Josh Cardiello's first trip to Chattanooga came in the fifth grade. His second was on a visit to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus recently.
His third came as the newest member of the UTC football team.
Cardiello, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound offensive lineman who spent two seasons at Georgia, completed his paperwork Friday morning to join the Mocs. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
"Josh and I have discussed his situation," Georgia coach Mark Richt said in a released statement. "He likes Georgia but felt it would be in his best interest to transfer in order to have a better opportunity for playing time. I certainly understand and wish him nothing but the best."
Cardiello's official visit included lunch at Big River Grille, tours of the campus and Finley Stadium and a stop by Southside Social with prospective teammates.
"When I visited, everything fell into place," Cardiello said. "I felt that this was where I wanted to be at. It was the best fit -- a perfect fit."
He was a three-star prospect out of longtime football power Buford High School near Atlanta. He was ranked then as the No. 5 center in the nation and chose Georgia over Florida, Florida State, Nebraska and South Carolina, among others.
"He's a great get for us," UTC coach Russ Huesman said. "He's a great kid from a fantastic family. We're heard nothing but positives from Georgia about him. I think he can come in and compete."
He'll add to a position group that, while strong, is also young beyond the starting five. At Georgia he appeared in only one game -- a 66-0 rout of Troy last season -- but worked at both center and guard.
"When I was at Georgia, I learned how college football works," he said. "I want to make our offensive line the powerhouse of the team, and bring that mentality to UTC."
Cardiello becomes the fifth player to transfer to the Mocs from a Football Bowl Subdivision program during this offseason, joining former Tennessee receiver Drae Bowles and athlete Justin King and Alabama-Birmingham tight end Steve Pickren and offensive lineman Hunter Kennedy.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.