Brent Benedict

Georgia's football signing class for 2010 received a big boost Monday when offensive tackle Brent Benedict of Jacksonville committed to the Bulldogs over Florida.

The 6-foot-5, 278-pounder from Bolles High School had offers from elite programs throughout the country, including Ohio State and Southern Cal. He is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 40 prospect nationally and the No. 5 offensive tackle.

"I had so many great programs that offered me, and I really couldn't make a wrong decision," Benedict said. "When I stepped on the campus of Georgia, I felt like I had a sense of home there. There were several schools that had the athletics and academics and all that stuff, but I had a feeling at Georgia that I didn't have at other schools."

Benedict is Georgia's sixth commitment for the 2010 class and the third from Florida.

He is also the younger brother of Heath Benedict, a Parade All-American lineman who signed with Tennessee in 2002 but transferred after his redshirt freshman season and became a two-time Little All-American at Newberry College in South Carolina. Heath had hopes of getting drafted into the NFL but died in March 2008 from an undiagnosed heart condition.

Brent said his brother continues to serve as motivation.

"I try to go my hardest and to do all the stuff that he taught me that he had learned throughout his career," Brent said. "He taught me to go hard and go mean and to keep working, and that's something you can apply to all parts of life. That's what I use to remember him."