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Could former 5-star WR Demetris Robertson transfer to UGA?
Former 5-star wide receiver Demetris Robertson is transferring from Cal after two years with the team, citing “personal matters.” There has been no word on what schools he’s considering but based on his high school recruitment, it’s safe to assume his home state Georgia Bulldogs will get a look.
For those who don’t remember, Robertson was the top wide receiver recruit in the country in 2016 at Savannah Christian Prep. Following a lengthy and public recruitment, Robertson signed financial aid papers with multiple schools, allowing coaches such as Kirby Smart to tweet things like this. He signed with Cal, a school that has produced NFL receivers such as DeSean Jackson and Keenan Allen. He looked every bit of a 5-star recruit as a freshman, hauling in 50 catches for 767 yards and 7 touchdowns. He played in only two games as a sophomore before missing the rest of the season with what Cal called a “lower body injury.”
So why should we think Robertson is considering UGA? First, the obvious: He’s from Georgia. Many players who transfer do so to be closer to home, although pretty much anywhere in the country is closer to Robertson’s home than California. Second, he was once committed to Alabama while Smart was still on staff and picked up his interest in the Dawgs when Smart was hired in December 2015. Third, Georgia has done a lot to change its perception since Smart came on. With an SEC title and trip to the National Championship Game in the books, Georgia has become a more desirable destination for pretty much every player in the country.
But let’s take the speculation a step further and imagine Robertson does choose to transfer to Georgia. (And this is all pure speculation because, as I said, he’s given no indication publicly of what he’s thinking.) What would that mean for UGA’s receiving corps? The fact that he’s transferring a year shy of draft eligibility indicates to me that Robertson thinks he could be immediately eligible because of mitigating circumstances that would make a transfer closer to home necessary and become a key player on offense from the get-go.
While I have a lot of faith in Terry Godwin, Mecole Hardman and Riley Ridley, and think they are fantastic players or have the potential to be, none of them strike me as a true No. 1 receiver. But Robertson is. He likely would arrive on campus and immediately slot into the starting lineup, and maybe even become Jake Fromm’s top target if the two quickly establish a rhythm. That would add an extra threat in the passing game and also potentially take attention away from Godwin, Hardman, Ridley and the other receivers, opening them up for more big plays. And if Robertson did have to sit a year, he would pretty much just step into Godwin’s shoes in 2019 and have two years of eligibility remaining, or three if given a medical hardship since he saw limited action last season.
This is all speculation, but if you’re a Georgia fan, you’ve got to be excited about the mere possibility of bringing in the one who got away. This could turn out to be one of the big stories of the summer, so stay tuned.
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