andrew paul georgia running back transfer portal

ATHENS — The transfer portal is set to open on Tuesday, and Georgia appears to be losing one of its running backs as Andrew Paul plans to enter the transfer portal. Paul shared the news announcement via his Instagram account.

Paul ran for 44 yards and a touchdown in Georgia’s spring game on Saturday. Paul will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Paul suffered an ACL injury in his freshman season that prevented him from seeing the field. He played in seven games for Georgia in 2023. Paul had 29 carries for 149 yards and a touchdown in his redshirt freshman season.

GROWN MAN RUN by Andrew Paul. Dawgs showing that physicality Kirby Smart wanted to see in today’s G-Day game. pic.twitter.com/YasCUBXTJ4
— SEC Unfiltered (@SECUnfiltered) April 13, 2024

Georgia coach Kirby Smart spoke about the possibility of a player entering the transfer portal following Saturday’s spring game.

“Can I control it? I can’t,” Smart said. “If I concern myself with things I can’t control, I won’t live long. There’s just too much out there. It’s really one of those things of, ‘do you want to be here? Or do you not?’ Because they know how we do things by now. They all know. That was the easier practice we’ve had all spring. They enjoyed it thoroughly. Guys want to be somewhere else, I have no control over that.”

Paul becomes the 20th scholarship player from Georgia’s 2023 roster to enter the transfer portal.

The spring transfer portal window will be open from April 16 to April 30th. Paul is from Dallas. Players cannot transfer to another SEC school, meaning Paul can not end up at Texas or Texas A&M.

Transfer portal: What the spring window really means for Georgia, SEC

Georgia is expected to have six scholarship running backs this fall following Paul’s departure. Nate Frazier and Dwight Phillips Jr. will arrive as summer enrollees after signing in the 2024 recruiting class. Georgia brought in Trevor Etienne via the transfer portal this winter. Branson Robinson did not play in the spring game as he recovers from a patella tendon injury he suffered last August.

Roderick Robinson got the start with the first-team offense on Saturday in the spring game.

“He keeps getting better. He’s got toughness,” Smart said of Robinson. “I enjoy coaching Rod. He takes coaching well. Big, physical guy. You want to get more out of him, and he’s giving us what he’s got. He’s got to continue to work on his pass protection. He’s become a better route runner. I’m pleased with where Rod is. He needs to be even better for us next year.”

Paul is the first player to announce that he plans to enter the transfer portal from Georgia this spring, but he likely will not be the last player to do so. Per DawgNation’s unofficial scholarship count, the Bulldogs now project to be at 87 scholarship players for the 2024 season. Georgia must get that under 85 by the start of fall camp.