Georgia 5-star LB commit Demarcus Riddick has an ‘idea’ of which hat to wear Wednesday

When Clanton (Ala.) Chilton County five-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick committed to Georgia, he thought he had his recruitment all in order.

As Alabama and Auburn have pushed hard to flip Riddick from the ‘Dawgs, that feeling he had about Georgia has changed. Now, Riddick will choose between Georgia, Alabama and Auburn this week.

He will announce his commitment Wednesday night at 5 p.m. ET. Riddick told On3 that he originally felt confident in his Georgia decision, but that Alabama and Auburn opened things up when they turned the heat on in his recruitment.

“It’s been tough. It’s been really tough. . . I thought I had this settled down when I committed to Georgia,” Riddick told On3. “But I really didn’t because my feelings have changed a little.

Alabama and Auburn in the mix for Riddick

With the Crimson Tide, Riddick said his strongest relationships have been with inside linebackers coach Robert Bala, defensive line coach Freddie Roach and head coach Nick Saban. Bala joins the staff after one season at Liberty, with prior experience in the NFL. The message from the staff is that they “want” and “need” Riddick in Tuscaloosa. But as Alabama’s program speaks for itself, Riddick zeroed in on its community.

That’s what stands out to me the most,” Riddick said. “Because fans, they see you on the sideline and be like, ‘what’s up man?’ — and they aren’t really talking about football. They’re just asking you how your life is.”

With Auburn, it’s linebackers coach Josh Aldridge and head coach Hugh Freeze leading the charge for Riddick. Both come to Auburn from Liberty and are entering their first season with the Tigers. Riddick told On3 that Auburn not being an expected title contender is not necessarily a drawback, rather that there is merit to wanting to get on the field and help build a program up to that standard.

“That they’re building,” Riddick said about what stands out to him at Auburn. “. . . Seeing that I can get on the field and help build a school. . . That’s one thing that stands out to me about Auburn.”

With his final decision just days away, Riddick said he feels like he has a good idea of what his choice will be.

“I have an idea of what I’m going to do Wednesday,” Riddick said. “I’m going to have all three of the hats on the table. It’s going to be like a birthday present for my momma, so I’m going to give it as a gift to her.”

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