Tennessee football recruit Da’Rick Rogers had ‘a lot of bad dealings with UGA coaches’ before switch, according to QB Nash Nance
11:59 pm June 7, 2010, by Michael Carvell
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
- Lowndes defensive back Geraldo Orta has committed to Clemson, according to The State (S.C.) newspaper
- Ready to talk some more football? Go here
377 comments Add your comment
Ekim
June 8th, 2010
10:44 pm
To the person who asked: “Why print this, Michael?”
Oh, I guess the answer would be four pages of comments.
lakerga
June 8th, 2010
11:06 pm
dang it! we had a chance to have this kid as the backup to Murry(lol). Luckily Mason is there and not this kid. Funny no ones bashing him now.
CalhounInsider
June 8th, 2010
11:08 pm
Actually I know both kids well being from Calhoun. The real story is that Da’Rick started having second thoughts after seeing Tennessee beat the living crap out of UGA last year. He took a long look in the mirror and said “why would i go there?”
DD795
June 8th, 2010
11:22 pm
Poor leg humpers. Never heard so much crying. Da’Rick Da’Run and hurt Da’Feelings of Da’Dog nation. It’s so sad.
nard 34
June 8th, 2010
11:22 pm
GO TECH!!!!! UGA will not win 6 games this season. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA………………………………………….
heeldawg
June 8th, 2010
11:28 pm
CalhounInsider:
Yeah, right. I believe that about as much as I believe that Lane Kiffin is a man of his word.
This was all about the Nances, and a no-talent little rich boy who used his talented friend to get a scholarship that he didn’t deserve. Da’Rick got a vehicle for his trouble from “Daddy” Nance, the Vols got a five star WR recruit (one who went AWOL for a few hours during his U.Ga. recruiting trip, FWIW), and now the Nances feel the need to engage in a little negative recruiting to mitigate the angst generated in their former home state by their no-class ego trip.
Why would Da’Rick want to go to Georgia? Well, if he valued education, it might be because Georgia is a better academic school than Tennessee–but that’s not a factor here. Or if he wanted to play for a football team that actually had a snowball’s chance of having a winning season the next few years, that might be another reason. Or maybe he might want to become a star player for his home state team, a team that has actually sent receivers to the NFL in recent memory, instead of being vilified for being a turncoat. But these issues aren’t relevant with Da’Rick.
The car is relevant.
The Nance family connection is relevant.
And if head-to-head wins are really a factor in this kid’s decision-making (which I doubt), then he’ll have his own little “Jabari moment” this fall. And another one in 2011. And so on.
Enjoy Knoxville, gentlemen. Hope that high school connection works out for ya.
Pope UGA XXIII
June 8th, 2010
11:29 pm
Dawg fans, let’s quite wasting time posting about “Duh-reek” & his
little caddy, Nash Rambler. His butt is going to ramble to the bench
and stay there. Maybe his meddling pappy will offer to carpet Neyland
Stadium so he can get a few snaps.
It’s time to get ready for the 2010 season, and we have some scores
to settle – Tennesse being one of them.
Calhoun Insider
June 9th, 2010
12:30 am
“Let me get this straight. We signed NONE of the Offensive Recruits in this State of Georgia 2010, but according to you, Nash Nance wasn’t any good because he was only offered scholarships by West Virginia, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, UCF Central Florida Knights, UT-C, Harvard and the Tennessee vols.”
What you may not know is most of those were for ACADEMIC reasons not for ATHLETIC skills.
Mike Hunt
June 9th, 2010
12:49 am
To all you classless Georgia fans, not only are your coaches unprofessional, but Georgia has the worse fans in college football. You will be saying Mike Hunt is sore after this years Tech game.
north_gator
June 9th, 2010
2:23 am
wow uga pups when Rogers commited to uga most of you were ready to ride his jock strap and go behind the stands with him. Now when he changed his mind which it seems over half the recruits do it one time or another, you dont want anything to do with him and treat him worst than the red headed step son. Jealous much? Rodgers will not be the WR that a lot of people think he will be, but he will be a good one.
Alan34
June 9th, 2010
1:05 pm
The comment should have been “Nance just shut up and hold the clipboard” that is IF he even progresses that far. I actually feel sorry for the kid. He is just a hanger on to a highly recruited WR. If it wasn’t for his ties to Da’rick no one would even care what the poor kid has to say. And tying himself to Da’rick is not so smart in itself. Rogers is poison to everyone around him. A T.O. wanna be…. Sad little boys..
