If former UGA recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner had stayed with the Bulldogs, would 5-star defensive tackle Montravius Adams have signed with UGA?

That’s a popular theory in recruiting circles.

If you remember, less than a week before signing day, Adams wasn’t even sure he was going to take his fifth and final official visit to Auburn.

The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder from Dooly County High School was mulling over three options at the time:

1. Don’t visit anywhere the final weekend, get some rest from recruiting, and pick between his four finalists of UGA, Clemson, Florida and Alabama

2. Go visit USC, which was his childhood dream school but probably not under heavy consideration simply because of distance

3. Go ahead and visit Auburn, which had sent its coaches, including new defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson and Garner (the new defensive line coach), to Dooly County earlier that same week.

After thinking about it for a few days, Adams decided to visit Auburn, mainly due to his friendship with Garner, who had only taken a job with the Tigers in mid-December. They had grown pretty close while Garner was still at UGA.

The rest is history – or recruiting folklore. Not only did Adams visit Auburn, he also ended up signing with the Tigers a few days later in a stunning turn of events.

But if Garner had stayed with the Bulldogs, would Adams have joined him there? The answer might surprise you.

Which school finished runner-up to Auburn for you? “I’d say Alabama, then Clemson.”

Alabama? “A lot of people didn’t know, but I was about to go to Alabama. It’s just when I went back to Auburn for my last official, that’s when I made up my mind about that it was where I wanted to be. But if I hadn’t gone on that last official visit, I would probably be with Alabama right now.”

Why did you like Alabama so much? “It’s got everything I need. The players don’t really get into any trouble there. They have great coaches. And I know if I could play the way I know I could with their coaching, most likely I’m going to be in the (NFL), which is where I want to be. Alabama is just a place where I could accomplish my goals.”

What made you decide to go ahead and take that final visit to Auburn? “I don’t know. I just wanted to give them a chance.”

How much did Garner being at Auburn affect your decision to visit there? “He had a lot to do with it because I didn’t know many people at Auburn after all the old coaches left.”

If Garner wasn’t at Auburn, would you have taken an official visit there? “Probably not. I probably would’ve used that last visit to go to USC or something.”

If Garner had stayed at UGA, would you have signed with the Bulldogs? “I probably would’ve gone to Alabama.”

What happened with UGA? Didn’t they lead at one point? “Yes, they were my favorite school after I took an unofficial visit there for a game. Coach Richt is a cool guy. I really don’t know if they could’ve done anything better (with recruiting me). I just … liked some other schools more than Georgia at the end.”

Even though you didn’t publicly commit until signing day, how hard was it to switch your leader from Alabama to Auburn over the final days? “It was easy. When you know where you want to be, it’s easy. I wanted to be at Auburn.”

What was the funniest experience you had on a college visit? “At Clemson, I saw (Dabo Swinney) dance after they won a home game. I could’ve helped him out a little on his (dance moves). Then when I went on an official visit to Clemson, we played basketball at his house. I had a lot of fun. We played a game of Horse. He won the first time, but he had a home-field advantage and he got to cheat. I dunked on the goal. Then, when it was his turn, he lowered the goal and didn’t even dunk how I did it. But me and Coach Swinney, we were really cool. He was probably the nicest head coach I met.”

If you were in charge of the NCAA, what’s one rule you would change for recruiting? “I would add a couple of official visits. One or two more. Because I didn’t get to take my last visit to USC. I would’ve liked to have gone out there. I kind of liked USC anyways. They were my dream school when I was younger.”

Advice for this year’s recruits? “Be patient, and know you’re going to get a lot of phone calls.”