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UGA lands big offensive lineman recruit Devin Willock

The New Jersey native had previously been committed to Penn State.

ATHENS, Ga. — Mere days after the Bulldogs lost 2020 prospect Joshua Braun (Live Oak, Florida), an offensive tackle who flipped his commitment from Georgia to Florida last week, they added another at the position for this year’s class. 

Devin Willock, a three-star lineman at Paramus (New Jersey) Catholic High School, announced his commitment to Georgia via Twitter on Sunday night.

Willock, who received an offer from Georgia last May, had been committed to Penn State for roughly three-and-a-half months before decommitting and making an official visit to Georgia last week. 

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The Bulldogs’ fifth offensive line commitment for 2020, he ultimately decided on Georgia upon the recent hiring of the team’s new offensive line coach, Matt Luke.

“I’m excited to be a Dawg and I’m ready to make a difference down the road. I’m really comfortable at Georgia. It’s been one of my dream schools for a while now,” Willock said to Rivals.com Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman. “I unfortunately wasn’t able to commit to Georgia over the summer but when coach Matt Luke came around, showed his interest in me, and gave me his word that he wanted to coach me up, I had to take a chance and look into it.”

Credit: rivals.com

Willock, who measured in at 6-foot-6-¾ and 360 pounds on a trip to Athens in early June, suffered a broken fibula and dislocated ankle during a game this past season. Nevertheless, he was named First Team All-New Jersey by the USA TODAY network. 

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Willock should be fully recovered from his injuries by this summer.

Notably, Willock would be only the second Georgia signee from the state of New Jersey in more than a dozen years. Although Athens is far from home, he has an uncle and nephews who live in nearby Gainesville. 

Plus, the massive lineman already has a “home feeling” for Georgia.

“I’ve been down to the school (UGA) multiple times, so I wasn’t looking into the school part so much (during his official visit), but it was really just the home feeling. I felt really comfortable there and felt like I knew the place,” Willock added as factors in him deciding to commit to Georgia. “Being able to spend time with Coach Luke, watch some film and what his theories are on offensive line play was great for me. It was mostly stuff I was used to and stuff I can see myself doing.”

11Alive is publishing this story in conjunction with UGASports.com and Rivals.com

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