Aaron Murray questions transfer exodus of five-star recruits from Georgia
There’s trouble in Georgia. On Friday, former UGA quarterback and SEC Network analyst Aaron Murray questioned the program’s recent exodus of top talent.
“Idk if I have seen this many 5 [stars] leave a program before,” Murray wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “What is the world is happening in Athens? These top recruits not liking all the competition?”
Georgia has had 17 players enter the transfer portal, including former five-star prospects Marvin Jones Jr. and Brock Vandagriff. For reference, Georgia lost 15 players total in the fall and spring transfer portal periods combined. In fairness, three of the players who transferred were former five-star recruits.
Kirby Smart addresses the transfer portal
Before the portal officially opened, UGA head coach Kirby Smart delivered a soothing message to fans.
“We had a year, the Texas year, where it was a struggle. It was tough,” Smart said earlier this month. “There was a lot of disappointment I think. We took the motto of, ‘You’re either in or you’re out.’ It’s simple. We’re going to go compete, go practice, get after it after a long, tough, grueling year with a championship week on top of it.
“This is what we’re going to do, and you’re going to buy into it or not. That’s how teams win. You have to be committed to the cause and be all in on it. If you’re wondering or trying to decide, you probably don’t need to be.”
Georgia has more on its mind than the transfer portal. On Dec. 30, the Bulldogs will face off against Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Smart can accept a portion of his players entering the transfer portal. He can’t willingly accept a loss.
“I know we’ll have some enter the portal,” Smart said. “Those conversations have been happening for several weeks now leading up to this time. We’ll have guys enter the portal and opt to not play in the game, but I’ll be honest with you, I’m really not stressing or worrying about it right now. We’ve kind of got a week to get ourselves together.
“Our guys will take some time off, a little break that they need, and then get back to working out and throwing and some practice time, but it’s not a major concern for me because I know we’ll have a good core of our team that’s going to be there and want to play.”