New Georgia commit Juan Gaston kept everyone guessing until the moment he announced

Phenix Gaston said she asked her son, blue-chip offensive lineman Juan Gaston in the days leading up to Friday night’s announcement, “where we going, where we going?”

She says she was going to find out the way the rest of us did and the answer is Georgia. Perhaps she knew by the time of the theatrical announcement where her son took off several different jackets and shirts before donning a Georgia hat representing he was staying home.

The schools didn’t know heading into the festivities.

The 6-foot-7, 360-pound Gaston declared for UGA the over his other finalists in Tennessee, Oregon and South Carolina during a ceremony at his Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake school. Gaston told On3’s Chad Simmons “my heart told me where I needed to be.”

Now that the decision has been made, the elder Gaston talked about what her son was looking for in a school.

“Player development, both on and off the field,” she said. “A good program. A connection with the players. Being comfortable and adjusted with his position coach and being able to play right away. That became a factor in the later portion of it. Being able to hit that field early.”

The On3 Industry tabs Gaston as the nation’s No. 14 offensive tackle and No. 187 prospect overall.

Phenix talked about what led her son to choosing Georgia. The Bulldogs had On3’s No. 4 ranked class prior to Gaston jumping into the fold.

“They were the home team,” she said. “They definitely had home field advantage. We were able to go frequently. It was a short ride from Athens to our house. Being able to build that connection with Coach Searels, Coach Smart and several players we know that are from Georgia that are now at UGA.

“They’ve been very consistent. Consistency is key. They’ve been very consistent through out this whole process for sure.”