Natrez Patrick commits to Georgia over Alabama, Auburn

'15 DE/OLB Natrez Patrick committed to the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday night, giving his verbal to the football program for Georgia's eighth commitment in the class of 2015. The 6'3, 220-pound defensive lineman/linebacker hails from the state of Georgia, making him the fifth player in the Bulldogs' class from the Peach State. Patrick's commitment was only a matter of time, it seems, as the 247Sports Crystal Ball had Patrick favoring Georgia. All 28 experts chose Georgia over Patrick's final other three, Alabama, Auburn, and Ole Miss.

Patrick held offers from some of the top programs in the country, including Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, LSU, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others. The four-star is now the highest rated commitment on the defensive side of the ball for Georgia, and is ranked as the ninth-best prospect from the state of Georgia.

Patrick is expected to play outside linebacker at the college level and it sounds like he will try to enroll early for the spring semester, which only means good things for Georgia fans.

SB Nation Recruiting's Bud Elliott had the following to say about the newest 'Dawg:

Patrick has a very solid frame with good length for a player who can likely play defensive end in a 4-3 or outside linebacker in a 3-4. He can probably eventually play at close to 260 pounds after time in a weight room. Patrick is a very strong player for his size, and that should only increase. He demonstrates excellent core strength on numerous tackles, ripping ball carriers to the ground.

If you haven't yet seen Patrick's highlights, check out his tape to see what he'll bring to Athens on the gridiron: