This is what comes of two star junior running backs sticking around:
The elation that resulted from Georgia’s top two running backs deciding to return for their senior seasons was tempered a bit on Monday when running back commitment Toneil Carter announced he was decommitting from the Bulldogs.
The reason, he said in a message he posted to his Twitter account, is that Georgia would not have room for him to be able to enroll next month as he had planned after Nick Chubb and Sony Michel decided to return in 2017.
The four-star recruit from Houston, Texas wrote that “for the past week I’ve been in contact with the Georgia coaches (and) due to the two seniors staying something came up with the early enrollment process…So at this moment I would like to thank the Georgia Coaches and the entire Georgia program. I will be decommitting from the University. I want to thank each and every Georgia fan. I love you guys. This was totally out of my control.”
What’s a little embarrassing about this is that not even two weeks ago, Smart and staff headed off Tom Herman at the pass by getting Carter to confirm his commitment to Georgia. Now, things have cooled.
The interesting part is the “something came up with the early enrollment process” bit. If Georgia didn’t want him enrolling early, what does that say about the way numbers are building up for this next class?
Let’s hope this isn’t the recruiting version of clock mismanagement.
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UPDATE: Well, now.
Carter announced his decommitment from Georgia on Monday after showing full dedication to the program since his decision was made on July 10. While he still has plenty of desire to play at Georgia, that’s no longer possible.
Even after signing financial-aid agreements, Carter’s offer was essentially pulled by the University of Georgia, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. While Carter was told this over the weekend, he was not previously aware the coaching staff wouldn’t want him as a part of the class of 2017 if Chubb and Michel both returned for their senior seasons. [Emphasis added.]
Carter originally planned to enroll at Georgia immediately after playing in the Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando on Jan. 1. This was finalized when Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and running backs coach Dell McGee visited Langham Creek during the recruiting period. Carter’s head coach at Langham Creek High School, Todd Thompson, reiterated that the decision was no longer in his former player’s plans.
“This was not Toneil’s decision, I just want people to know that,” Thompson said. “Toneil graduated on Friday and we found out about this news on Saturday.”
Throwing a perfectly good four-star back in the water? Man, this 2017 class had better turn out to be something else.
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