The graduate transfer from Wake Forest was a hot commodity when he made his decision to depart the Demon Deacons and take his talents to Athens. As if replacing three-year starter Jake Fromm isn’t difficult enough, Newman will be challenged to implement a new, more RPO- oriented attack and add some swagger to the UGA offense.
The Las Vegas oddsmakers, who are more right than wrong, believe he made the right decision in choosing the Bulldogs.
Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook now has Newman at 12/1 odds to win the Heisman Trophy. Just after his transfer announcement, Newman was listed as 16/1 odds, tied for sixth-best. He is now tied for third with Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger and Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler. Westgate still has former Georgia and current Ohio State QB Justin Fields and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (Cartersville, GA) as the favorites at 4/1.
Newman was one of the top graduate transfers on the market. Miami, Oregon, Maryland and Washington, among others were seeking the services of the North Carolina native.
According to Pro Football Focus, Newman is the nation’s third-highest graded returning quarterback, behind only Fields and Lawrence. He started all 13 games last season and led Wake to an 8-5 record. He completed 220 of 361 passes (60.9 percent) for 2,868 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He rushed for 574 yards and six touchdowns on 180 carries.
Being the starting quarterback at the University of Georgia always comes with high expectations and takes an extremely talented, confident and bright athlete to handle the pressure. Jamie Newman checks off all the boxes.