ATLANTA – It was a moment where, to put it bluntly, you had to feel sorry for Brice Ramsey. The senior quarterback was sitting at his locker in Georgia’s locker room as a horde of media crowded around two other quarterbacks: Jake Fromm and Jacob Eason. They ignored Ramsey, who was still stuck there, so many media members around the cramped lockers.
Finally, Ramsey decided to get out of there. He bent down and snuck under the arms of reporters, one of whom tried to make eye contact as if to say “sorry.” It was a long way from the days when Ramsey was the heir apparent Georgia starting quarterback.
But don’t feel sorry for Brice Ramsey.
“Honestly, I’ve enjoyed the hell out of my time at Georgia,” Ramsey said. “Probably haven’t played as much as I wanted to. But made awesome relationships, had great teammates, met a ton of great people, got a great social network. We’ll just see what my next step is.”
Ramsey said this before the National Championship Game, when he did see the field. He came out to punt on a play where it appeared he had the freedom to also throw it if the play was there. He chose to pooch punt with an Alabama player coming at him.
Recruited to Georgia five years ago as a 4-star prospect, the nation’s third-best quarterback recruit that year, according to 247Sports, Ramsey ended up punting as much as passing at Georgia: 46 times each, but only 1 pass attempt during his junior and senior seasons.
But there are no regrets, Ramsey maintained.
“I’m just happy to be along,” he said. “I’m just happy to be here. Happy to see the younger guys – since I stuck around for my fifth year, I’ve watched a ton of guys grow up, and it’s been really cool to see. I think that’s my most favorite thing, watching the young guys mature.”
The quarterback position can be a tough business, as Eason learned last season. Ramsey was widely expected to be Georgia’s starter entering the 2015 season but ended up being beaten out by Virginia transfer Greyson Lambert. When Eason arrived a year later, Ramsey moved to third string.
So it surprised nobody last year when Ramsey announced his intention to transfer. But it did surprise a few people when he opted to stay with the team during spring practice and be an extra arm for drills. It surprised even more people when Ramsey changed his mind, decided to finish his career where he started, playing time be damned.
In the end, it was better being along for the ride.
“No doubt. I could be playing somewhere else and my season would probably [have been over sooner],” Ramsey said. “You can’t put into words the opportunity that we’ve ended up happening this year. No amount of playing time can beat being in the College Football Playoff with the opportunity to win a national championship.”
Where would he have gone had he followed through and transferred? Ramsey said he doesn’t even know, and it’s not important. As coach Kirby Smart said when Ramsey elected to return, it just showed how much Ramsey cared for Georgia.
He said he speaks occasionally with Mike Bobo, who recruited him to Georgia five years ago. Many believe Bobo would have chosen Ramsey as the starter in 2015, but Bobo left to become the coach at Colorado State.
Is there anything more he could have done, Ramsey is asked? Or did they just bring in some really good quarterbacks?
“Yeah, obviously, they brought in a bunch of good guys. I couldn’t be happier to get to know the guys,” said Ramsey, who never started a game but leaves with an SEC championship ring, the experience of a Rose Bowl and memories of playing in a National Championship Game. “I’m just happy I stuck around, and this fifth year ended up paying off for me.”