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Samuel M'Pemba, No. 29-rated recruit by ESPN, picks Georgia

Samuel M'Pemba, one of the top remaining uncommitted players in the 2023 class, pledged to Georgia on Sunday.

M'Pemba is No. 29 overall in the 2023 ESPN 300 and is ESPN's No. 2-ranked defensive end in the class. He'll slide into the second level -- linebacker -- of the Bulldogs' defense.

"I feel like it's (a good fit)," M'Pemba told ESPN. "Their outside linebackers, they eat a lot. They can make a lot of plays, so I feel like I'm going to fit in well."

M'Pemba chose Georgia over Tennessee, Florida and Miami. He said he plans on signing during this month's early signing period (Dec. 21-23) and will enroll early in January.

M'Pemba is the second highest-ranked prospect for coach Kirby Smart's class (safety Joenel Aguero is No. 23 overall) and is the 17th ESPN 300 recruit for the Bulldogs in this cycle. ESPN has Georgia's class ranked third in the nation, behind Alabama and Notre Dame.

"They're on the way to a chip right now, so they just continue to do their thing," M'Pemba said of the defending national champions, who were No. 1 in the final College Football Playoff rankings released earlier Sunday. "But you just continue to work, continue to develop and there's a lot of work to be done."

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound M'Pemba, who's originally from St. Louis, had 36 tackles (24 solo) with 14 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks this season for IMG Academy (Florida).

"I feel like it's helped me just continue to grow, continue to better, you know, in this college-style environment," he said of his time at IMG. "So it's been pretty good. It's been pretty easy for me. I feel like I'm going to transition really well."