Salyer stays in state, signs with Bulldogs

Jamaree Salyer, the No. 1 ranked offensive guard in the country and a 5-star recruit, signed his national letter of intent with Georgia on Wednesday morning.

Inside Live! at The Battery Atlanta, Salyer chose the Bulldogs over Clemson. As Salyer leaned underneath a table to grab a Georgia hat, artificial smoke wafted down from the second level of the restaurant.

When he said, “I'm going to continue my next four years of college at the University of Georgia,” cheers rang out from dozens of red-and-black clad fans. Salyer smiled and absorbed the moment. He thanked God, his grandmother and his mother, Yolonda Campbell.

“It feels like a big weight off my chest,” Salyer said.

Salyer, the No. 10 ranked player in the country, said Georgia held an edge for most of his recruitment, but he became unsure in recent weeks. Then Salyer took an official visit to Georgia this past weekend. There, he reaffirmed his intention to choose the Bulldogs. The decision, Salyer said, came down to his relationship with Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman.

Pittman started recruiting Salyer when Pittman coached Arkansas’ offensive line and Salyer was a freshman at Pace Academy. When Pittman was hired two years ago by Kirby Smart, he continued recruiting Salyer — this time to be a Bulldog.

“(Pittman) cracks a lot of jokes but he gets down to business,” Salyer said. “He knows what he's talking about. He goes and sits in NFL staff rooms and gets the latest and greatest in technique.”

Salyer started at guard as a freshman at Pace Academy. Along with Georgia freshmen Andrew Thomas and Trey Blount, Salyer helped the Knights win the first football state championship in school history. This past year, Pace’s starting center suffered an injury before the Knights’ game against Cedar Grove.

Salyer had never played center before, but head coach Chris Slade and offensive line coach Kevin Johnson asked Salyer to slide over to center for the game.

“He said, ‘All right, teach me how to snap,’ " Slade said. “I don't think he had a bad snap the whole game.”

Salyer could receive a look at either center or guard at Georgia. He said he doesn’t care which position he plays.

“However I can get on the field,” Salyer said, “that's what I want to play.”

Salyer, who wants to study finance, will enroll at Georgia in June. In the meantime, he anticipates he will spend many weekends in Athens watching spring practice. With the addition of the 6-foot-4, 342-pound Salyer, Georgia now has four offensive linemen in this year’s class. Owen Condon, Warren Ericson and Trey Hill, the No. 2 ranked offensive guard in the country, already signed on Wednesday morning. The Bulldogs also earned a commitment from Cade Mays, a five-star tackle, in the early afternoon.

“I think the sky's the limit, honestly,” Salyer said of Georgia’s offensive line. “I think Andrew (Thomas) is a first-rounder already, barring injury. I think we got a lot of potential first rounders to come out when this class is all said and done.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Salyer stays in state, signs with Bulldogs."