Tennessee football recruit Da’Rick Rogers had ‘a lot of bad dealings with UGA coaches’ before switch, according to QB Nash Nance
- BREAKING NEWS: Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson loses top football recruit to MLB’s Texas Rangers, says report (click here)
Why did Calhoun wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers, the state’s No. 1-rated football prospect, make the last-minute switch from UGA to Tennessee last February?
Rogers isn’t talking, but his high school quarterback provided some insight into the infamous flip, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
“The [UT] coaches are a lot more professional … He had a lot of bad dealings with Georgia coaches,” said Nash Nance told the newspaper.
Nance and Rogers both signed with Tennessee, and enrolled in summer classes last week. Neither Nance nor the News-Sentinel disclosed any specifics on the “bad dealings.”
Da'Rick Rogers (left) isn't talking but QB Nash Nance is (AJC)
Here are a few other items of interest from the article:
- After Rogers changed his mind, Nance and his father “got crucified a lot on the Internet.” Nance said both he and Rogers got death threats, but neither called the police. ”Da’Rick and I both got a lot of Facebook messages and wall posts that were insane. Nothing was ever serious – I don’t think.”
- Calhoun coach Hal Lamb supported and defended his players after they both switched schools, even if he was privately disappointed, according to Nance — who was committed to Vanderbilt before flipping to Tennessee. Nance said Lamb is very close to Vanderbilt’s football staff. Also, Lamb’s father, Ray Lamb, is UGA’s coordinator of high school relations. “I’m sure they all wanted Da’Rick to go to Georgia,” Nance said. “But [Hal Lamb] was real accepting of the fact that we signed with Tennessee. I don’t know about his dad. He’s a little different breed than our coach.”
- Nance knew that Rogers both liked Tennessee and was reconsidering his pledge to sign with UGA, but says he wasn’t sure about Rogers flipping to the Vols until signing day. ”It wouldn’t have surprised me if he would have pulled out a Richmond scholarship, signed it and gone there,” Nance told reporter Dave Hooker of the News-Sentinel.
Update: Both Hal and Ray Lamb, along with UGA recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner, could not be reached for comment on Monday. UGA spokesman Claude Felton told the AJC that UGA’s coaches are out of the office at camps this week, but was confident that Garner and the elder Lamb would not comment in response to Nash’s accusations. What about Da’Rick? He appears to be keeping a low profile, doing his public speaking via Twitter.
RELATED
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377 comments Add your comment
kevin
June 7th, 2010
3:52 pm
Who cares? UGA has an abundance of talent at WR and now we do not have to cheer for a guy name Da’Rick. Have fun getting beat by UGA, the next 4 years Da’Rick.
ryan
June 7th, 2010
3:52 pm
You know i am sick and tired of hearing about Rogers and Nash its time to move on from this story its getting old we to look to the future please AJC enough.
PJB
June 7th, 2010
3:53 pm
Perfect fit in K’ville! Funny the one that yaps the most won’t ever have to man up to what he’s saying on the field.
superDawg
June 7th, 2010
3:53 pm
duh’rik is sporting twentyfo inch urng spinners
Qb Coach
June 7th, 2010
3:54 pm
Here’s the deal. Neither of these guys would have worked out at Ga.
Nance does not have a D-1 arm and Rogers wasn’t even the best receiver in the dome last year at the high school finals. The kid from Gainesville who is starting at slot for Notre Dame was way better. Rogers was shutdown by a sophomore corner from Buford who runs a 4.7 40.
bob
June 7th, 2010
3:54 pm
They will split up by their sophomore season.
Bo Knows
June 7th, 2010
3:54 pm
Nance might be the ugliest mug in college football this year…
Dawg boss
June 7th, 2010
3:55 pm
volfan22 maybe this will make it more clear.GAY’rick
ARdawg
June 7th, 2010
3:55 pm
Rogers is a pampered showboat and basks in this other little bit of attention. He was good in high school, lets see if he’s going to be good in the SEC. I say he won’t and he knows it. This is just another attempt to make Rogers relevant. Let’s see it on the field Da’Rick. You’ve already shown your word is no good, lets see if your play is. You’ve made your choice now live with it.
VolFan22
June 7th, 2010
3:56 pm
The comparison is that Marlon Brown ran his mouth a lot after he committed to several media outlets including some sports talk shows. He acted like a punk instead of just going to UGA. Always had something bad to say about UT and the Coaches after he was already committed!
suwaneedawg
June 7th, 2010
3:57 pm
Like I have been saying all along, this guy is made for UT. No character and no class. Read up on what the late John Wooden says of this type of person. The fact that he says Kiffin was professional and Richt’s staff was not? The guy may prove to be all SEC but, I am damn glad he is not wearing a UGA uniform. The Nance family are scuzz balls as well. This will all catch up.
Gator Bob
June 7th, 2010
3:58 pm
Regarding Nash as a QB prospect – the kid is smart, big, has a good good arm – but is considered somewhat of a project.
But here is the deal – he is 18 years old – when he is 20 years old – he may have developed into a QB that will play some games for Tennessee – you just never know!!!!
Plenty of cases where 5 star and 4 star do not pan out – while 2 star continues to mature and gets better!
what was the kid’s name that caught the HOBNAIL BOOT pass from David Greene?? Alebert Hayes (Haynes?). Was he not offered any D1 scholarships and played for Western KY – then transferred to UGA??
Went on and played for Pittsburg Steelers?
Not saying Nash is the next Peyton Manning – but he could develop into a very good QB!
VolFan22
June 7th, 2010
3:58 pm
Oh and Florida(Even though I don’t like them) took your best RB last year too!
JAXDAWG
June 7th, 2010
3:59 pm
I bet that new SUV and celly aren’t helping that decision any right now. How in the world would Nance know if UGA’s coaches were professional? They didn’t recruit him. He was like the kid in P.E. class that no one liked but felt bad for. Did that kid get treated sincerely? No, it was all fake. The over/under for this kid cracking the field is 0. For those who can’t read between the lines that means he will never see the field.
DawgFan
June 7th, 2010
3:59 pm
Our fans being rude and obnoxious??? Are you kidding me?
In all seriousness a lot of our fan base are simply not good people. I have witnessed several fans urinating off the 600 level seats onto our own fans! I doubt this changes. We simply offer too many majors that do not require a lot of mental activity (but it helps in recruiting!) and thus we have a lot of fans and alumni that do not think before acting. Alcohol simply makes them worse!
Fact is…if Rogers did not want to come to Athens…then who cares? We should not and do not want players that truly do not want to attend our school. If he prefers UT…so what? With that said, if he becomes the next Hershel Walker as a receiver, I take it all back.
dap01
June 7th, 2010
4:01 pm
They were bad news waiting to happen. Anybody that would be more attracted to Lane Kiffen than any other SEC school probably has issues.
Jeff in Calhoun
June 7th, 2010
4:01 pm
VolFan22….you really are desparate!
dawgcruiser
June 7th, 2010
4:01 pm
Ok, Let’s see. UT recruiters being more professional. We are talking about the same people who took their shirt off in front of recruits just to impress them. The same group that left town over night. Or are we talking about the group who just took over and could not have that much contact with recruits except for just a few weeks prior to signing day?
I just hope that they are both happy with their decision. They’ll have to deal with it for the rest of their life. Can’t wait till we play them that’s all I have to say. Brandon Boykin and Co. will be ready.
dawglasville
June 7th, 2010
4:01 pm
Stay classy dawg fans I find it real classy that you throw racial slurs around so easily.
VolFan22 I don’t think that the UT football program is in better shape than ours. You team did earn you a pass to crow for the next 4 months, so enjoy.
NO. 2 is Dogpoop
June 7th, 2010
4:01 pm
I will tell you a reason that wasn’t mentioned…there were so many racist remarks on these blogs pointing the finger at the GT players mocking everything about them including their videos..grown men on these blogs acting that way about a bunch of kids who happen to play for someone else…you inbreds ever think that maybe some of your recruits read how you really feel?
blain
June 7th, 2010
4:02 pm
Dawg H8ter,
You must know absolutely nothing about the academics of UT if you are saying they are “too smart” to go to Georgia.
