Ad Disclosure
If Tate Ratledge ends up playing his college football in the Southeastern Conference, there’s an outstanding chance the league school he winds up at will be getting the nation’s best offensive lineman.
Already rated as the nation’s No. 52 overall prospect in the country by 247Sports Composite Rankings, the 6-foot-6, 306-pound Rome, Ga. native is likely to jump up the charts the next time the rankings are updated based on the performance he put on display at The Opening’s Atlanta regionals over the weekend. Ratledge was named the camp’s offensive line MVP and earned his ticket to The Opening Finals this summer, where he will compete against the best prospects in the nation at the Nike camp.
In recent weeks, Ratledge has visited Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn and Alabama for unofficial visits. The pull to stay in-state and play for Sam Pittman may be tough for every other school to combat but Ratledge grew up a Tennessee fan in a Volunteer family. Plus, as long as Nick Saban is at Alabama, you certainly can’t count the Crimson Tide out of a recruiting battle. Considering Alabama and Tennessee have their spring games scheduled for the same day, it will be interesting to see where if Ratledge makes an appearance at either game.
The buzz out of Atlanta suggests no player impressed more this weekend than Ratledge. Check out some of the videos posted of his performance from the camp:
Ratledge going up against three-star lineman Josh Griffis:
Tate Rutledge stops Josh Griffis pic.twitter.com/SfoLuAWQMt
— Charles Power (@CharlesPower) March 24, 2019
Ratledge going up against five-star lineman Myles Murphy:
Clash of the Titans
Myles Murphy vs. Tate Ratledge pic.twitter.com/voAg9Pebqy— Jake Reuse (@ReuseRecruiting) March 24, 2019
Ratledge going up against four-star lineman Andy Boykin:
#UGA OT target Tate Ratledge taking folks for rides today in Stockbridge. pic.twitter.com/U2IUQZse3V
— Jake Reuse (@ReuseRecruiting) March 24, 2019
Top247 OT Tate Ratledge with strong reps early at @TheOpening Atlanta: https://t.co/OyvVN8oals pic.twitter.com/zN9cS85T1d
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) March 24, 2019
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
