Well, this comes out of nowhere.
The overhaul of Georgia’s secondary continued on Friday night with an announcement that returning starting cornerback Shaq Wiggins is gone from the program.
Wiggins, a promising talent among the defensive backs, has decided to transfer.“Shaq and I have been talking over the last few days and a fresh start is what he believes is in his best interest,” coach Mark Richt said in a statement. “We respect his decision and certainly wish him nothing but the best.”
This sounds like somebody was told he wasn’t in Jeremy Pruitt’s starting plans. Pruitt’s not screwing around. But that makes a shaky secondary even thinner. Let’s hope J.J. Green’s progress isn’t a mirage, Reggie Wilkerson gets fully healthy real soon and there’s some real help coming in the next couple of months.
Bets on where Wiggins goes?
This quote makes it sound more like a discipline related issue:
@McMurphyESPN: Georgia sophomore starting CB Shaq Wiggins transferring. Mark Richt: “Fresh start is what he believes is in his best interest”
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Not so sure about that.
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More sweet music.
~~~
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Who needs a QB?
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I’ll take auburn for $100, alex. If there’s a failed drug test or a theft by taking I’ll raise that to $500
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Have to admit, I’m not that sorry to see Wiggins go. There was some serious attitude showing there during the freshman year. Plus, he got beat long all season. Hey, if we’re gonna be thin in the defensive backfield, so be it. Pruitt has to have guys who are on the same page. And how could we possibly be worse at that position that we already were?
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Is complacency finally on its way out? Yay!
Before anybody gets defense, I mean the demeanor of the program, not the discipline process.
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This guy started with his entitlement attitude before he even set foot on campus. Coach Richt must have had enough shit from this punk. Louisville.
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I bet Louisville too.
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So Grantham and JHC bring in another recruit?
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As both you and Doggoned have pointed out, Shaq showed up last summer with an attitude and caused problems, I was worried about him then and nothing changed my mind throughout the season. He did seem entitled, then got schooled on the field so you would think he would learn he wasn’t all that. Flashes of potential wasn’t enough for me; had he been willing to work his way to competency I certainly could have supported him but he had a long way to go and I just never got the impression he was the type to fight his way through it.
Agree with others, probably a good one to let go and focus on the young men willing to earn their way onto the field. I think he blew his opportunity, Pruitt has the reputation of being a good teacher for DBs to study under. Every body isn’t meant to be a Dawg, methinks Shaq was one of those who wasn’t going to make it anyway.
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I thought it strange that Langley started the first 4 games last year and then was not seen. Shaq came in and was aggressive and I thought for a freshman he did pretty good. Remember the int for a td at Vandy. Maybe he thought that what he did last year should have guaranteed a position and he did not buy in to what Pruitt wanted to do. We will never know.
But if he is not willing to compete, good riddance.
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JC, then Auburn. Louisville, maybe, but JC first.
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shaq, like the Senator must have not liked the fried oreos
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I’m sure Grantham has been in his ear for a while
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Butler?
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Per Seth Emerson’s write up … Georgia freshman cornerback Shaq Wiggins ran back an interception against Vanderbilt, in what proved to be the Bulldogs’ only touchdown via defense or special teams in the 2013 regular season. This is sad. For me, the 2014 season can’t get here quick enough … unless there’s more bad seeds to spit out. I’m banking on Pruitt playing the kids that buy into his “system”. Maybe this latest revelation will get Tray Matthews off his proverbial seesaw. Or maybe not. Crazy off-season keeps on truckin’ along!
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The “crazy off-season” has been going on for about 5 years now, AD. Remember all that “energy vampires” business in 2010? And all the guys who have left the program one way or another in the last few years who when we recruited them were so highly touted? Nick Marshall, Zach Mettenberger, Caleb King, Washaun Ealey, Isiah Crowell, Josh Harvey-Clemmons–and those just scratch the surface.
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Kid is working out at Morris Brown College. He’s looking to land somewhere…
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“Trigga” is next. The secondary was rotten and we’re starting to see how bad it really was.
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I had the same thought about Matthews.
