UGA has made some big-time progress with the nation’s No. 1-ranked inside linebacker, Raekwon McMillan of Liberty County High School.

The 5-star took an official visit to UGA for the LSU game, and now has the Bulldogs among his leaders, along with Clemson and Ohio State.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound McMillan is also considering Alabama and Florida.

“My trip to Georgia was a great visit,” McMillan told the AJC on Monday night. “I got there early Saturday morning and left there late on Sunday night. Georgia really gave me a good reason to stay in-state, and really helped their chances with me going to Georgia.”

Over the weekend, McMillan got to mingle with two other UGA recruits on official visits, wide receiver Josh Malone (undecided) of Gallatin, Tenn., and Marist lineman Kendall Baker (committed to UGA). During the LSU game, McMillan sat next to Tucker linebacker Detric Dukes, who is pledged to UGA.

“We were talking football, and how we’d like to play linebacker together,” McMillan said. His player host was UGA freshman safety Tray Matthews. The two know each other from camps.

Like most of the recruits in attendance, the AJC Super 11 selection was impressed with LSU win. “I got to watch them beat up on LSU,” McMillan said. “It was one of the best atmospheres for college football that I’ve ever seen. The Georgia fans really stepped up. They came early to the game, they were loud, and they really showed the Dawg Nation a lot of love.”

Not surprisingly, McMillan was recognized by numerous UGA fans who follow recruiting closely. “They recognized me right off the bat. They were telling me to stay in-state and play for Georgia.”

McMillan and his parents got a lot of one-on-one time with UGA coach Mark Richt during the two-day trip. “We had breakfast at his house on Sunday morning. He’s a really family-oriented type of guy. He’s a laid back. He’s really cool. My parents loved him.”

Some other quick hits on the recruiting trip:

• What was the most memorable thing said by Richt? “He told me even though I’ve looked at schools outside of Georgia and started liking them, he wanted me just to know that the Dawg Nation wants me just as much as any of those other schools. He said I could come to Georgia and become anything I wanted to become, or be anything I wanted to be in life if I stayed in-state.”
• What did McMillan think about the sales pitch? “I think it was real. He kept it real with me. I felt like Coach Richt didn’t feed me any BS. And I liked that about him. He’s a real cool guy. And my parents loved him, too. It was their first game at Georgia, and they enjoyed everything.”
• What else stuck out about the official visit? “I like my position coach, Coach O (Kirk Olivadotti, linebackers coach), and Coach Grantham. They give you the best of both worlds. You have your laid-back linebackers coach in Coach O, and Coach Grantham is the fiery type of guy. You get every aspect of the game from them. I like that a lot.”
• What are UGA’s plans for McMillan? “They said they have Amarlo Herrera and No. 51 (Ramik Wilson) right now as inside linebackers. They don’t think Ameralo will leave for the NFL right now, but there’s a chance. There’s a chance both may leave. If I come there, I can be competing for a job as a freshman. I will be getting a lot of playing time, whether or not I’m starting.”
• On a scale of 1-10, how would McMillan rank the official visit to UGA? “It was 10. Everything was great. They really rolled out the red carpet for me, and showed me everything I wanted to see.”
• Did McMillan considering committing? “No, I didn’t consider it.”
• Where does UGA stand now? “They moved up. My whole thing with Georgia was … every time I visited, I wouldn’t say I wasn’t wanted there … because I was wanted. I never had a real reason to stay in-state. But this trip, it showed me if I stayed in-state at Georgia, I could be anything I wanted to be, reach my dreams and be supported in the state of Georgia.”
• Is UGA among his leaders with Ohio State, Alabama and Clemson? “I would put there up there with them now. I would think Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia are making a big run for my top three.”

The state’s top two overall prospects in the 247sports composite rankings are McMillan and Norcross High School defensive end Lorenzo Carter. Carter, rated No. 1, was also at LSU game on an unofficial visit.

What’s next for McMillan? He has official visits coming up to Clemson, Ohio State, Florida and Alabama. What does UGA have to do to stay among his leaders? “Keep winning,” he said.

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