program.”

Whatever problems McLeod experienced at South Carolina were not enough to keep Smart from giving him another chance.

"I understand the standard and I understand what's expected of me," McLeod said. "I'm not new to college football or workouts, so I have a little bit of experience under my belt to use."

McLeod will slide into a defensive front, which could use some depth, assuming Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, and Zion Logue do not use their available Covid year and come back for another season.