Georgia landed one of the most unique talents in the 2026 class Friday when Top247 defensive lineman Valdin Sone, originally from Sweden, committed to the Bulldogs over Florida and Nebraska. The 6-foot-3, 316-pound lineman out of Dyke (Va.) Blue Ridge School is ranked by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 46 overall prospect and No. 4 defensive lineman.
He becomes the latest international star to join Georgia’s front-seven pipeline, following 2025 signee JJ Hanne.
Sone’s path to the SEC is anything but traditional, though.
247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins first identified Sone during a recruit showcase in 2023 in Frankfurt, Germany, long before his name appeared in national rankings.
“Also on Friday, my guy, Valdin Sone, originally from Sweden, big 310-pound nose tackle,” Ivins said on The 105 with Andrew Ivins & Cooper Petagna. “I call him an ox. He commits to Georgia, and I just wanted to kind of highlight Valdin because I saw him back in 2023.
“I went out to Frankfurt for a combine there in Germany. Kids were from all around. Valdin Sone was my Alpha Dog for the two-day event. It was like an international bowl. They played a game, went through drills, and worked out.”
That performance earned Sone a place inside the initial top 100 for the class of 2027, a first-of-its-kind feat for an international recruit in an opening rankings wave.
“Now he’s since reclassified to 2026, but (he was the) first international player since I’ve been in this chair — and we went back and looked as far as we could — that has ever been ranked in an initial wave for a cycle,” Ivins said.
That reclassification accelerated Sone’s ascent. After transferring into Blue Ridge School in Virginia, he built momentum with a strong junior season and continued to shine at the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl.
“Arrow was pointing up, and then we got him at the Navy All American Bowl, and he was excellent all three days and practices, made an impact against some older players there,” Ivins said.
For Ivins, who saw Sone’s early potential, the Georgia commitment is a culmination of years of development and a sign of what’s to come in global recruiting.
“It’s a genetic game, right?” Ivins said. “At the end of the day, it’s gonna come down to how big you are, how you can move at your size. And Valdin Sone, it’s taken a while for him to put it all together, but you look at what he did this past fall.
“At the time, he’s got nothing going on with the recruitment. You look up — two years later, he’s committed to Kirby Smart and Georgia, who have done an excellent job in the front seven.”
Sone’s rise also fits a growing trend: high-end international talent making noise in the power four ranks. It’s a movement that Ivins believes will only grow.
“I’m keeping my eye on this international boom,” Ivins said. “I don’t think it’s going away. Nick Saban, before he hung it up, he got a linebacker out of Germany. Now we got Kirby Smart getting a kid originally from Sweden.”
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With elite traits, NFL aspirations, and a versatile skill set, Sone becomes a foundational piece in Georgia’s 2026 class and a flagbearer for global football growth.
