Aaron Murray, who is a candidate to start as Georgia’s quarterback next season, says that enrolling early in college isn’t for everybody.
Last January, Murray started classes at Georgia a few weeks after his December graduation from high school.
“The only negative part is that you miss part of your senior year, which everyone says is one of the best years of your life,” Murray said. “That’s time that you’re never going to get back.
“But I have goals and aspirations to be the starting quarterback at Georgia. I knew graduating early would help me with that. Sometimes in life, you have to sacrifice fun things to be able to do other things.”
Enrolling early had its challenges for Murray. He left his comfort zone of friends and family in Tampa. He was joined at Georgia last January by two other recruits who also got a head start -- quarterback Zach Mettenberger and offensive lineman Dallas Lee.
“Like anyone new to college, I was homesick a few times,” Murray recalled. “Zach and Dallas, they both live so close to Georgia, they could go home at anytime. I couldn’t, and it was hard at times because my family is so close, but it all worked out for the best.”
Was the early start worth it? All three players were redshirted last season, but Murray said he would do it again if given a choice.
“It’s different for every position,” he said. “At quarterback, you have to know what everyone on offense is doing every play, while other positions only have to learn their plays.
“The biggest benefit was spring practice. I got all those extra reps against a live defense. I got a feel for the speed of the game. It helped me learn things a little quicker rather than waiting until last summer to start college.”