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I know people don’t usually talk recruiting at GTP. I’m interested to know what’s the likely impact on this “mutual decision” on the relationship with the staff at Sandy Creek.
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Depends on whether they are professionals and adults to me. If it is a requirement that we coddle and tolerate every single problem they send our way, I can do without them. I am sure they deal with lack of maturity all the time given the age they work with so it shouldn’t be surprising that some just don’t progress. College is a tough adjustment for many young people, adding public success or ridicule can stress that even further. It would be different if the UGA staff called out the Sandy Creek staff for not preparing Shaq adequately as a player or a man. Nothing to see here, just move along.
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Macallan, I hope you’re right about this. Sandy Creek is a powerhouse program and we can’t afford to alienate them. I assume the staff is doing what’s necessary to minimize the impact on the HS relationship.
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I am not suggesting we alienate, just stating we have to run our program for what is best for us and not be hostage to their egos. I am sure if they run a successful program they have had to part ways with players before. I want it to work out for everyone that wants to be a Dawg, and want happiness to flow from every nook and cranny in Athens but sometimes things just aren’t a good fit. This particular young man came in and began expressing concerns from almost the first week, maybe he just made a bad decision. That isn’t UGA’s fault, and likely isn’t Sandy Creek’s fault; Williams for old enough to evaluate the situations at several schools and make a decision. This seems to be on him. Over the years UGA seems to have had fewer of these departures than other programs. We may dismiss more players for disciplinary reasons because we actually have standards but not that many players voluntarily walk.
I know UGA changed their defensive staff after he committed but his problems were long before that. I spoke with his mother last year at a game for a little while. She also seemed to be concerned about his impatience and public comments before he saw the field the first time. I got the impression he was not listening to her advice then but at least she was in the dialogue.
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Good stuff
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Wiggins had more attitude than talent and spent a lot of time last year back slapping Nick Marshall when he wasn’t getting toasted on the field. Good luck in the future.
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L’ville or Da Barn.
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Beyond Closed Doors
Will we ever know what happened here? I doubt it. Mac I’m not convinced there is nothing to see. Newton steals a laptop wins a Heisman and a NC at Auburn. Auburn came within in a down of winning another with that same business plan. Do kids tend notice that and aren’t risk adverse? Metenberger lost his chance at Georgia but seemed to land on his feet. Watered down urine test notwithstanding. Johnny Football anyone? Within a generation that grew up on the lottery there are some willing to roll the dice and believe they won’t get caught, or it doesn’t hurt them if they do. Or if they want to do things their own way they can move on and do “their thang” some where else. My bet is Louisville.
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Homey was Jimi playing lead with them then?
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Damn! Nice catch. Bluto finally has some competition. Hendrix/Isley was early 60’s. Soul Train didn’t come along until later. The guy in the band playing rhythm guitar in the It’s Your Thang video isn’t playing a Strat left handed either. Soooo…. guessing not. I saw Jimi at the Atlanta International Pop Festival in Byron Georgia. I saw so many things I ain’t never seen before. I saw Three Dog Night at the Macon Coliseum. I took my future bride to only one of the two aforementioned concerts. 😉
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You saw Jimi at the Atlanta International Pop Festival? I am sorry you said “you saw Jimi”? Bows down and whispers reverently.
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Oh “for fucks sake”. I like that line. I wanted to share it with you.
FIFY- I seen so many things I ain’t never seen before… does this help? Goodness did I hurt your feelings somewhere on GTP. “Many business leaders stress about writing anything at all, for fear of having incorrect grammar that will be made fun of across the web.”I
I’m not done helping you. ScoutDawg.
*All Hail the Grammar Police!
There are so many grammar mistakes made today, The Elements of Style is on its fourth edition. Also check out the AP Stylebook. While most business writers don’t abide by those rules, most PR professionals do.*
…now piss off!
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But that has been happening at an increasing rate over the last decade, and at many schools. The amount of TV exposure with broadcasts of dozens of more games each week has caused many athletes to decide to play at smaller schools rather than sit on the bench and wait their turn at major programs. Call it the ESPN effect but players today want to strut their stuff and get immediate adulation regardless of what their coach tells them they need to do.
