Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
That’s probably what it felt like on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning for Georgia fans who were dealing with the decision of 4-star running back Marshawn Lloyd.
The nation’s No. 28 overall prospect was a long-time Georgia target for the 2020 recruiting class. But on Monday, the No. 6 running back in the 2020 recruiting cycle made the decision to commit to South Carolina. The timing of the announcement was pretty stunning to all in the recruiting world, but it wasn’t a total surprise to see Lloyd pick the Gamecocks.
For some, Lloyd’s decision was just the latest made by an elite running back to spurn Georgia. In the 2019 cycle, 5-star running backs John Emery Jr. and Trey Sanders both seriously considered signing with Georgia, before ultimately picking LSU and Alabama, respectively.
A common theme into why all three ended up going away from Georgia is just the competition. Georgia is more than set at the position for this year, with D’Andre Swift, Brian Herrien, Zamir White and James Cook all returning. Kenny McIntosh — a 4-star running back in the 2019 class — also figures to factor into the future of the Georgia backfield.
Given that Georgia is “RBU,” it’s going to be hard to convince running backs to come and play for Georgia, given that there’s already so much talent here. Factor that Georgia is trying to land multiple running backs in the class in the event that Georgia loses Swift to the 2020 NFL Draft, it won’t be easy to convince elite prospect to come play in Athens.
Unlike defensive back, linebacker or wide receiver, only one running back can really shine on any given play. And while Georgia’s done a good job of splitting carries between running backs, there are only so many carries to be split.
When you remember that multiple 2020 Georgia commits are very publicly recruiting 5-star running back Kendall Milton, it’s very easy to see why Lloyd would pull the trigger and commit elsewhere.
About the Author
