Saturday was a very interesting day in the Georgia football program. While everyone was sitting back and watching the first full day of the expanded College Football Playoff, the recruiting trail in the transfer portal was active and busy like always.
No big news dropped for Georgia throughout the day, but they did see three of their former players in the transfer portal announce their commitment to new schools.
Defensive Lineman Jamaal Jarrett
The first former Bulldog to announce their commitment is defensive lineman Jamaal Jarrett.
BREAKING: Georgia DL Jah Jarrett has Committed to USC, he tells @on3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 21, 2024
The 6’6 338 DL will have 3 years of eligibility remaining
Appeared in 11 games this season for the Bulldogs
Four-Star recruit in the ‘23 Classhttps://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/G3C8qimv5w
Jarrett has spent the last two seasons with Georgia, but was never able to break through as a major contributor on the field. This past season, he only recorded three tackles, which is a step back from the six tackles he recorded in 2023.
Jarrett announced on Saturday that he will be moving on to USC, where hopefully he will receive more opportunities for playing time on the field.
Defensive Back Justyn Rhett
Next up is defensive back Justyn Rhett, who has announced his commitment to Nebraska.
Former Georgia DB Justyn Rhett is transferring to Nebraska, per reports
— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) December 22, 2024
The former 3-star will have 3 years of eligibility remaining⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Y7K5K497Jp
Similarly to Jarrett, Rhett was unable to find any amount of success on the field while at Georgia these last two years. Rhett only recorded three tackles during his two seasons in Athens, so just like Jarrett it makes sense that he is moving on in hopes of receiving more playing time at another school.
Linebacker Troy Bowles
Last but not least is linebacker Troy Bowles, who announced his commitment on Saturday to Michigan.
BREAKING: Georgia transfer LB Troy Bowles has Committed to Michigan, he tells @on3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 21, 2024
The 6’1 220 LB will have 3 years of eligibility remaining
Top 90 Recruit in the ‘23 Class (On3 Industry)
Son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles
https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/38ezdINdWX
Bowles received the most national attention out of these three players after announcing his commitment, likely due to the fact that he committed to a big name school in Michigan. Bowles also is a former top 100 player out of high school as well, so people will see that and get very excited about the potential he will bring to the Wolverines.
But similarly to the other players already mentioned, he did not find any success at Georgia after recording five tackles in 2023 then not playing in one game in 2024.
On the bright side for Kirby Smart and Georgia, these three players will not be difficult to replace. In fact, their replacements are already on the team and likely joining the program as incoming freshman next year. Hopefully all three players find success at their next stops, but these losses likely will not be tough to overcome for UGA.