Four-star defensive lineman PJ Dean commits to Georgia

Georgia has landed the commitment of PJ Dean.

The four-star defensive lineman from North Carolina chose the Bulldogs over South Carolina and Ohio State.

Dean is the younger brother of former Georgia center Jared Wilson. During his time attending his brother’s games, Dean kept a close eye on some of his Bulldog teammates.

“Mykel (Williams), Travon Walker, Nakobe (Dean), Jalon (Walker), I can go on, really. I’ve been watching them for so long because my brother’s been there,” Dean said. “I’ve kind of just like idolized their edge defenders and their rushers. So it was kind of like, I see what they do, you know what I’m saying, I feel like I could be just that or better.”

During the first part of Dean’s recruitment, teams pursued him as an offensive lineman. That switched over the past few months as teams began a more defensive-centered approach. Georgia sees Dean as a prospect who would play multiple positions up front.

“The get off, really, and my body frame, my length of my arms,” Dean said of what appeals to defensive line coach Tray Scott. “He says I just have the defensive build, really. So he was like, you’ve got all the tangibles for it. I could just tweak your technique, I can give you all the technique for it.”

Despite being an offensive recruit earlier in his career, Dean has built a strong relationship with Scott.

“He’s cool, definitely,” Dean said. “He knows what he’s talking about. He’s put so many guys in the league. So just seeing him do all that, you know what I’m saying, I trust it.”

Dean is the fifth defensive line commit for Georgia in the 2026 class, joining Seven Cloud, Carter Luckie, Corey Howard, and James Johnson.