Don’t put a period on this Jacob Park story just yet. According to the Georgia quarterback’s high school coach, whether Park leaves the Bulldogs remains a fluid situation.
“Jacob hasn’t 100 percent made up his mind yet,” Ray Stackley, Park’s now-retired coach from Stratford High in Goose Creek, S.C., said Wednesday. “I know from conversations with the mom and the dad — and they’ve had conversations with coach (Mark) Richt — they tell me (the Bulldogs) definitely don’t want to lose him. They’re trying to talk him into staying. They want to keep him around.”
Stackly said Richt, Brian Schottenheimer and Jeremy Pruitt have all tried unsuccessfully to talk to Park.
“Wouldn’t take their phone calls,” Stackley said. “But he’s probably just emotional right now and trying to think through the process.”
Park, along with fellow quarterbacks Brice Ramsey and Faton Bauta, have been trying to trying to process last week’s news that Greyson Lambert, a rising junior, is transferring from Virginia to UGA to join the quarterback competition in July. Park, a 6-foot-4, 202-pound redshirt freshman-to-be, exited spring practice third on the Bulldogs’ depth chart behind Ramsey and Bauta, respectively.
On Wednesday night, Park posted on his Facebook page that he was leaving Georgia:
“I just want to say thank (you) dawg nation and everyone else who made my stay in Athens special. Never will forget the people and friends. Time to move on and turn the page to the next chapter. Go Dawgs.”
Ramsey spent last season as Georgia’s No. 2 quarterback behind Hutson Mason. He played in eight games last season and completed 61 percent of his passes for 333 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
But Bauta, a junior next season, closed the gap between them during spring drills. That was thanks in part to Schottenheimer, the first-year coordinator, installing a new playbook.
Considering the 6-5, 230-pound Lambert started nine games at Virginia last year, he effectively would enter the competition as the most experienced quarterback on the college level. He started nine games and was sidelined for three others with an ankle injury. He finished with 1,972 yards passing but threw more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (10).
But Lambert is also described as a very “heady” quarterback — he graduated from Virginia in three years — who could pick up Georgia’s system quickly. It’s similar to the system he played in at Virginia, which had two offensive coordinators the past three years, each with an NFL background. And he said he already has been deep into study of the Bulldogs’ playbook back in Charlottesville.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a lot, but there’s definitely carryover between the three offenses,” Lambert told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
As for the latest developments with Georgia’s quarterbacks, Lambert chose to withhold comment.
“I just wanna come in and work my butt off to help the team succeed,” he said. “I want to build relationships with the guys. I’m going to be there for two seasons. It’s just a blessing to be able to go and be a part of that team.”
Jeff Herron has a unique perspective on the situation. Now head coach at Prince Avenue Christian School in Athens, he coached Ramsey for three years at Camden County and had Bauta work for him last summer as a volunteer assistant coach.
“I’m not going be critical of Georgia’s handling of the situation because they’ve got to do what they think’s best, and they know those kids better than I do,” said Herron, who won a Class AAAAA state championship with Ramsey. “My personal bias is I think Brice is the best one. But I think the competition is going to be good for him. I’m sure all those young men would’ve preferred to know where they stood. But I think the competition will ultimately make them better and I’ve got to believe that’s what Georgia’s staff thinks, too.”
Meanwhile, Park may still be involved in the competition. His high school coach is trying to encourage him to remain with Georgia, and he insists the Bulldogs’ coaches are doing to same.
“I know they’re very impressed with his skill set and his ability to run around,” Stackley said. “They want him to stick around. I’m sure all those quarterbacks are pretty uneasy right now. Anytime you bring in a transfer it causes a little concern and I’m sure that’s where it stems from. I don’t know exactly what’s going to transpire or what his final decision is going to be.”
Staff writer Seth Emerson contributed to this article.
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