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Vanderbilt Vs. Georgia: Josh Dawson Faces School He Turned Down

When Vanderbilt comes to Athens, Ga., on Saturday, it will be the first time freshman defensive end Josh Dawson sees the school he snubbed at the last minute on Signing Day last year.

Dawson, a four-star DE/OLB from Georgia, was one of the jewels of James Franklin's first recruiting class at Vanderbilt. However, a late push from Mark Richt made Dawson a last-minute flip back to Athens.

In an interview with Dogbytesonline, Dawson talked about why he made the decision and whether he thought there would be any hard feelings on Saturday:

The whole program is a great program. Nothing against them. I just felt like I was more comfortable here at Georgia. It's my home state so I felt more comfortable. My family is an hour away. ... I felt the comfort level here, Plus, I knew more people on the team. It just felt like home when I came here instead of Vanderbilt. Not taking anything away from Vanderbilt. It's a good program, a good coaching staff. The players treated me like family.

In three games as a true freshman, Dawson has two tackles, including 1.5 for loss. In the interview, he said that he did not know whether Franklin would talk to him on Saturday.

For more on Georgia football, check out Dawg Sports and continue to read SB Nation Atlanta.

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.