Smart Era Begins with Controversial Transfer
A.J. Turman’s decision to transfer brings speculation regarding the Smart era and how the new head coach plans to handle transfers.
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Upon the announcement of A.J. Turman’s plans to transfer, another announcement from the athletic department followed, this one being particularly unusual for the Bulldogs; Turman would not be granted a full release, like those before him who transferred under previous head coach Mark Richt.
Instead, he would receive a highly restricted release, which specifically stated he could only transfer to a university in Florida but not to Miami or the University of Florida.
Suddenly, the transfer policy of the Georgia Bulldogs’ football team swung from one end of the spectrum to the other.
Greg McGarity was quoted late last week saying the school’s stance on transfers has been “adjusted” after meeting with Smart to discuss the Turman matter – one of the most obvious adjustments being players can’t follow previous head coach Mark Richt to Miami. If they did, they would have to pay there own way as well as sit out a year (note: no matter where a player transfers, the rule of thumb is the player will sit out unless he is heading to a junior college, is a graduate student, or under hardship).
It was revealed Monday that Smart and Turman met again this past Sunday to clarify his transfer and discuss a wider release. Turman was then granted further release to other schools in the country besides Florida, Miami, Georgia Tech, and any of the remaining SEC schools.
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Turman and Smart both clarified that Turman was not interested in following Richt and running backs coach Thomas Brown to Miami, but he would have considered a transfer to Florida if it wasn’t for the restriction.
Although the transfer matter would seem to be in the rearview mirror,, fans and media alike are still discussing the handling of the situation by the University of Georgia, specifically head coach Kirby Smart.
Just today, Mike & Mike In the Morning’s Mike Greenberg discussed the matter on their morning show.
“Shame on you… You’re making millions of dollars. This is this kid’s one chance in life to play college football… You got to take whatever job you want and get paid a million dollars. This is an absolute disgrace. ”
While there has been media backlash leaning more toward’s Greenberg’s side of the argument, it’s a situation where both sides have leverage and no one is going to “win”.
The biggest opposition towards Smart is because of his handling of the matter. There hasn’t been a publicly announced adjustment to the transfer policy until Turman’s case was announced, and originally, Turman made it seem as though Smart wouldn’t let him transfer at all even though the back hasn’t played a single game in his two seasons with Georgia.
He is also restricting players from schools that aren’t just in the SEC, and he originally restricted Turman to only one state. Seeing as the player would have to sit out a season no matter where he went, many people with knowledge of the situation think these kinds of restrictions are unnecessary.
Those who aren’t lashing out at Smart see the other side. Smart is a new head coach, and he stated that he is trying to “set a precedent” for players to make it clear they will not be able to immediately follow their previous coach to his new school. He is also in a position where him, his staff, and A.D. Greg McGarity understand the situation better than outside sources, and it is ultimately at their discretion to decide if any adjustments need to be made to the transfer policy for the greater good of the team.
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Whether you agree with Smart’s decision or not, it is obvious there are still big changes to come for Georgia football and, specifically “The Georgia Way”, a term coined by coach Richt to define how the program was handled in a respectable, honorable manner.
Smart’s handling of these transfer matters doesn’t necessarily mean “The Georgia Way” is going out the window, but it does signify a change in command. Where there is change, there is discomfort or the dreaded “growing pains” that many teams hear of but never want to experience.
Luckily, a sign pointing to the retention of the honorable mindset that the program has held for over a decade was seen this weekend when Jonathan Ledbetter was arrested under alcohol-related charges.
Other coaches, especially new head coaches, may be more lenient when dealing with a matter such as Ledbetter’s, but the Georgia policy is laid out in black and white: Ledbetter will miss 10 percent of the Bulldogs’ schedule, which equates to one game next season.
According to the Red and Black, Smart commented on the arrest Wednesday saying, “Jonathan made a huge mistake. He embarrassed himself, he embarrassed our team, his family and our family. I’m really disappointed in Jonathan. He knows we can’t have that behavior.”
With the transfer controversy still catching heat, Georgia fans should be comforted by Smart’s response to the arrest.
Unfortunately, the growing pains won’t stop here for the Georgia Bulldogs. A new head coach and almost entirely new coaching staff signifies a year of growth and adjustment, so fans should strap in for the ride. It’s going to be a bumpy one.