Two former Georgia players will return as opponents in 2017

ATHENS — Jonathan Abram was a starter for Georgia in 2015, and Chauncey Rivers was a freshman reserve with much potential. Now both will be on the other sideline next year in Sanford Stadium.

Abram and Rivers each committed to playing for Mississippi State on Wednesday. Mississippi State visits Georgia next September.

Abram, a safety, elected to transfer from Georgia after the dismissal of head coach Mark Richt and departure of defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. It was Abram who, on the night of Richt’s firing, walked by beat writers and said: “If the media wants to know anything, tell them, keep Pruitt.”

Abram transferred to a junior college, and will have two years of eligibility at Mississippi State.

Rivers, a reserve in 2015, was dismissed from Georgia last spring after a third marijuana-related arrest. He also transferred to a junior college, and will also have two years of eligibility and be able to play immediately.

“This has been a long hard year for me and my family facing the obstacles we had in the road,” Rivers posted on Twitter. “It’s not too many people who get a second chance at life to repair their image. I made a lot of mistakes in my past and stepping down to jr college was one of the best experiences of my life. It helped me grow as young man on and off the field, which I thank all of my coaches and teammates for at East Mississippi.”