OrangeMan
June 9th, 2010
3:12 pm
My only concern as a Vol fan is the integrity of these 2 guys. I’m not impressed with HS kids who give their word to colleges (UGa and Vandy) and then go somewhere else on signing day. I’ve seen this happen to folks who have signed with UT and then change their minds at the last minute. I think it’s related 2 issues: lack of integrity and ego (ie.they aren’t getting enough attention from the school they originally sign with and go with a newcomer who is showering them with attention to convince them to renig on their promises). I’d rather Dooley not play these type of games and I wish that one day these 18 year old will learn that their “word” should mean something.
SiddyBoy
June 9th, 2010
3:13 pm
Why would any recruit want to go to UT with a scum bag like Lane Kiffin as coach? Even with CDD, these two will never have an impact especially Nance(y)Pancey; a rich kid who will sell carpet after UT !!!
DOGS=FAIL
June 10th, 2010
9:46 am
guess that butt whooping the dogs got last year from crompdaddy still burns!!!!!! such a deep burn!!!!!
Big Time Branson
June 11th, 2010
11:22 pm
Rogers went to 4 different high schools in 4 years. Keep the trouble in TN.
Nash Nance is a giant DOUCHE
June 13th, 2010
3:33 pm
Yep. It’s fitting that the DOUCHE goes to knoxville aka hillbilly heaven with his P*SSY friend D’umbrick.
Maretta
June 13th, 2010
3:54 pm
The statement about UGA football coaches not being professional — with people like Bobo and Richt, I can understand that. Also “incompetent” should be used to descirbe them.
scott
June 13th, 2010
5:07 pm
Think back to what any of us thought of our coaches. We all knew more them. Of course we didn’t, but that did’t stop us from thinking it! Either that’s what is going on here or they got a better deal to be pumpkins.
BITTER ROCKY TOP
June 13th, 2010
5:25 pm
yahaw its christmas on bitter top, me sistar got her junk tuck in by daa richt, nancy drew just watched, hell sec champs soon, smokey goinna poke nancy drew soon. we win agaiin got usa 2 ofva geoga boy’s he haw!!!!!!!dawg poo
BITTER im'sick aka datrick
June 13th, 2010
5:29 pm
dawgs kiss my as@#$#$% i got me boy nancy so who needs bitter tennesa fans sistar(he/she) calhone sux’s ya sukcs, me hate me , take that
Calhoun Slim
June 13th, 2010
6:14 pm
Good for Nance. He used (and paid) Rogers to get his son a major D-1 ride. It’ll be funny in a few years when Rogers, his career and NFL dreams are shot looks to Nance for a kush job or a handout to find that ‘we just don’t have any thing right now Da rick…
Dawg in Griffin
June 13th, 2010
6:20 pm
UT hasn’t had any trouble beating the Dawgs without these guys. I’ll begin being bothered about these two when they have a hand in beating UGA. Right now the Dawgs need to concentrate on the ones on the field who keep handing them our butts.
Dawg in Griffin
June 13th, 2010
6:22 pm
That’s “their” butts…
hahaha
June 13th, 2010
7:05 pm
Go Dawgs!
fallguy
June 13th, 2010
8:22 pm
I wonder what Tenn gave him to switch? I have heard rumors of pay and such but we will see. It will come out soon.
Whoop
June 13th, 2010
11:39 pm
Pretty strong comments from a dude riding the coat tails of his friend. The only thing Mr. Nance will ever take from center at UT is the center’s jock to the laundry room. He’ll fit right in at Tennessee though, no talent with a big mouth. Good luck Mr. Nance with your little buddy De’rick. Gotta say though that you’ll have a great place to watch the games…from the sidelines.
jsteve
June 17th, 2010
8:23 pm
Their both smart, lol and if it came down to it, I would of went to Richmond in a heartbeat over Georgia. Georgia’s staff, program, and school is a disgrace to the SEC.Richt’s bitch ass is the only coach known to ever get mad at his own players for celebrating a victory with a Gatorade shower. Pfft! Cool, “No guys we won like wtf? We don’t do that at GA!!!” We can’t make up kids minds for them and control what they do but by god this time some made the right choice.