ATHENS — Former Georgia football players had a notable presence in spring drills after transferring to other programs.
It’s a sign of the times, and it’s not surprising.
Georgia football has developed and stockpiled talent like few other programs, as will soon be evident in 2023 NFL Draft.
Coach Kirby Smart’s 2021 Bulldogs will set a program record for most players selected in one draft (9, 2021) and could tie or break LSU’s record for most from any program selected in one draft (14, 2020)
But some of the best Bulldogs’ recruits and players developed in-house detoured before making it to the next level.
Most recently, Georgia was able to retain offensive lineman Amarius Mims after the former 5-star placed his name in the transfer portal visited Florida State.
Other notable players who transferred out after the CFP Championship Game and didn’t come back:
• Receiver Jermaine Burton, Alabama
• Quarterback JT Daniels, West Virginia
• Cornerback Jalen Kimber, Florida
• Cornerback Ameer Speed, Michigan State
• Receiver Justin Robinson, Mississippi State
It’s a trend sweeping college football with the introduction of the one-time transfer rule last July and the passage of Name-Image-Likeness legislation that has opened the door for players to be paid.
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is the most discussed transfer of the Kirby Smart era, exiting UGA after just one season (2018) to play at Ohio State, where he led the Buckeyes to a CFP Championship Game appearance in 2020.
Stetson Bennett didn’t get to the point of entering the portal, but he told a national television audience the day after winning Offensive MVP honors in the CFP Championship Game that he wasn’t sure if he would return to play at Georgia.
Bennett explained he needed to trust the staff and later indicated at the start of spring drills he things from Kirby Smart in “closed door meetings” that he needed to hear to return and be “all-in.”
Fact is, year-to-year scholarship negotiations represent the new norm; Coaches must decide which players are worth appeasing, and which ones to turn loose.
Still, there are some, like 2021 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and likely first-round NFL draft pick Jermaine Johnson, that can’t be convinced to stay.
As impressive as the pending 2022 Georgia NFL Draft class looks — four UGA defenders projected in the first round— consider if Johnson had stayed.
Former UGA Freshman All-American and starting offensive lineman Cade Mays is another big name Bulldogs transfer (to Tennessee) who will be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
But just as was the case with Fields and Johnson, Georgia had the depth to compensate for Mays’ transfer and were not the worse for it.
The Bulldogs’ secondary has been hit particularly hard in the transfer portal even before the one-time transfer rule. It certainly hasn’t helped UGA is on its fourth secondary coach in the past five years.
But again, as the G-Day Game showed, Georgia has the talent in place to step up and sustain the attrition.
UGA quarterbacks struggled against the first-team defense last Saturday, and it didn’t matter who was under center.
Here’s a look at how a few of the most recent transfers out of Georgia fared this spring at their new schools:
WR Jermaine Burton, Alabama
Burton drew public praise from Tide coach Nick Saban more than once, emerging in a unit looking to replace 1,000-yard receivers Jameson Williams and John Metchie.
Burton had 3 catches for 36 yards in the Alabama spring game, with Saban suggesting he was the Tide’s most consistent target this spring.
CB Jalen Kimber, Florida
One of the stars of the Gators’ spring game, Kimber had six tackles, two pass break-ups and one of his squad’s two interceptions.
Kimber was the projected starter coming out of spring drills before suffering a shoulder injured that limited him, and ultimately led to season-ending surgery last season.
RB Lovasea Carroll, South Carolina
Carroll had 5 carries for 18 yards rushing in the Gamecocks’ spring game and a catch for 5 yards.
Georgia’s running back room was and is so deep that the former IMG standout recruit was moved to provide depth in the secondary to the CFP Champions.
FS Latavious Brini, Arkansas
Brini started 11 of the 13 games he played in at Georgia last season, first emerging in the Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati.
Brini is in the Razorbacks’ two-deep at safety. Not a starter yet, Brini is expected to factor in for Arkansas at safety and nickel.
Justin Robinson, Mississippi State
The 6-4, 220-pound Robinson played in eight of 15 games for the Bulldogs last season, recording a catch in the games against UAB (12 yards) and Vanderbilt (6 yards).
Leach challenged Robinson at the start of spring drills to “pull the trigger” and make more plays, while QB Will Rogers said of Robinson, “He’s done really well, and he’s about as pretty of a football player as it gets when you see him out there in pads.”
CB Ameer Speed, Michigan State
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Speed looks to have won a starting job in East Lansing, where he’s playing for the coach who recruited him to Georgia, Mel Tucker.
Speed started the first three games for UGA last season and appeared in 48 overall for the Bulldogs, so his success isn’t surprising.
2022 transfers who didn’t play in spring games:
• QB JT Daniels, West Virginia
• OT Owen Condon, SMU
