ATHENS -- Amarius Mims’ foray into the NCAA’s transfer portal lasted one week.
The massive offensive lineman has withdrawn his transfer application and has returned to Georgia, according to persons familiar with the situation.
Mims skipped the Bulldogs’ last week of spring practice and spent this past weekend in Tallahassee touring Florida State’s football facilities while Georgia was conducting its spring game at Sanford Stadium. Sometime between that trip and Monday, Mims decided his best option was to remain with the Bulldogs.
News that the 6-foot-7, 330-pound tackle out of Bleckley County was seeking greener pastures actually began circulating on April 11 after Mims was a no-show for the Bulldogs’ second scrimmage two days before. He arrived in Tallahassee for a recruiting last Friday and also reportedly was considering Miami and Florida.
How Mims’ temporary departure will affect his status on the team is unclear. With his return, Georgia has 19 offensive linemen available to play next season. That’s after losing two other players to the portal in senior Owen Condon (SMU) and junior Clay Webb (undecided).
Mims was working at second-team right tackle behind senior Warren McClendon before his departure and also getting some looks at left tackle and guard. Freshman Earnest Greene and redshirt sophomore Austin Blaske were working with the second-team offense at left and right tackle, respectively, during G-Day.
Coach Kirby Smart did not address Mims’ absence directly on Saturday. But Smart certainly had the former 5-star prospect in mind when he answered a question about his attitude toward the NCAA’s transfer portal.
“The guys that want to be here, we’re going to coach them; the ones that don’t, we’re not going to chase after them,” Smart said. “We can’t. That’s their determination. We’re trying to create a culture of, ‘I want be here and grow and get better.’ Like, you come to Georgia, you get developed. If I’m not ‘The Guy,’ at least I’m developing to become The Guy.”
Mims is a former 5-star prospect who 247Sports rated as the No. 1 player in Georgia and the No. 3 tackle in the nation when he enrolled in January of 2021. Earlier this month, Smart praised Mims for the progress he had displayed to that point.
“We look at the offensive line, and I’m like, ‘Man, look how far Amarius Mims has come!” Smart said on April 5. “Man, look how far this guy’s grown and gotten better.”
Mims’ progress this spring was delayed some when he suffered a concussion the first week of spring ball. He was being given some looks at guard as an alternative route to getting on the field this fall. Both McClendon, a senior, and Jones, a redshirt sophomore, could enter the NFL Draft after this season.
Mims’ teammates always have spoken glowingly about him. Sedrick Van Pran, the starting center, called Mims “a generational talent, in my opinion.”
“He has some game experience, so we’re looking forward to seeing him take the next step,” Van Pran said. “I think he’s going to be fine though, honestly, just watching him and how he practices and just honestly watching how he works. It’s a thing of beauty, so I’m looking forward to how he takes the next step.”
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