Rivals250 linebacker Chris Cole commits to Georgia
Georgia has added the final piece to another elite inside linebacker class.
Rivals250 linebacker Chris Cole committed to the Bulldogs on Sunday. Cole chose Georgia over USC, Tennessee, Penn State, Miami, and Virginia Tech.
Cole is the third Georgia linebacker commit ranked among the nation's top 150 overall prospects, joining five-star Justin Williams and fellow Virginian Kristopher Jones.
Georgia offered Cole this spring when he visited Athens for a spring practice. At the time, he told UGASports he viewed the offer as "a dream come true." Head coach Kirby Smart personally extended the offer.
"We talked about Georgia's program and culture," Cole told UGASports. "We talked about his vision for me at the inside linebacker position, and how much (Smart) liked my film. Coach Smart sees my ability as limitless."
It didn't take long for Cole to schedule an official visit to Georgia. But even before that, he returned to Athens and camped with defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann on May 31.
That visit gave Cole his first experience of playing for his future position coach.
"Can't be afraid of constructive criticism when working with Coach Schumann, because everything is done with love to make you a better player," Cole told UGASports. "I'm aggressive and a lion on the field, so I don't run from competition or correction, because I'm always striving for excellence on and off the field."
Cole then returned to Athens for his official visit June 16-18. The centerpiece came in the form of a slideshow showcasing the linebackers Georgia has sent to the next level.
"It was just proof that Coach Schu can develop," Cole told UGASports after the visit. "We had like maybe an hour talk. He’s just like a genius of football. He knows everything about it. He knows how to get players to the league. That’s what I really like."
Smart also gave his final pitch.
"His closing argument was just like, here, you will be developed," Cole said. "For example, every day you go against the best of the best all around the country. Then games will make it easy. When you go against the best of the best every day, that’s going to make you better. Also, he just talked about Coach Schu. He’s just developed like a million linebackers, and I could be the next."
Despite late pushes from Tennessee and USC, that development-focused pitch proved enough for Georgia to land Cole's commitment.
Cole is the 27th commit in Georgia's top-ranked 2024 recruiting class.