DawginOH
June 7th, 2010
4:02 pm
As if the Dawgs needed any more bulletin board material for the UT game this season…
Jeff in Calhoun
June 7th, 2010
4:03 pm
Anybody that believes anything Nance said is pure FOOLISH!!!!!!!!
rlinaug
June 7th, 2010
4:04 pm
perhaps orgeron and kiffin looked better with their shirts off than richt and bobo.
Smokey
June 7th, 2010
4:05 pm
I think they both enjoyed Coach “O”rippng off his shirt way too much
Chaves
June 7th, 2010
4:06 pm
UGA fans, let’s be serious. A guy named Da’Rick belongs at UT. Let’s stop kidding ourselves.
ARdawg
June 7th, 2010
4:09 pm
volfan22
Rogers high school achievement is against class A talent. There is a very big question mark as to whether he can transition into the player you think he is. I wouldn’t celebrate him just yet if I were you
Andy
June 7th, 2010
4:09 pm
This Nance kid needs to shut up. Both are less than trustwothy for switching their commitments so late in the game. What did they expect was going to happen? Did they really think all the UGA fans would be fine with DaRick changing his mind? All the UGA players need to file this away. A little motivation for when Nance is playing QB, if he ever makes it to starter that is.
Jax Dawg
June 7th, 2010
4:10 pm
Gator Bob
June 7th, 2010
3:58 pm
Regarding Nash as a QB prospect – the kid is smart, big, has a good good arm – but is considered somewhat of a project.
Let it go Gator fan, Tebow is gone. You don’t need to talk about him anymore in every topic.
dawglasville
June 7th, 2010
4:12 pm
DawgFan- we don’t have a monopoly on immorality at football games. I’ve seen the same crap at LSU, USC, Clemson, Tech… a lot of it just depends on who you have the misfortune of sitting next to. My dad went to Tech (I am ashamed to admit that) and I saw the Tech freshmen storm the field and cut off the tail of the Clemson Tiger. Tech students were throwing liquor bottles and frozen fish at the Notre Dame bench. Most of the people who go to those games wish they could have attended the school they are such fans of. Much of the problem comes from the kids who were never held accountable for anything in their lives.
Texas Bob
June 7th, 2010
4:12 pm
ha ha ha….Nance was probably was just used sadly, anyway good luck, Go DAWGS!
Jeff in Calhoun
June 7th, 2010
4:14 pm
Qb coach…..Rodgers was shut down by a sophomore corner from Buford. I talked to the kids grandmother before the game and she said her grandson was good and would take care of Rodgers.
She was exactly right. I think it was Woodward Academy she said he had transferred from to play for Buford.
PMC
June 7th, 2010
4:16 pm
Boy do these kids who have accomplished virtually nothing in thier young lives sure do love to talk.
ryan
June 7th, 2010
4:17 pm
With DA Rick it was all about me and that is why the coaches did not push to keep him it was his bad attitude. DA Rick did not want to work hard to get his spot he wants its handed to him
dawglasville
June 7th, 2010
4:17 pm
NO. 2 is Dogpoop – I was with you up until you used the word “inbred” and blew your credibility. Don’t let the plank in your eye get in the way of the spec in someone else’s.
Dawg Truth
June 7th, 2010
4:18 pm
Da’rick wouldn’t have been admitted to UGA—at UT, they take anyone with a pulse. The UGA academic standards are some of the toughest in the SEC, way ahead of football factories like florida and alabama.
TechTradition
June 7th, 2010
4:19 pm
I don’t blame UGA fans for being upset. This kid needs to shut his piehole and go hold a clipboard. I saw him play twice last season and he is not talented in the least.
Daddy bought the field and his son the QB job at Calhoun to begin with. Then he turned around and bought Da’Rick a Hummer and his son a scholarship in the same breath
PMC
June 7th, 2010
4:19 pm
Seriously, be happy you had choices, confident in whatever decision you made and ignore everything else. Go play football. Stop talking.
