SI All-American Tate Ratledge on Georgia, Coaching Change and More

Rome (Ga.) Darlington School standout and SI All-American Tate Ratledge will sign with the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday, but it wasn't a lock until recently.

While the in-state offensive lineman had been pledged to the program since May, the move of offensive line coach Sam Pittman to Arkansas caused him to take a pause with the process. Soon after, new assistant Matt Luke joined Kirby Smart in spending time with the senior to ease the concern ahead of a weekend trip back to Athens.

"Those couple of days, for me, were very stressful," Ratledge told SI in an exclusive interview. "Coaches everywhere were blowing up my phone, a lot of reporters asking me questions...

"I needed time with my family to decide what I was going to do."

After the turnover and trip, there was plenty relief coming from the Ratledge camp.

"Being done is a lot of stress off of me," he said. "I felt like it was a lot of stress on my family and now I get to enjoy the rest of my senior year and know where I'm going to be the next three or four years."

The Bulldogs currently hold one of the top overall hauls in the class of 2020 ahead of the Early Signing Period.

Evaluation:

Offensive line evaluating is among the tougher tasks given at any level, but guys like Tate Ratledge make it a bit easier on us. On the surface, he has it all, great length, mass, athleticism and an attitude that screams ‘SEC trenchman.’ When you dig deeper you only get more balance in his game, between his smooth movement in pass protection and physicality in the run game. Equipped with one of the best punches in the country, he isn’t afraid to make plays on the move as well.

Even lining up at tight end at some points in his high school career, Ratledge has some position versatility in that he can play perhaps any offensive line position other than center at this point. When you have a strong base, can anchor quickly and redirect in tight quarters, offensive line coaches will love you. It’s why Ratledge was one of the most coveted linemen in America before committing to the in-state Bulldogs and remained as such when he briefly took another look at his recruitment in December.

2019 SI All-American Offensive Team:

QB Bryce Young, Alabama (Why Young? Highlights)

RB Demarckus Bowman, Clemson (Why Bowman? Highlights)

RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech (Why Gibbs? Highlights)

WR Julian Fleming, Ohio State (Why Fleming? Highlights)

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State (Why Smith-Njigba? Highlights)

WR Malachi Wideman, FSU (Why Wideman? Highlights)

TE Arik Gilbert, LSU (Why Gilbert? Highlights)

OL Paris Johnson, Ohio State (Why Johnson? Highlights)

OL Tate Ratledge, UGA (Why Ratledge? Highlights)

OL Javion Cohen, Alabama (Why Cohen? Highlights)

OL Issiah Walker, Florida (Why Walker? Highlights)