GAINESVILLE — Georgia coach Mark Richt didn’t shed any more light on the sudden departure of A.J. Harmon on Tuesday, but he acknowledged that his loss was yet another blow to a precariously thin offensive line.
Richt was at the Gainesville Civic Center to speak at a “UGA Day” alumni gathering. Beforehand he spoke with reporters about Harmon, a junior offensive tackle from Jefferson County who left the program Tuesday for “personal reasons.”
Asked if he could expound on the reason for Harmon’s departure, Richt said, “No, that’s why you say it’s personal reasons. That’s all I can tell you about that. I wish him the best. Good kid.”
Harmon (6-foot-5, 320 pounds), a rising junior, projected as a possible starter at right tackle and was going to be at least a primary backup at both right and left tackle. Combined with the loss of starting left tackle Trinton Sturdivant to a season-ending knee injury and with other issues, the Bulldogs’ situation on the offensive line is potentially troublesome.
“Well it’s less,” Richt said of the depth on the line. “It’s just going to be an opportunity for someone else. We have confidence that Justin [Anderson] and Cordy [Glenn] play tackle. We believe that [guard] Kenarious Gates can play tackle if need be. ... We’re getting confidence in Kolton Houston’s ability to play football for us. I would think if something happened to one of the tackles and Gates had to go outside, Kolton would be the next guy inside.”
The problems begin after that.
Injuries to tackles Austin Long (back) and Brent Benedict (knee) have coaches questioning their ability to contribute this fall. And Dallas Lee, a sophomore guard from Buford, is experiencing asthma-like symptoms that may or may not be because of mold issues.
Richt said there’s a chance they may have to turn to true freshmen for depth. Georgia signed three tackles — Watts Dantzler, Zach DeBell and Xzavier Ward — and five offensive linemen overall.
“I think we’ve got enough guys who can line up and play football at a very high level,” Richt said. “But you’d like to have more depth by now. You’d like to have more guys waiting in the wings for their opportunity. I’d rather not go through another cycle of freshmen ... It’s really not ideal. But if that’s what it takes, that’s what we’ll do.”
As for Harmon, there are strong indications his departure was academic-related. Harmon had to sit out the Liberty Bowl with an academically-related suspension. His next destination is unknown.
“He called me one day last week and said he was leaving Georgia, and that’s all I know,” said J.B. Arnold, Harmon’s coach at Jefferson County High. “I told him that we needed to sit down and talk before he did anything, but I haven’t heard from him since.”
Harmon signed with Georgia as a defensive lineman in 2008. He was moved to offensive line that fall and redshirted. He played in three games as a redshirt freshman in 2009 and four as a backup offensive lineman last season.
