Miami wide receiver Marquez Ezzard declared his intent to return home to join up with Georgia Tech. Ezzard, a Stockbridge High graduate who just finished his freshman season with the Hurricanes, announced his decision to transfer to Tech from his Twitter account Saturday.
In his post, he wrote that Miami will continue to hold a special place in his life, but that “I’m thankful to my new coaches for also seeing my potential. Now it’s time to create new bonds at Georgia Tech.” He leaves a team that underwent its own coaching change, from Mark Richt to Manny Diaz.
Ezzard’s decision to enter the transfer portal was reported Jan. 23. He visited Tech this past weekend. Ezzard, 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, joins a wide-receiver group that needs depth as coach Geoff Collins adjusts the numbers at different position groups in the transition from former coach Paul Johnson’s roster balance.
After he signed with Miami in February 2018, former Hurricanes wide receivers coach Ron Dugans said of Ezzard, "He'll just claw your face off. He doesn't play any games."
At least by measure of his high-school recruitment, he is unlike nearly all wide receivers who played for Tech during the Johnson era.
In high school, Ezzard was a four-star prospect (247Sports Composite) who reported scholarship offers from Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State and USC, among others. At Miami, he played in three games with two catches, meaning that the season doesn’t count as a season of eligibility under the new NCAA rules that permit players to play up to four games and still be redshirted.
By ACC rules, Ezzard would have to sit out a season at Tech and lose a season of eligibility, as he is transferring within the conference. That would mean he would sit out the 2019 season and have three seasons remaining. However, by the NCAA’s rules that normally grant Division I athletes five seasons to complete their eligibility, his situation wouldn’t be any different at any other FBS school. He would sit out the 2019 season and then have time for only three seasons before his five-year window closed.
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