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Published Jan 16, 2020
In with the New
Patrick Garbin  •  UGASports
Team & Research Writer
Twitter
@PatrickGarbin

Upon the recent announcements of Jamie Newman and Tre’ McKitty transferring to Georgia, UGASports was flooded with questions, including one in particular which was right up my alley: whether the graduate-transfer quarterback and tight end are among the Bulldogs’ all-time “most significant transfers.”

“Significant,” meaning how each transfer performed at his school before Georgia? in my opinion, I would have to say so.

Still more important is how the transfers will perform at Georgia—something we’ll obviously have to wait and see about.

I will say there’s little competition for Newman's addition among all-time Bulldog transfers at his position. There have been only two starting quarterbacks at Georgia who previously played for a Division I program: Steve Rogers (Navy to UGA, 1977) and Greyson Lambert (Virginia to UGA, 2015-2016).As for McKitty, he joins a list of Georgia tight end transfers that includes notables Ben Watson (Duke to UGA, 2001-2003) and Jermaine Wiggins (Marshall to UGA, 1997-1998).

With that being said, UGASports determined a Georgia Bulldog all-time transfer team solely based on the individuals’ playing careers at UGA. Notably, the 24-man squad consists of only those who transferred directly from Division I programs. Therefore, this excludes transfers from JUCOs and preparatory schools, along with the handful of pre-WWI transfers who played football at Georgia while attending, say, law school after exhausting their four-year eligibility at a previous college.

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(Player followed by prior school, seasons played at Georgia)

QB- Greyson Lambert (Virginia to UGA, 2015-2016): Say what you will about Lambert, the Virginia transfer went 11-2 as a starting Georgia quarterback—and his career 1:134 ratio of interceptions to pass attempts as a Bulldog (two interceptions in 268 passes) should be an SEC record (yet he’s mysteriously omitted from the conference’s record book).

RB- Terrell Davis (Long Beach St. to UGA, 1992-1994): For three years at Georgia, despite playing behind Garrison Hearst for a season, struggling with injuries and perhaps, under-use—Davis rushed for 1,657 yards, averaged 5.2 yards per carry, had five 100-yard rushing games, caught 46 passes, and scored 18 touchdowns.

RB- Olandis Gary (Marshall to UGA, 1997-1998): Along with tight end Jermaine Wiggins, Gary followed head coach Jim Donnan from Marshall to Georgia. In two seasons, he rushed for nearly 1,100 yards, including a team-high 698 in 1998, as well as 17 touchdowns.

WR- Jimmy Orr (Clemson to UGA, 1955-1957): Orr, who transferred from Wake Forest to Clemson before his move to Georgia, is one of the most gifted Bulldog athletes of all time. Besides leading the SEC in receiving as both a sophomore and senior, he rushed for nearly 300 yards, averaged more than 22 yards per kickoff return and 18 yards per punt return, intercepted a pass on defense, and punted 75 times.

WR- Lawrence Cager (Miami, Fla. to UGA, 2019): A valuable, one-season wonder for the Bulldogs, Cager led the team with 15 receptions through the first five games of the 2019 season before suffering an injury. He returned to make 13 combined catches against Florida and Missouri before enduring a season-ending injury. Despite missing five games and the majority of two others, Cager finished second on the squad with 33 receptions for 476 yards.

TE- Ben Watson (Duke to UGA, 2001-2003): A member of Coach Mark Richt's first three Bulldog teams, Watson made a combined 65 receptions for 852 yards, and six touchdowns. He earned All-SEC honors as a senior in 2003.

OL- Alec Millen (North Carolina to UGA, 1991-1992): Millen was a starting offensive tackle for the Bulldogs in 1991 and 1992, earning first-team All-SEC honors as a senior.

OL- Shelly Anderson (SMU to UGA, 1987-1988): One of the few SMU transfers to Georgia following the Mustang football program receiving the “Death Penalty,” Anderson started one game at left tackle for the Bulldogs in 1987 before starting every game at left guard as a senior the next season.

OL- Tyler Catalina (Rhode Island to UGA, 2016): A three-year starter at Rhode Island, twice earning all-conference honors, Catalina was Georgia’s starting left tackle his lone season as a Bulldog.

OL- Al Francis (Notre Dame to UGA, 1957): A reserve center for Notre Dame in 1955, Francis served the same role at Georgia two years later.

OL- George Mrvos (Penn State to UGA, 1987): After a season at Penn State, Mrvos transferred and had to sit out a season, was injured for another, and finally lettered as a backup center in 1987.

