Georgia safety Reshad Jones is headed to the NFL, and it’s expected that linebacker Rennie Curran will follow suit. Both players will hold a teleconference with media today to announce their decisions.
(UPDATE: UGA says no teleconference is scheduled and that Curran has yet to make a decision. Reshad Jones will meet with reporters today at 2 p.m.)
Jones, who flirted with the NFL last year before ultimately deciding to return to school, said he will definitely enter the NFL draft this year after finishing second on the team with 68 tackles and making three interceptions.
Jones said he has not yet hired an agent or decided where to train, but he expected to do so within “the next couple of days.”
A year ago, Jones said input from a few former Georgia players and the wishes of his family kept him in school. This time around, he said he has their full support, particularly from family members whom he talked with extensively before making up his mind.
“They really just want the best for me,” Jones said. “We sat down and talked about it and they said I was ready, too.”
Jones said his evaluation from the NFL was “good enough for me,” but said he didn’t wish to discuss the evaluation further.
While the decision for Jones was ultimately an easy one, he said, that didn’t seem to be the same feeling within the locker room.
“Everybody knows it’s best for him to come back,” fellow safety Bryan Evans said before Georgia’s bowl game. “He has the potential to go higher next year than this year. But it’s up to him. If he feels this is his time to go, he’ll make that decision for himself.”
Curran led the SEC in tackles with 122 this year and will be a part of the teleconference, Jones said, but he could not confirm Curran’s final decision about the NFL.
Georgia still does not have a defensive coordinator hired, and defensive tackles coach Rodney Garner had said following the Bulldogs’ bowl game that he hoped both players would wait until that decision was made before making up their minds on the NFL. At the time, that is something both Curran and Jones said they planned to do.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
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10 comments:
First, I want to wish good luck to Jones. I have always liked him as a player. However, I think he is making a big mistake. I think he would benefit from the new DC who will hopefully put him in a defense that will highlight his ability. Plus, he'll be paired more with guys like Rambo and Cummings (plus Ogletree) who will provide more playmaking back there than Evans. That could propel him to a higher position. Anyway, I think he'll be a stud in the NFL, he'll just have a harder road to prove it now. Good luck Reshad.
I want you to five-star lock it: Jones gets taken in the draft before Bryan Evans. A bold prediction by me.
No surprise with either Jones or Curran (if he goes)... and I can't really say I ever blame these guys for leaving as early as they can and getting paid. For most of them, this has been their goal and dream for as long as they can remember.
David... you've been around GA football for quite a while now. Does it seem like UGA's underclassmen tend to leave at a higher rate than other schools, or about the same? I suppose the best schools to compare to would be other SEC schools. I just can't remember off the top of my head a UGA player who the experts thought should go but decided instead to stay. (Pollock, maybe? I can't remember) On the other hand, there sure seemed to have been a lot who have left.
Thanks.
Rennie's got a little kid. That's motivation enough as far as I'm concerned, since the consensus is he'll get drafted at a decent position.
Did Jones get his degree already? How is he doing in the classroom? I wonder if there's more than just football in play here, because if it were purely a football decision, I don't know. I know his overall body of work is better than this, and that it's unfair to judge him solely on one play, but I still cannot get the image of him flailing at Roddy Jones out of my head.
I'm somewhat encouraged that Curran hasn't made his decision yet. Seems to me that increases our chances of seeing him back next season.
And I had to chuckle at the irony in Bryan Evans commenting on Jones' NFL readiness.
Couldn't be happier for Jones and Dawg Nation. We will be vastly improved at the safety position next year with the departure of our two safeties. Hopefully the next set of safeties will have better catching, tackling, and reaction time skills.
In all my years of a Dawg fan, I can only compare the play of safeties Jones & Evans to the play of Steve Kelly in the Sugar Bowl against Dan Marino. The only difference is Steve Kelly never was a 5 star or cashed a NFL check.
With Bryan Evans graduating, perhaps Dawg fans could give him a break and not trash him gratuitously at every opportunity. He was a four-year regular/starter for UGA at two positions, so he couldn't have been that bad. He's one of our guys, so let's treat him like one.
I'm glad Jones(Stafford) is gone. We need a team guy to lead this defense(offense), not someone who relies on talent. We'll be better off next year with someone we've never seen before. Rinse, repeat.
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