FINDLAY, Ohio — Findlay High School quarterback Ryan Montgomery announced Wednesday that he has committed to play football at the University of Georgia.
Montgomery picked Georgia over Florida and South Carolina who he announced as his three finalists Monday. He made the announcement surrounded by family, friends and Winnie the bulldog inside the gymnasium at Findlay High School.
A normal tradition is to select from a group of hats on a table, but Montgomery wanted his commitment to be unique.
"I didn't want to really do the hats, that's kind of what everybody does. I wanted to do something a little different and have a little fun with this announcement," Montgomery said. "We got ahold of a guy that had a bulldog and he was willing to let me bring it here and willing to let me use it as part of my announcement."
The four-star recruit is excited to have the decision behind him and looks forward to competing at the highest levels of college football.
"It's been a very long process. Being able to have it all wrapped up now and be committed to a school like Georgia, a place where I want to be, it's a huge relief," Montgomery said. "Just having the opportunity to compete against the country's best each and every day, that was definitely a big part of my decision. It's the perfect fit for me."
Ryan’s brother, Luke, was also a highly recruited player out of Findlay and is currently an offensive lineman for Ohio State University. Ryan said seeing Luke go through the same recruiting process helped him through his own.
"He's been through the process, he knows what the process is like," Ryan said. "Having him as my older brother but also just someone that can be there for me and just be a mentor throughout my recruiting process was definitely big time. I was able to learn a lot of stuff from him throughout his process."
According to 247Sports, the four-star recruit for the Trojans is rated as the No. 8 player in the state of Ohio and the No. 12 quarterback in the country for the class of 2025.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Findlay standout was named a finalist for Ohio Mr. Football last season. He finished the year 228-of-333 for 3,018 yards passing with 35 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also helped lead the Trojans to a share of the Northern Lakes League Buckeye Division title.
Last season in a win over Southview, Montgomery broke the single-game yardage school record held by Ben Roethlisberger in 2000, throwing for 491 yards and six touchdowns.
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