MACON - Georgia is indeed recruiting another experienced quarterback, Mark Richt has confirmed, acknowledging that it's "an interesting dynamic" because of the timing.
Greyson Lambert, a quarterback who started nine games at Virginia last year, will be eligible to play this fall after graduating later this month. Richt confirmed that Georgia is recruiting Lambert, but the head coach cannot say anything more, per NCAA recruiting rules.
Richt was asked about the message it may send to the current three quarterbacks - Brice Ramsey, Faton Bauta and Jacob Park - if Georgia is still recruiiting another quarterback for the coming season.
“It’s just like I’ve said all along: First of all, everybody’s gotta compete with whoever’s there. We recruit every year,” Richt said. “It’s an interesting dynamic of the timing. But it’s really not a whole lot different than recruiting anybody. Every year we recruit. Every year we bring in guys. Every year you go compete for your job and win it.”
Lambert is from Georgia, and played at Wayne County High School. He was briefly recruited by Georgia, which concentrated on Ramsey after he committed. Ramsey is now entering his redshirt sophomore year, while Bauta will be a redshirt junior, and Park a redshirt freshman.
“To me, having three is a small number on scholarship,” Richt said. “It’s just like at any position, if you’ve got guys that are interested in your school you spend time with them, talk to them and see if it’s a good fit. I mean, everybody’s gotta compete for their job, and that’s true for all sports. So this is really no different.”
This is the second quarterback Georgia has been linked to over the past month: Notre Dame transfer reportedly visited Georgia before deciding on Florida State. Richt never confirmed the recruitment of Golson, and the SEC’s rule against graduate transfers who have been in trouble at their former school may have had an impact as well.
Lambert is under no such restriction. He will have two years of eligibility at his next school, and is coming off a year in which he started nine games for Virginia, but struggled at times with interceptions.
Last year he passed for 1,972 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. This past spring he slipped to second on the depth chart, helping his decision to leave Charlottesville.
“If there’s a transfer who has the talent base to help you win, then you recruit him, you talk to him,” Richt said.
Richt said the dynamic between himself and first-year offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer is “really not a whole lot different” than it was with Richt and Mike Bobo.
“The closer we get to the game the more apt we are to name a starter,” Richt said. “Is there a chance we still have two rolling into that last week of competition, it’s possible. We just have to wait and see.”
Ramsey seemed the clear favorite heading into spring practice, when Bauta closed the gap. Park appeared a bit behind the pecking order, based on practice and scrimmage reps.
Whatever happens, Georgia offensive linemen Kolton Houston thinks the team will be just fine.
“At the end of the day, when we’ve got those solid tailbacks we’ve got, it really doesn’t matter who we’ve got at quarterback back there,” Houston said. “We’re gonna be able to run the ball, so we’ll be good.”
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A few other notes from Richt regarding other matters:
- Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and his wife Casey are new parents: Their son Ridge was born Monday, checking in at seven pounds and 14 ounces. Pruitt found time on Monday to “peep his head in” at the freshmen meeting, according to Richt.
“We all gave him a round of applause,” Richt said.
- Devondre Seymour, who played last year at a junior college, has enrolled at UGA. Seymour will play offensive tackle in the preseason. He originally signed with Georgia two classes ago but had to go to junior college to qualify academically.