Furlough
June 7th, 2010
4:20 pm
Some of you sad, pathetic bulldog fanatics need to actually invest some time in going to get a real education and stop worrying about the decision making of 18 year old recruits…There are more important things to do. Grow UP!!!
Duckafawg
June 7th, 2010
4:20 pm
…and if the situation was reversed all of Ugay Land would saying how Rogers should be allowed to make his own decisions…just accpet that he chose UGay over TN…etc…etc…etc..blah…blah…blah
TechTradition
June 7th, 2010
4:24 pm
Da’Rick got played by Papa Nance. End of discussion and enjoy your Hummer Mr. Rogers
Ben
June 7th, 2010
4:24 pm
OH NOES! MY FEELINGS WERE HURT ON FACEBOOK!! Jeez. Kids these days.
DP
June 7th, 2010
4:24 pm
I have no dog in this fight as an Alabama guy, but Nash Nance should get over the fact that Georgia didn’t offer him, shut his mouth and be thankful that he was able to leverage his much more talented friend Rogers into a football scholarship to UT.
As long as he’s commenting on why Rogers flipped to UT from UGA, why doesn’t he say anything about why he reneged on his commitment to Vandy once UT made him part of a package deal to get Rogers? Did the Vandy coaches not treat him with enough respect?
Ace
June 7th, 2010
4:25 pm
The fans talk, but the dogs don’t walk. Hype it up at the beginning of the season and they just end up losing to UT,UK,UF, they hid from Bama – Auburn puts Rambo in a coma, Just talk boys, just keep talking. With Tebow gone you probably think you have a shot this year, problem is no QB, Joe Cox was better than Murray. Talk Talk Talk.
rogeriter
June 7th, 2010
4:27 pm
The real slimeballs in all of this are the reporters who want to cash in on stuff like this. This is not news! But I guess it may cause people to read their column. These writers are the Jerrry Springers of the newspaper world.
Neither Da’Rick Rogers or the Georgia coaches are deserving of this garbage writing. We have so many politicians who DO deserve this kind of criticism–pick on them instaed!
Lakedawg
June 7th, 2010
4:28 pm
Is there some reason this story is being embellished here yet again ?
This morning on this site this story was here, and now here it is
again with essentially the same information reported, but now with
headlines flaming. Just because Nance (whom Georgia did NOT want)
says something negative about Georgia, that makes it news ? Sounds
like a lot of sour grapes to me. I’m sure that Rogers and Nance
both will have loads of fun at Tennessee, where just getting to a bowl
game will be a challenge. As for Tennessee fans criticizing us, it’s
just the pot calling the kettle black – I heard the classy booing of
Marlon Brown by Tennessee fans at last year’s game in Neyland….just
because the young man signed elsewhere (without any package deals, I
might add). So they’re ticked off…..so what ?
DawginLex
June 7th, 2010
4:28 pm
Let’s see what happens before anyone rushes to judgement.
We can all guess what will happen but no one knows for sure. All appearances are that DaRick will play a lot sooner than Nash.
We will see. None of UT’s QB’s are anything special.
No one thinks Hutson Mason is ever going to play at UGA either.
Let’s see how it plays out.
dawglasville
June 7th, 2010
4:30 pm
Furlough – Where did you get your “real education” and why aren’t you spending your time more wisely than reading through two pages of blogs?
Eisendawg
June 7th, 2010
4:31 pm
VolsFan22, You saying that Marlon Brown run his mouth and acted like a “punk” sounds a little hypocritical, don’t you think? Be careful, or you may be labeled a ” oxy-MORON “
Mean Machine
June 7th, 2010
4:32 pm
This is coming from Nance. Did we hear any of this from Rogers? If I recall, Rogers had nothing but nice things to say about the UGA coaching staff. Nance doesn’t need to speak for Rogers or anybody else. He needs to shut up and grow up. Quit being bitter that UGA did not recruit you. He being naive if he thinks UT recruited him for his own abilities. Hey Nance, how does it feel to ride on coattails?