Tate Ratledge just left Georgia at the end of the 2024 season. He was an elite offensive lineman who anchored the Bulldogs front lines for multiple years, and now he is already starting in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.
But let's go back in time to when Ratledge was still in high school and was a few days out from signing day. He was already committed to Georgia, but Sam Pittman (who was the Bulldogs offensive line coach at the time) was just hired to be Arkansas next head coach.
Ratledge had no clue what to do at this point. He didn't know if he should stick with Georgia or follow Pittman to Arkansas. He also was being aggressively pursued by Tennessee and Clemson who he was giving serious thought to. But in the end he chose to stick with Georgia in part because Pittman called him and told him not to leave.
After Sam Pittman took the Arkansas head coaching job, he took the time to call Tate Ratledge and tell the elite lineman to stick with Georgia.
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) April 20, 2026
"You know why Georgia fans love Sam Pittman? Little things like that."
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Sam Pittman helped Georgia land Tate Ratledge after he left the program
Ratledge ended up becoming one of the best offensive lineman in Kirby Smart’s era. It’s impossible to predict if any one recruit will become that, but Ratledge was a top 40 recruit so losing him would’ve been extremely bad. And Georgia was very close to losing him.
After Pittman left Georgia he did not know what to do. Following him was an option, but he also set up visits to Tennessee and Clemson just days before signing day. But After Smart hired his new offensive line coach he immediately met with Ratledge for over five hours in person. Then Ratledge then got a call from Pittman which is when he told him to stick with Georgia.
So Ratledge listened, cancelled his visits to Tennessee and Clemson, and the rest is history.
Pittman had to be super busy at the time. Not only was he trying to fill out his staff at Arkansas but he also had to recruit nonstop to try and bring a good batch of recruits with him to Arkansas. But he still took a few minutes to speak with Ratledge and help convince his to stick with Georgia, and that is something that almost never happens.
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