Chase Linton decided to make his college decision on the day his late grandfather Norris Arnold Sr. was born.
It was a gesture to honor a man that loved his family and sports.
Linton said Arnold would always agree with everything he said. He would’ve agreed with Georgia, Georgia Tech or Rutgers, but he would have been over the moon to see his daughter’s youngest child decide to play close to home.
The nation’s No. 4 EDGE committed to a Georgia football program that was responsible the second act to his recruiting process. He committed to Rutgers in June, just before the Bulldogs got involved.
This verbal commitment from Linton boosts Georgia football up to 26 commitments for the 2025 cycle. The decision also pushes Georgia past Ohio State for the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class on the 247Sports Composite.
The four-star is now also poised to become the first Power 4 football scholarship signee in the 20-plus year history of the North Atlanta football program.
He’s also the third EDGE prospect for assistant coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe, whose approach is one of many reasons why Linton chose the Bulldogs on Wednesday.
“Their culture and their family atmosphere,” Linton said. “It is a big school. Like when you go over there and you think they are going to talk about football, football, football. That’s not how they are. They are about developing you as a man. I really respect that.”
Both Linton and his mother are big Uzo-Diribe fans.
“He’s a real genuine guy,” Linton said. “I love the way he communicates with my mom. Not too much. But just enough. Family communication is important to me and I appreciate that he notices that and acts on it.”
His mother Keeva Linton helped with a spreadsheet that had all the pros and con for each program.
“Strength of coaching staff,” she said. “NIL. Successful seasons. Dorms. Meals. Experience. Overall visit rating on a scale of one to five. All these little things we mapped out.”
She would chime in about the weather being less desirable in one spot or where he would eat the best food. The input was given, but it was up to him to weigh her feedback.
Ahead of Chase’s announcement, she was torn over whether she wanted to know ahead of time.
“I kind of wanted to experience the reveal like everybody else, but I go back and forth several times a day about what was better,” she said.
When asked what makes her proudest of her son, it sounds like she is just reading off a script.
“The thing I love about sports is you can watch any sports contest,” she said. “You can watch somebody’s dream come true. The buzzer beater. Whatever. What makes me the proudest about Chase is he has the courage and the discipline to chase his dream.”
