Peach County's Tyrique McGhee ready to sign his NLI with Georgia

FORT VALLEY -- As long as he had a place on Georgia's roster, Tyrique McGhee wasn't going to waver. His parents didn't raise him to back out of commitments.

His coach at Peach County was not going to let him get indecisive all because an institution decided to head in a different direction with its head coach.

McGhee, a 5-foot-11, 177-pound cornerback, committed to Georgia almost a year ago under previous head coach Mark Richt. When Kirby Smart was hired to replace Richt, all McGhee needed was the validation of still having a roster spot. Considering Smart did recruit McGhee at Alabama and was familiar with the Peach County standout, he and inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann let the McGhee family know on an in-home visit how much they still wanted him to be a part of Georgia's class of 2016.

Following his final unofficial visit to Georgia's campus this weekend, McGhee is set to sign his national letter-of-intent with the Bulldogs on Wednesday, when the signing period opens up.

"I've been waiting for this day since I can remember," McGhee said. "That's any kid. For it to be close, it's big."

McGhee has gone through the entire recruiting process a tad overlooked when it comes to media attention. The three major recruiting websites -- 247Sports.com, Scout.com and Rivals.com -- all rank McGhee as a three-star prospect, something he admitted was bothersome at first.

McGhee has since gotten past it because, as both he and Peach County head coach Chad Campbell said, he outperformed higher-ranked players at various camps.

Campbell said McGhee was first considered a three-star prospect after running a poor time in the 40-yard dash at a Valdosta combine following his sophomore season. After his junior season, McGhee was dealing with a foot injury during the camp season.

But the tape doesn't lie, Campbell said. It was evident to former Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who recruited McGhee early in the process. Pruitt wasn't concerned with McGhee's 40 time. He told Campbell that attributes such as change-of-direction and vertical leap meant more to him. McGhee excels with both of those, Campbell said, as he has posted a 42-inch vertical leap as a personal-best.

Campbell said McGhee's approach to the game and willingness to be coached separate him from most of the state's best prospects.

"This is what gets me, too. I've seen some of those four- and five-stars on TV, and I watch them do special teams, (stuff) like that. And I see them take it off," Campbell said. "(McGhee) goes hard on special teams. We expect all of our kids to do that. But he's a kid who's going to Georgia, and we had him blocking punts this year, stuff like that."

Campbell also said the star system can be deceiving. He once had a speedy player who picked up four stars by the recruiting services and ended up with an SEC offer. But as the coach of this particular player on a daily basis, Campbell said it was dumbfounding for an SEC program to go after his player -- both of which he didn't want to name.

"I had a kid who got offered by an SEC school because he ran a good 40 time and could cover somebody," Campbell said. "He couldn't tackle my (butt). When the coach called and told me they offered him, I said, 'Really?' I said, 'Go ahead, but he can't tackle my (butt), I'm telling you.' "

McGhee also holds offers from SEC programs Auburn, South Carolina and Kentucky, as well as Georgia Tech. After Pruitt took over as Alabama's defensive coordinator, he reached out to gauge McGhee's interest in possibly flipping to the Crimson Tide.

But all Smart had to do was let it be known that McGhee was a wanted man at Georgia to ensure his commitment stood. McGhee has told the other programs he's staying put, although they have continued to check in on him.

"They just let you know they want you at their school," McGhee said. "At the end, they know where I stand with Georgia. They're just trying to do their job."

McGhee loves to play the sport, no matter if it's practice or in a game. Last summer, McGhee participated in the IMG Academy 7-on-7 camp in Sarasota, Florida, that lasted through a weekend. On the following Monday, McGhee was present for a voluntary practice with his Peach County teammates.

It would appear Georgia is getting a player who's going to be on the field every chance he gets.

"I'm trying to make people back home where I'm from proud," McGhee said. "We have a lot of guys go to the next level here. I'll try to out-do those guys, because it hasn't been done in a while."

McGhee's mother, Jackie McGhee, said her son is starting to mimic Georgia's workouts and nutrition plan as much as possible. The goal is to have McGhee prepared for the strength and conditioning program and voluntary workouts he'll be able to participate in once he enrolls at Georgia on June 2.

"He's mentally prepared," Jackie said. "I think you have to have that mentality and a great work ethic. We're working on the whole player, the whole athlete. The talent is definitely there. We're looking at the drive, the effort, the workout routine."

McGhee has been playing football since he was 6 years old, with center being his first position. Campbell joked with his slender corner about being a "chubby kid" when he was young. But as a child, McGhee wanted to be like running back Reggie Bush. As his body changed and he was able to play running back by the age of 9, there was no turning back.

By the time McGhee was in the eighth grade, Campbell knew he was getting a special player.

He'll also have a quality voice in his ear once he's on campus full-time. McGhee is inside linebacker Roquan Smith's cousin and said he spends the night with him when staying overnight in Athens. He also has become friends with receiver Terry Godwin and defensive tackle Trenton Thompson during the recruiting process.

While he needed to wait to hear from Smart and the new staff, McGhee always considered Georgia to be his future home. Being an in-state prospect, McGhee has long dreamed of playing for the Bulldogs.

Regardless of whom Georgia's head coach is, McGhee knows he'll develop plenty of additional relationships during his time in college. As long as Georgia remained committed to him, he wasn't headed anywhere else.

"In my house and around here, once you promise somebody something, you stick with it," McGhee said.

This story was originally published January 30, 2016 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Peach County's Tyrique McGhee ready to sign his NLI with Georgia ."