Devwah Whaley, the No. 49 prospect in the class of 2016, is leaving the state of Texas for college.
The 6-foot, 205-pound running back from Beaumont Central High made a Thanksgiving Day commitment to Georgia, telling ESPN he was choosing the Bulldogs over Arkansas, Texas and Texas A&M.
"The environment, atmosphere and the coaching staff most definitely pushed Georgia over the top," Whaley said. "I have a great relationship with the whole coaching staff, I like the people at Georgia and it feels like a home away from home."
Whaley, the No. 3 running back in the class, joins ESPN 300 Elijah Holyfield (No. 10 RB), the son of Evander Holyfield, as 2016 running back commitments for Mark Richt and staff. Whaley and Holyfield will add to a stacked backfield in Athens that includes Sony Michel, injured star Nick Chubb, Brendan Douglas and A.J. Turman.
"The coaches said I have the possibility to see the field, but not start, come in and have a role on offense and special teams," Whaley said.
Whaley, who will participate in the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 2 (noon ET, ESPN2), is the 10th ESPN 300 commitment for Georgia. The Bulldogs currently own the No. 7-ranked class, headlined by No. 2-ranked quarterback Jacob Eason and No. 3-ranked ESPN JC 50 receiver Javon Wims. Georgia could move up in the class rankings when they are updated next week.
A number of highly ranked prospects could vault Georgia into the top five classes by national signing day in February. That list includes five-star offensive tackle Willie Allen, tight end Isaac Nauta, and ESPN 300s Derrick Brown, Mecole Hardman Jr., Demetris Robertson, Nigel Warrior and Brian Burns.
The Bulldogs have inked top-10 classes in ESPN's rankings for each of the past five seasons.