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I don’t much like change, so I hate to see the kid leave, but Georgia is not an easy school to play football for. Hard rules, compared to the rest of the landscape, cops who take themselves tres serieux, you actually have to go to class…on campus, too.
What seems to be a great fit as a high school senior may not look so hot as a rising college sophomore.
Good luck to the kid.
We sho do seem to have trouble finding keepers in the secondary.
Maybe Pruitt can help with that problem.
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“…Georgia is not an easy school to play football for.” Yep. And maybe the “why” about that statement needs to be re-examined. I’m not saying that it isn’t good for Wiggins to leave–he seems like a bad apple to me and the team is likely better off without him. But the number of these departures and the fact that often it is the very best players is what is troubling.
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Yep…. I think Urban Cryer would have done some damage after Tim left IF he could have hung on to Newton. I bet he thinks of that. Urban: Note to self- make sure all players have current model Apple laptops.
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Not feeling too good about this year. Not sure I can take yet another poor season.
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The real problem is that it seems Georgia never fields a complete team. There is always a shortage somewhere. Remember in 2010 when, by season’s end, the Dawgs were down to playing walk-ons at RB? Then it was a shortage of players on the O-line. The last year or two it is limited numbers at DB and the ones remaining on the team aren’t very good.
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I’m worried about having to start over at QB two years in a row. Could partially negate whatever rebuilding we accomplish this year.
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I’m hoping for a pickup truck ride with his HS coach to a JC out west.
That seems to me the beginnings of the road to the MNC.
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Wiggins’ defining moment was when he danced, shucked, and jived up to the LOS when we had Nebraska pinned at their own one on 3rd and forever. They snapped the ball, the receiver blew past this stupid kid and they had themselves the longest TD reception in the history of bowl games.
Adios “Shaq”.
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Georgia’s Murray to T.King against M. State has to be in the books somewhere. when he danced, shucked, and jived up to the LOS I looked at the youtube and can’t find him guilty of showboating per your description. Receiver did blow by him and safety got there late and couldn’t bring him down. Let’s don’t go all Ivy League here and make stuff up. K?
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I was there on the sidelines… in the rain… ignoring the other players on the field with my attention focused solely on Wiggins and his more than obvious strut actions that everyone, news people, coaches, commentators, but me failed to note… it was also obvious to me, when he threw his hands up that the defensive secondary was confused. But that is just my opinion … results may vary.
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Well done Homer… I couldn’t have said it better myself.
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That’s totally unfair and uncalled for, nothing more than character assassination. And you can KMA.
~~~
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Said and thought the same thing. I was there, in the rain, and pointed his ridiculous act out to my wife and said “He has no clue what he’s supposed to be doing” about 5 seconds before he got toasted. That one play was the tipping point for me on Grantham and the entire secondary. Good call.
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Thanks. Obviously I did not make up the part about wiggins dancing.
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Just one more reason we should always, ALWAYS, go the limit on signing day. As much as we all like CMR, he needs to wake up and smell the attrition coffee. If we had signed the limit in February, we’d have 4 or 5 more recruits coming in August, and wouldn’t have so many roster spots with no recruits to fill them.
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So with planned attrition, how far over do you go? We could just not care knowing we could go “all Saban” on them and kick off the dead wood as needed with no regard for our commitment or their dreams. This is exactly why I feel the NCAA should allow you to oversign by 2-3 over the 85 scholly limit, but no more. This would legitimize “reasonable” oversigning to insure all teams have an equal chance to start the season with 85 players, and not just a few teams that stretch the ethical boundaries. I don’t want CMR to act like others and sign with no regard for the consequences a few months down the road, but I agree there should be some accommodation for natural attrition.
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Actually, they were over the 85-scholly limit after this past signing day.
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With Shaq’s and JHC’s departures the Dawgs should have a couple now.
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I don’t give a shak if we are 0-12 this year. I will watch every game, piss my wife off with foul language, and maybe break a random window. This team is finally on the right track.
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Love it, dude!
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That’s one way to put it, for sure. And a powerful way to put it. I think you’re right.
~~~
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