D’Wan Mathis will transfer to Temple, the former Georgia quarterback announced on social media Monday.
Mathis was Georgia’s starting quarterback to open the season but was relieved by Stenson Bennett. He played sparingly thereafter and entered the transfer portal two weeks ago.
In a post on Twitter that began ‘New beginnings,’ Mathis wrote: “I have always had a tremendous belief in who I can be as a player. The work begins now and I’m happy to announce that I will be transferring to Temple University.”
Mathis thanked head coach Kirby Smart, the staff and the school. He made a special thank you to Ron Courson, who “when I was at my lowest, Ron & his staff were always there to pick me up.”
UGA discovered that Mathis had a cyst in his sinus cavity in May of 2019, and he immediately underwent surgery to have it removed. Mathis redshirted while he recovered last season, then was cleared to participate in spring practice in a non-contact capacity. Spring practice subsequently got canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mathis received full medical clearance to play over the summer, and competed with graduate transfer Jamie Newman, JT Daniels, Bennett and freshman Carson Beck in preseason camp. After Newman opted out of the season, Mathis earned the starting job for the Bulldogs’ opener against Arkansas.
Things did not go well against the Razorbacks, and Mathis was replaced by Bennett after six fruitless offensive possessions. Bennett led Georgia to a come-from-behind victory and then started the next five games.
Mathis played at the end of Georgia’s blowout win over Auburn, then relieved an injured Bennett in the Florida game. In total, he appeared in four games, completing 12 of 30 passes for 89 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He also had 18 rushing attempts for 17 yards.
Smart emphasized that Mathis will leave without any ill will from the Bulldogs when it was announced the intention to transfer.
“He has handled everything first class,” Smart said. “Every conversation he’s had with me has been the right way. He did not want to be a distraction for the team.”
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