Georgia adds football recruit, who was a former MLB first-round draft pick

Georgia is adding an older soon-to-be freshman to its recruiting class of 2017.

According to Dawgs247, the Bulldogs received a commitment from defensive back Jake Skole, who hasn't been playing football for the past seven years. Skole was the 15th-overall selection in the MLB draft class by the Texas Rangers.

From 2010-2016, Skole was unable to reach the big leagues, which likely contributed to his decision to give football a try. Skole was a former three-star football recruit out of Blessed Trinity in the Atlanta area.

Skole told Dawgs247 that head coach Kirby Smart has been recruiting him hard, along with Florida State, Georgia Tech and others, with the selling point being that he'll be able to play on the defensive side of the ball.

Skole plans to enroll at Georgia in January.

"I am not sure if it will be linebacker or safety, there were a couple of schools that wanted me to stick it out on the offensive side of the ball, but that was part of the reason I am going with Georgia, they want me on defense," Skole said.

This story was originally published October 15, 2016 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Georgia adds football recruit, who was a former MLB first-round draft pick."