Four-star defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins commits to Georgia

It wasn't long ago that Gaffney, South Carolina-based defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins was quick to proclaim that, of his top schools, it was Georgia's staff who was recruiting him the hardest.

Those efforts paid off on Friday with the 6-foot-6, 300-pound lineman announcing his commitment to the Bulldogs during a CBS Sports broadcast.

"They went crazy when I told them. It was a FaceTime call with the whole defensive staff. Georgia just showed a lot of love through my recruitment. Coach [Kirby] Smart, Coach [Tray] Scott, and Coach [Dan] Lanning are great guys, and they came in early and showed me love," Ingram-Dawkins told UGASports.com earlier this week. "Like the third day I had the offer, Coach Smart and Coach Scott came by the school. I knew it was love then."

That's what set Georgia apart from the likes of Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

“It was just how hard they recruited me. They showed the most love,” he said.

Smart, in particular, made quite an impression, going out of his way as a head coach to focus on landing the senior.

“It played a big role. From being under Coach Saban, he’s a defensive-minded guy, and he played a huge role in recruiting me," Ingram-Dawkins said. "We spoke like every two days, and we talked a lot.”

Of course, being able to visualize his fit in the defense helped the Bulldogs, as well.

"I’ve been watching their scheme, and Coach Scott has been telling me I can come in and be a dog early," Ingram-Dawkins said. "I’m not looking to come in and just start. I want to work for it and do my thing.”

So, what can Bulldog fans expect from their newest commit as both a person and player?

“As a person, I’m a great guy. I’m a great football player, but I’m a player who’s going to work hard off of the field," Ingram-Dawkins said. "I want to do whatever it takes to get myself better and be a great teammate. As a player, I just want to make plays and do my assignment every game.”