The Great Georgia Locker Room Theft And Its Recruiting Impact

Now that the chortles over Georgia recruits robbing Georgia’s locker room have largely settled, the time has come to examine the ramifications. SB Nation’s Dawg Sports doesn’t like the bottom-line implications for UGA’s future recruiting classes, and they’re not wrong, particularly if Deion Bonner turns into a high-level get for some rival school. It’s the SEC. Don’t even pretend like this might not happen:

These actions were foolish, the ramifications are frustrating, and the situation is sad. While it is doubtful that these young men have squandered altogether their opportunity to play Division I-A college football, they nevertheless have been moved over into the “character risk” column that could cost them scholarship offers; unless Mark Richt is anxious to try forging team unity among athletes who have been suspects and victims in the same criminal proceeding, they certainly have forfeited the opportunity to don the silver britches and play between the hedges.What that may mean for Georgia, of course, is that, through no fault of the Bulldogs’, Deion Bonner may go on to be some rival school’s recruiting coup. It is a necessity that Georgia jettison these prospects; should that lead them to sign letters of intent to play for other SEC institutions, the Red and Black could be victimized twice by these events, in spite of the fact that no one who is now or ever will be in any way formally affiliated with the University of Georgia did anything even remotely wrong.

Take heart, Dawg partisans: You do still have that sterling 2011 recruiting class to fall back on, with a certain Carver blue-chipper leading the way. (Excuse to post that puppy picture again? Excuse to post that puppy picture again.)