The lengthy pursuit of one of the nation’s top prep defenders ended Friday with Ray Drew clenched in the recruiting teeth of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Slightly more than 12 minutes into a suspenseful news conference at Thomas County Central, Drew committed to the Bulldogs. He opted for them over his other finalists — the Auburn Tigers, Clemson Tigers, LSU Tigers and Miami Hurricanes.

A 6-foot-5 defensive lineman who received more than 50 scholarship offers, Drew graciously thanked his Central coaches, teammates and school officials for their support before finally announcing his choice. He offered no hints of his destination upon entering a large conference room shortly after 10 a.m. Clad in jeans and a plain white shirt, the five-star recruit didn’t reveal it until he donned a red Bulldogs cap, igniting cheers of approval from a large gathering of family members, friends and statewide media members.

“Throughout all the ‘War Eagles,’ ‘Go Tigers’ and ‘The U’ of Miami, none compared to the two words that say it all — Go Dawgs,” said Drew, who will ink a national letter on intent on Wednesday.

In part, Drew opted for Georgia because of its communications program. He is a longtime student in Central’s award-winning broadcast media class.

Drew also appreciates Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt’s devout Christian beliefs. Drew is an ordained minister whom broadcast media teacher Randy Young humorously dubbed the “Pastor of Disaster.”

Georgia intends to use Drew at outside linebacker in its 3-4 scheme. The Bulldogs have an opening there because Justin Houston decided to make himself available for the NFL Draft.

“While it is the 3-4, the majority of the time it’s a 4-3 look where the outside linebacker plays on the end with his hand on the ground and gets after the quarterback,” Drew said. “That’s the way it is 60-70 percent of the time.”

In recent days, Drew tried to throw fans off his college trail with mischievous Facebook postings. He said he preferred the 4-3, but that is not the case, however.

Former Georgia and NFL players Randall Godfrey (Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins) and David Pollack (Cincinnati Bengals) are confident Drew will succeed at his new position.

“He’s going to make an impact on and off the field” said Godfrey, a former Lowndes linebacker. “I’m looking forward to him having a great career.”

Pollack, a member of Richt’s first recruiting class a decade ago, believes Drew will enjoy his time at Georgia. Drew will be the first Central player to sign with an SEC team.

“It’s amazing having a (coach) who cares more about where you go when  you die than your development as a football player,” Pollack said. “He is an amazing individual; Ray’s an amazing individual, and I think he’s going to do great things.”

Drew, who settled on Georgia 2-3 weeks ago, opened the news conference by expressing gratitude to all the schools that made his final list. He also admitted he is glad the year-long recruiting process is over.

“I feel very blessed to have this opportunity and to have gone through this process,” he said. “Along the way, I have met and built relationships with many different people.”