PK- Todd Peterson (Navy to UGA, 1991-1992): Used sparingly as a placekicker at the Naval Academy in 1988-1989, Peterson was benched as Georgia’s field-goal kicker in 1991, before rebounding by making 13 of 16 field-goal attempts as a senior.

DL- Rusty Russell (Florida State to UGA, 1973-1975): After a year at Florida State, Russell was one of the Bulldogs' leading tacklers in each of his three seasons in Athens, while starting at three different positions: defensive tackle in '73, defensive end in '74, and linebacker as a member of his father's (defensive coordinator Erk Russell) Junkyard Dogs defensive unit as a senior.

DL- Jay Hayes (Notre Dame to UGA, 2018): Ironically, after facing the Bulldogs in 2017 at Notre Dame, Hayes played at Georgia the following season as a graduate transfer. Despite seeing fewer than 100 snaps, totaling just three tackles, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent.

DL- Horace Thompson (Tulsa to UGA, 1989): More so an outside linebacker than a defensive lineman, but our all-transfer defense needs more than a two-man front, to Thompson gets the call. He was one of Georgia’s top defensive reserves in 1989 after transferring from Tulsa, and before becoming academically ineligible prior to the Bulldogs’ Peach Bowl appearance.

LB- Jarvis Jones (USC to UGA, 2011-2012): After failing to receive clearance for continued play at Southern California following a neck injury, Jones transferred to Georgia. There he produced one of the best individual two-season stretches in Bulldog history. In 26 games, he totaled 155 tackles, including 44 for loss with 28 sacks, 88 quarterback pressures, five passes broken up, seven caused fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one interception. Jones’ tenth-place in the 2012 Heisman Trophy balloting marked the first time in 14 years a Bulldog finished in the top 10 of the trophy’s voting.

LB- Jake Ganus (UAB to UGA, 2015): A standout for what would be a defunct UAB program, Ganus transferred to Georgia for his final season, where he led the Bulldogs with 102 tackles, including five for loss with one sack and two interceptions. For the 2015 campaign, he was named the team’s MVP.

LB- Dave Lloyd (Texas Tech to UGA, 1957-1958): A center for Texas Tech in 1955, Lloyd was lured to Georgia by line coach Wyatt Posey, who had coached the big Texan in Lubbock before accepting an assistant job in Athens. Lloyd was arguably Georgia's most valuable player during the 1957 and 1958 seasons, often playing majorities of snaps as the team's starting center, linebacker, and the kicker on kickoffs.

DB- J.R. Reed (Tulsa to UGA, 2017-2019): From originally signing with SMU to playing sparingly at Tulsa to redshirting at Georgia for a season, Reed finally got to showcase his talents beginning in 2017, when he was a standout Bulldog defender for the last three seasons. In 42 games, all starts, he totaled 199 tackles, including nine for loss with three sacks, 14 pass breakups, five interceptions, and three fumble recoveries, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Reed twice earned All-SEC honors and was one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2019.

DB- Maurice Smith (Alabama to UGA, 2016): After a transfer request blocked by Alabama head coach Nick Saban—that is, until the NCAA intervened and approved the graduate transfer’s appeal—Smith started all of Georgia’s 13 games in 2016 at nickel back. Named a team co-captain as an integral part of the Bulldogs’ defensive unit, he made 50 tackles, three pass breakups and two interceptions, returning one for a game-winning touchdown against Auburn.

DB- Mark Vincent (SMU to UGA, 1987): Another “Death Penalty” casualty, Vincent started every game for the Bulldogs in 1987 at right cornerback, making 59 tackles, including three for loss, four interceptions, and four pass breakups.

DB- Dale Williams (The Citadel to UGA, 1979-1981): With three years of eligibility remaining , Williams originally walked on at Georgia. Then the cornerback totaled 118 tackles, five interceptions, and four fumble recoveries from 1979 through 1981.

DB- Mike Fisher (Furman to UGA, 1978-1980): Like Williams, Fisher left a scholarship behind at a small South Carolina college to walk on at Georgia in the late 1970s, resulting in him eventually becoming a key member of the Bulldogs’ secondary in 1980. For the 1980 championship campaign, the starting right cornerback tallied 39 tackles and three interceptions.

P- Cameron Nizialek (Columbia to UGA, 2017): Not even considering the fact he transferred from Columbia of the Ivy League, Nizialek had one of the more extraordinary special-teams campaigns in recent memory. His 45.0-yard punting average in 2017 ranked ninth in the nation, whereas his 42.0-yard net punting average ranked fifth.


Did we miss anyone? Join in on the discussion regarding who is among Georgia’s all-time transfer players.

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