NEW: Hillgrove (Ga.) OL Benjamin Galloway details GT commitment
The staff at Georgia Tech added another pre-season all-state OL on Thursday evening when Hillgrove (Ga.) offensive lineman Benjamin Galloway went public with his decision.
Galloway chose GT over other finalists Maryland, Missouri, South Florida, and Houston, and becomes the 4th player at the position to commit to GT in the 2023 class.
Prior to announcing his decision to the world online, Galloway broke down the decision to pick GT with JOL.
"It just means more to be able to rep your hometown at the next level," said Galloway. "The fact that I will be able to play football at such a high level, while still getting a top-tier education in the city of Atlanta was huge for me," Galloway said when asked what set GT apart. "I really like the culture there, and everything they are building.
Coach Key and I have a good relationship, and my boy Elias Cloy has been on me hard. Both him and Brandon Best. He and I used to work out together back when he was in HS.”
The biggest relationship on the GT staff isn’t with Key, though. Not a current player either. That relationship? Kenyatta Watson.
Coach (Kenyatta) Watson has been great to me," he said. "He is the reason that Coach Key even found me. He had been pushing for me. He's done a lot. He was the first one I told the news of my commitment to."
Similar to many of his future teammates, the chance to both remain close with his family, and see them at games, played a big role for Galloway.
"My family is really excited. My mom, she says she is just so proud of me," said Galloway. I will be so close to home that my family will be able to go to every game. That was a big deal for me also in my decision.
Galloway, despite not being as well-known as some other recruits in the state of Georgia, feels like he is at an advantage when the transition from HS to Georgia Tech begins due to the quality of the opponents he has been able to face.
"Outside of somewhere like Florida or Texas, this is it. Especially 7A football. Last season, we played guys like North Cobb, Walton, Marietta, McEachern, and a lot of other big "traditional" powerhouse. I have been matching up against top-tier DE almost on a weekly basis."
As for his fit on the offensive line once he gets to GT, the plan is still in motion for where he will fit, but in Galloway's eyes that is a positive not a negative.
"Coach Key sees me as someone that can play both positions. He thinks i am athletic enough to play tackle, that was one of the things he liked about me the most when he saw me out there. I remember at the camp, I was beating the skill guys in the three-cone drill. That got the coaches' attention. I'll play anywhere they want me."