When asked about why he allowed players to transfer wherever they chose without restriction, Georgia’s former head coach famously reasoned, “Life’s too short.”
Georgia’s new head coach must think life is pretty long.
Georgia AD Greg McGarity confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution new Dogs head coach Kirby Smart has changed the program’s “stance” on unrestricted transfers.
“Kirby brought me up to date on this when we were discussing our stance, and so that stance has been adjusted,” McGarity said told the paper.
The “adjustment” comes on the heels of Smart denying running back A.J. Turman a release to transfer to Florida or Miami.
“We are not totally restricting transfer opportunities for our student-athletes. We will take each request on its own merit to determine if any restrictions should be placed on the release due to any extenuating circumstances,” McGarity said. “Student-athletes are afforded the opportunity to appeal the decision through the institution.”
Restricting a kid from transferring to Miami so he can play for the coach he originally committed to - and you fired - seems pretty stupid.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 19, 2016
AJC writer Seth Emerson noted McGarity’s new “stance” is in direct conflict with his views when Georgia Tech denied basketball player Robert Carter‘s transfer to Georgia.
“The University of Georgia doesn’t restrict a student-athlete from any school that is seeking a transfer,” McGarity said at the time. “The student-athlete’s best interest is at the forefront of our program. If they’re not happy here we’re not going to dictate where they can and can’t go.”
Turman appealed to the NCAA and was told he could transfer to any school in Florida... except the two he requested.