Georgia WR C.J. Smith announces plans to transfer
Another Georgia player has announced that he plans to enter the NCAA’s student-athlete transfer portal. C.J. Smith, after two seasons with the program, tells On3’s Hayes Fawcett that he is looking to move on from the Bulldog program.
Smith signed with Georgia in the 2022 class and has three years to play three. After not catching a pass in 2022, Smith caught six for 116 yards in his second season at UGA.
As a prospect Smith was the nation’s No. 311 prospect in his class per the On3 Industry-ranking, a weighted average that includes all four sites that rate and rank players. He was the No. 52 wideout in that class and the No. 36 player in Florida.
More on the transfer portal…
The NCAA student-athlete transfer portal launched in 2018. It marked a change from when student-athletes had to get a release from one school to transfer to another and they could be limited as to where they transferred. The portal allows student-athletes to simply notify their current school and its compliance department that they intend to move on to another program. Entering the transfer portal does not mean a prospect has to transfer, it just means they can be recruited by other programs and take visits. Georgia has had players enter the portal in the past and elect to return.
Since its implementation, Georgia has added several notable prospects. That list includes Lawrence Cager (Miami), Eli Wolf (Tennessee), Derion Kendrick (Clemson), Tykee Smith (West Virginia), Rara Thomas (Mississippi State) and Dominic Lovett (Missouri). The Bulldogs have had years when they’ve been active in the portal, attempting to take as many as four prospects before the 2021 season. They have also had seasons like 2022 when they didn’t take a single player and went on to go 15-0, winning the National Championship for a second straight season.
Portal needs for Georgia in the current class include defensive line and wide receiver, where it is expected to land multiple players at each position. The Bulldogs could also be in the market at running back, outside linebacker, offensive tackle, or safety. If a player wants to transfer from SEC school to SEC school, he must do so by January 2 when the current window closes. There is another window that will open in the spring but, at that point, a player must transfer in from outside the conference in order to play right away.
