Five-star 2019 point guard Ashton Hagans verbally committed to Mark Fox, Georgia on Thursday, he told 247Sports.

“I’m headed to UGa,” Hagans said. “They offered me when I was in the eighth grade. They’ve been there from the beginning.”

“The coaches showed love and stayed in touch with my family,” he added. “It was also tough with Georgia Tech. It was between Georgia Tech and Georgia. It was a tough decision.”

To go with interest from those two schools, Hagans, a standout at Covington (Ga.) Newton, reeled in a host of interest from high major schools including Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, Kanas and Tennessee.

Hagans said he’s built a strong relationship with Mark Fox and Georgia assistant Jonas Hayes. Hagans has known Fox since his cousin, Trey Thompkins, played for him.

“It’s great,” he said about his bond with Fox. “My cousin went there, so it’s like family. We’ve been talking to each other since I was eight or 10.” He’s like a father figure to me. We have a close bond.”

When did it hit Hagans that Georgia was the place for him?

“A couple of days ago, I felt like that was the best decision for me to go with,” he said. “We had a conversation over and over and we would go to games and sit down and see how I could help them out. We just kept talking and kept talking. I had a couple of talks with my coaches. That opened my eyes.”

Hagans is regarded as the No. 11 overall prospect and the No. 2 point guard in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

“I can help on fast break points, picking up on defense, pick and roll and they have good players coming in,” Hagans said.

Hagans is Georgia’s first verbal commitment of the 2019 recruiting class.