Georgia got bad news on the recruiting trail Thursday as four-star quarterback Peter Bourque chose Virginia Tech over the Bulldogs.
It’s never pleasant when a commitment decision goes against you, but in situations like the one involving Bourque, it’s important to keep in mind how college football has changed.
For many years -- including most of Kirby Smart’s tenure at UGA -- we’ve been in what I think of as the Hungry, Hungry Hippos era of recruiting. A coach’s job was to smash and grab as much talent as possible, and then figure it all out once the players arrived on campus.
Things don’t work that way anymore. In the age of NIL, resources are finite. Paying money to one player reduces the amount that can be offered to another.
Borque looks like a solid quarterback prospect, but is he so good that Georgia should’ve gotten into a bidding war over his services and paid whatever the going rate demanded? I’m not so sure.
The quarterback depth UGA displayed at G-Day was impressive. It’s easy to imagine one of those signal callers becoming a future starter for the Bulldogs. Perhaps their emergence reduces the urgency for Smart to bring in a quarterback in the 2027 class -- especially if forced to pay a retail price to sign him.
Check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
Who was the last 5-star quarterback Georgia signed?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Where does Georgia football turn after Bourque chose Virginia Tech?
Score an elite QB win for James Franklin. Virginia Tech just went head-to-head with Georgia on the recruiting trail and won.
Bourque, the nation’s No. 7 QB and No. 82 overall prospect for 2027 for both the 247Sports Composite and the Rivals Industry ranking, announced his commitment to the Hokies earlier this afternoon.
Prior to today, he was the highest-rated undecided QB prospect in 2027. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound rising senior had been committed to Michigan his entire junior year, but decommitted after the new staff took over after the 2025 season.
Georgia was seen as a strong contender for Bourque. He’s described Georgia as one of the premier, if not the premier, programs in the country.
If Bourque had chosen Georgia and gone on to enroll in Athens, he would’ve been the highest-rated QB signee for the program since 5-star Brock Vandagriff in December of 2020.
This decision now places an emphasis on maintaining the commitment of 2028 QB pledge Jayden Wade. Wade, who has been committed to the Dawgs since the Texas game last season, is the nation’s top-rated QB recruit for the next cycle. He actually made a silent commitment to UGA last summer.
UGA athletics weekend schedule
Friday, May 15
- Women’s tennis vs. NC State (NCAA Championships), 4 p.m.
- Softball vs. Charleston (Athens Regional), 7 p.m.
- Baseball at Auburn, 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 16
- Softball vs. Clemson or UNC Greensboro (Athens Regional), TBA
- Baseball at Auburn, 3 p.m.
The No. 1 reason Bourque could have committed to Georgia
Tabor Academy head coach Jeff Moore set himself up for quite the day Thursday. Moore woke up and headed to the hospital for the delivery of his third child, the third daughter for the Moore family.
After that, he was back in time to see Bourque make a long-awaited college commitment, between Georgia and Virginia Tech. That’s why the decision from Bourque did not come until the afternoon.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound rising senior was the highest-rated QB for the 2027 class that had yet to make his college commitment. What was he looking for between those options?
Bourque made that clear to those who know him well.
“I want to play for a winning program,” he said on the Off-Platform podcast back in March. “A program whose goal is to win the national championship. I think that’s a lot of the schools out there. I also want to be developed. That’s probably the biggest thing for me. Probably like a lot of kids, my goal is to play in the NFL. It all starts with development.”
Moore, who’s had a hand in helping shape Bourque’s career on the field and on the trail, had his own view on the foundation of his college decision.
“I think, one, it is having a place where he thinks they have got a real plan for him,” Moore said. “Not to say that any of these schools do not. But a place where he truly believes in the plan or truly believes in the development of being a quarterback, there, and also just the relationships. I think that’s really important for Pete.”
Both those criteria fit Georgia, even though Virginia Tech received the commitment.
Photo of the day
Quote of the day
Bourque on Georgia:
“Going into visiting Georgia, I had super high expectations. One of the, if not the best, college football program in the country and those guys exceeded past those expectations.”
Georgia defensive back Ja’Marley Riddle arrested
Another Georgia football player has been arrested, with defensive back Ja’Marley Riddle being charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, both of which are felonies, and a misdemeanor speeding offense.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned that Riddle was arrested on Friday, May 8 by Glynn County Police in Brunswick, Georgia and charged with possession of marijuana of more than one ounce, possession of a schedule 1 controlled substance.
Georgia acknowledged the arrest, issuing a statement on the matter.
“We are aware of the charges and are actively gathering additional information,” a team spokesperson said in a statement. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not be providing further comment at this time.”
The Georgia defensive back posted bonds totaling $16,526 on the same day of his arrest. He was booked at 3:10 p.m. ET and released at 4:05 p.m. ET, according to the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office. The news of Riddle’s arrest was first reported by WGIG 98.7 FM in Brunswick.
Riddle transferred into Georgia this offseason from ECU. He was limited this spring due to an injury he suffered in his time with the Pirates. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining and is expected to help Georgia in the secondary this fall.
Trivia answer
Vandagriff in December of 2020
