UGA quarterback Jamie Newman has decided to opt-out of the 2020 CFB season. How does Georgia replace his experience? Analysis here.
Just when things may be looking normal soon with the 2020 SEC football season just weeks away, Georgia suffers a huge blow to their offense, which was already facing a rebuild of sorts.
Bulldogs quarterback Jamie Newman decides to opt-out of the 2020 college football season.
Now, not only will Georgia be unveiling a different scheme under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken while working to replace four starters on the offensive line, but coach Smart and staff will also have to groom a new signal caller out of an inexperienced quarterback room.
I certainly don’t blame Newman for making a decision that he feels will be best for him in the long run.
The NCAA has granted athletes the option to opt-out, remain on scholarship and return for another year – extending eligibility for kids who feel playing with the risks involved amid the Covid-19 pandemic outweigh the few reasons to play.
Newman has been projected to be drafted as high as the first-round of next year’s draft.
He trails only Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields as the highest-graded returning quarterback in college football, according to Pro Football Focus.
Newman was also named as the No. 1 quarterback in touchdown’s versus the blitz by PFF.
In 2019, at Wake Forest, Newman threw for 2,686 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while adding 574 yards on the ground with six rushing touchdowns.
Besides Newman’s play-making ability, experience is what the Bulldogs are losing – perhaps now the most glaring hole in Georgia’s 2020 offense.
USC transfer quarterback J.T. Daniels does have 2,672 yards and year under his belt at USC, but he will have to learn to make plays in high-pressure SEC games while proving himself to the Georgia lockeroom. And he still isn’t technically cleared to play yet – although he has practiced.
Redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis is coming off of brain surgery in 2019, but has returned to football activities. Former Georgia star quarterback Aaron Murray recently said Mathis was extremely impressive when he saw him at a practice in 2018.
The Bulldogs quarterback competition will now be at the forefront of everyone’s minds, especially with such big time games early in Georgia’s SEC-only schedule.
After going to Arkansas and facing Tennessee in Athens, Georgia will face Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama and Florida in consecutive games. An incredibly tough stretch for any team – especially one with an inexperienced signal caller.
