The Georgia Bulldogs have a bit of a mini-firestorm on their hands between the transfer portal and recruits potentially going elsewhere, and the latest name to add to the list is edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr.—he's entering the transfer portal.
Georgia EDGE Marvin Jones Jr. has entered the transfer portal, @chris_hummer and I have learned for @247sports.
Former five-star recruit. Posted 12 tackles this season.https://t.co/6Cw7NKmknb pic.twitter.com/nz8b4sKjjW
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 13, 2023
Jones Jr. becomes yet another Georgia Bulldog player to hit the portal; he adds to a list that includes the following players:
- QB Brock Vandagriff
- DL Jonathan Jefferson
- EDGE CJ Madden
- WR Jackson Meeks
- EDGE Darris Smith
- OL Austin Blaske
- K Jared Zirkel
- CB Nyland Green
- LB EJ Lightsey
- LB Xavian Sorey
- OT Aliou Bah
- WR Zeed Haynes
- WR Logan Johnson
We also recently discovered that five-star quarterback recruit Dylan Raiola is potentially entertaining Nebraska instead of the Bulldogs.
Sources: Nebraska coaches have communicated with in-state QB commitment Daniel Kaelin that they are again in contention for a commitment from Top 10 recruit Dylan Raiola, who is committed to UGA. Nebraska coaches have made clear that they still would honor Kaelin?s commitment.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 12, 2023
This is all coming after the Bulldogs lost 27-24 in the SEC Championship game to the now No. 4 seed Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tide reached the Playoff over the Florida State Seminoles controversially. The Bulldogs will play the Seminoles in the Orange Bowl in late December.
Fans on X seem to also be questioning what's going on in Athens.
The real question is why does it seem like a mass exodus from Ga or am I just seeing the same couple kids reported on over and over
— Rich Dollaz (@richdollaz) December 13, 2023
"The real question is why does it seem like a mass exodus from Ga or am I just seeing the same couple kids reported on over and over," one user wrote.
Bama broke that program
— Mac Bonds (@Mattb1208) December 13, 2023
"Bama broke that program," another user wrote.
This past season, Jones Jr. played just 237 total snaps. He played 69 rushing the passer and 128 in run defense. He generated five pressures, had one sack, and had three missed tackles (16.7% miss rate).
He was with Georgia in 2022 as well, playing 66 snaps. While the loss of Alabama could've contributed, this looks like a case of not receiving enough playing time. Across two seasons with the Bulldogs, Jones Jr. has played just 303 total snaps. To put that in perspective, one of the top edge rushers this season, UCLA's Laiatu Latu, played 306 pass-rushing snaps this year—three more than Jones Jr.'s total snaps.
We'll continue to see if players flee from Athens over the coming weeks and months.
