EPWORTH, Georgia - It's not often I get to write about my hometown when it comes to football, and that's especially true in recruiting.

My alma mater, Fannin County High School, isn't exactly known for a plethora of stars on the gridiron. Consistently winning games is a relatively new development, over the last ten or so years. We were accustomed to pulling out two to three wins a season during my time there.

As such, you can imagine my surprise when the Bulldogs came knocking and landed a preferred walk-on commitment from the Rebels' 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive tackle Miles Johnson for the Class of 2020.

I wasn't alone, however; Johnson admits it was a bit of a surprise for him, too.

"It just kind of came on at one moment. I knew I'd been in the talks with Georgia for a couple of weeks, and then I actually got a call from my head coach saying, 'Son, you're going to Georgia.' He was telling me that and basically telling me how they're going to offer me the PWO," Johnson said. "I got a call from Coach [Glenn] Schumann, and I got off the phone with him, thought about it for about an hour or so, talked with family, and then I called him back, told him I was ready to come in. They said they'd just recently found me, and they thought I'd be a good fit to come to Georgia. They were glad they found me and thinking I could really fit on the offensive line, and what's coming up for their program."

Credit Matt Luke with the quick work here.

"I really liked (Luke) when I met him. First thing, my mom, she went with me for a visit, and she really enjoyed talking to him, too. I just liked how he was truthful, honest. He told me his background, his story, and about him walking on at Ole Miss. I mean, I don't know, I just really enjoyed him. Nothing against Coach (Sam) Pittman, but if I would have to choose, I would have chosen Coach Luke right now."

Johnson also sees the Bulldogs altering the offensive line approach under Luke's tenure.

"I mean, I don't think it's going to be as big an offensive line as it was before, coming in with a different offense. I think it's just going to work out better with what we're running. Just a smaller offensive line is what he's looking for, I think, not so much of the 360 guys," Johnson said. "I think a bunch of us are going to be going downfield more often, just moving around a whole lot more than just being at the line the whole time. I think that's kind of his thought process behind it."

That lines up with Todd Monken's philosophy well, also.

"I really enjoyed talking to (Monken). He kind of went over philosophies and stuff with us, and I liked hearing what he had to say and what his thoughts were," Johnson said. "I think you'll see Georgia not be as heavy run, but I definitely think we'll still run the ball plenty. I think it's going to be a little bit more offense, passing, mixing it up a little bit more, than it was."

And while the Rebels exist about as close to Tennessee as you can possibly get, the outpouring of hometown support to send a local kid to the home state school has been palpable throughout Fannin County.

"It's been exciting. I mean everybody in Fannin County knows I'm going to Georgia. It's very humbling, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be able to be one of the first people in Fannin County to go somewhere day one, much less the University of Georgia, a top notch school in the whole nation," Johnson said. "It's just been great. A whole lot of support from the whole county, and with it being a small county, everybody's there supporting you."

There's been more than just the Fannin natives with that support, as legions of Bulldog fans from all corners have united to make Johnson feel at home in Athens.

"Y'all have been very welcoming ever since I announced it on Twitter, I've had messages come in from all different fans, comments, everything, and it's been very—I guess it's part of the gratifying moment knowing you're going to play for a school where not only it's a very good football program, but you've got the support of very good fans behind you. I'm just ready to come and play for the University of Georgia and get started," he said.