Shocker! Longtime UGA WR recruit CJ Curry switches to Oklahoma State (UPDATED)
Longtime UGA WR recruit CJ Curry flipped from the Bulldogs to Oklahoma State (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)
CJ Curry, who was UGA’s first commitment for its 2012 football recruiting class, switched from the Bulldogs to Oklahoma State on Thursday.
It was a stunning turn of events for the wide receiver from Flowery Branch High School, who informed UGA coach Mark Richt on Wednesday night. Curry had been committed to the Bulldogs since last October.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Curry made an unofficial visit to Oklahoma State in June, and was so impressed that he wanted to commit soon after. However, his family advised him to take more time to think about it. Curry waited around six weeks, and told UGA last night.
“Going into the summer, CJ told me ‘Dad, I want to see one more place’ and it was Oklahoma State,” explained Curry’s father, Felix. “So we rolled up there. After we started on our way back, I asked him what he thought about it. He said ‘Dad, I loved it.’ Now he knows I’m a huge Mark Richt and Georgia fan. I told him ‘CJ, when it comes to choosing where you go to college, you’ve got to be a little selfish. You can’t go where your mom or I want you to go. It has to be what’s best for you.’ He said ‘Dad, in my gut, Oklahoma State is where I want to be.’ He just really liked the coaches and felt comfortable. They were really detailed about where they stand with him as a football player, as far as playing time as a freshman. It was one of those deals where they have a beautiful facility, and he fell in love with the whole atmosphere.
“I knew he was probably going to de-commit from Georgia, I just didn’t know when. I assured him ‘Son, I don’t care where you go because we’re going to support you. I’m not going to be upset, because you’re getting a free college education.’ After he knew his mother and I were sincere about our support, he felt comfortable with moving forward with [switching]. Our whole household grew up Georgia fans. But CJ knows wherever he goes, it’s him that has to do the four years. And he felt more comfortable with Oklahoma State than he did with anybody else.”
Loading ...Every few weeks over the summer, CJ’s father would ask “What’s your gut feeling?” Each time, CJ said “Oklahoma State.” Finally, his father told him it was time to do something about it. “I told him ‘What you don’t want to do is miss out on some place you really, really want to be at. Then you’ll have a bunch of regrets. If you feel that strongly about Oklahoma State, then I will respect you for acting on that, even if I’m a Georgia fan. Because at the end of the day, you’re my son and I will support you wherever you go.’”
The elder Curry made his son call Richt with the news. “He said Coach Richt was real cordial about it. [Richt] told him he had to respect the decision, and that he wished him the best.”
Nothing is official until the paperwork is signed around six months away in February. Will Curry still consider UGA between now and then if the Bulldogs continue to recruit him? “I don’t know if Georgia will stop recruiting him or not; I don’t know how that works,” his father said. “I think he’s pretty solid with Oklahoma State. But when you’re dealing with teenage boys, you never know. I will say this: He hasn’t wavered about Oklahoma State since we visited there in June. My thing is I didn’t want him to make a hasty decision. That’s why he thought about it over the summer. And every time I asked him ‘Georgia or Oklahoma State?’ he said Oklahoma State every time.”
Curry’s younger brother, Flowery Branch DB Darius Curry, is one of Georgia’s top college football prospects for 2013. He has an early offer from Oklahoma State, along with Tennessee and N.C. State. The elder Curry said that helped Oklahoma State’s efforts with CJ, but was not a deciding factor.
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274 comments Add your comment
Recruiting Expert
August 11th, 2011
9:48 am
no big loss
New Recruit: C.J. Curry | Pistols Firing
August 11th, 2011
9:49 am
[...] to this great piece by Michael Carvell after visiting Stillwater and seeing OSU’s facilities Curry told his dad, [...]
Bob Loblaw
August 11th, 2011
9:50 am
This is garbage. Who wants to bet he “commits” somewhere else?
Chris
August 11th, 2011
9:52 am
Smh…. kids today don’t understand what commitment means.
tide roll
August 11th, 2011
9:54 am
Maybe it will open up a spot for another offensive lineman/lacrosse player from the Boys Latin School in Maryland.
Uga91
August 11th, 2011
9:55 am
Some of you guys need to get a life. I respect the fact that he did this early enough for UGA to target someone else rather than wait until signing day to flip. I wish him well and I hope his offer goes to a position of need. Go Dawgs!!!
rduck
August 11th, 2011
9:57 am
probably not a big loss for the Dawgs. there are better receivers to be had.
Doughnut Todd Grantham
August 11th, 2011
9:58 am
He probably decided on OSU because, even though the big 12 stinks and wears dresses and plays no D. OSU KICKED UGAs BUTT 2 YEARS AGO! LMAO. Ignorance is bliss.
Dawgs97
August 11th, 2011
9:59 am
He must have loved the video they showed of “I’m a MAN and I’m 40!”
Viking87
August 11th, 2011
9:59 am
Surprised by this but wish him good luck at OSU or where ever he ends up. Kind of makes sense though. UGA has a lot of young WRs. Maybe he figures he will play earlier at OSU.
ATL Sports Fan
August 11th, 2011
10:01 am
It honestly was not a big suprise. CJ wants to play receiver. UGA originally wanted him to play reciever but the coaches had started to look at him as a defensive back or at linebacker. This kid in my opinion would be better suited on the defensive side of the ball and the UGA coaches see that as well.
JRW7
August 11th, 2011
10:01 am
OSU????????
MS Bully
August 11th, 2011
10:01 am
He must have gotten a good look at the OSU cheerleaders (WOW)!! The OSU cheerleaders is the only thing about OSU that might be able to compete in the SEC.
Football Insider
August 11th, 2011
10:01 am
LOL @ UGA fans.
Ray Drew could have switched last year and cocky UGA fans would have said no big loss, there are better ones.
What a bunch of dumb dawgs.
Georgia Bayou Bengal
August 11th, 2011
10:02 am
Not much defense in the Big 12, so I guess that had to figure in.
RomeDawg
August 11th, 2011
10:04 am
Hate to lose this kid! Good luck at OSU.
Thoroughbred
August 11th, 2011
10:05 am
@Dawgs97… HAHAAAAAAAAAH That clip still cracks me up.
cantondawg
August 11th, 2011
10:05 am
I wish the kid the best of luck. However, i think we need less wr and more OL recruits. UGA will be stacked next year at WR…Tavarres King Marlon Brown 6′5 and Lonnie Outlaw 6′7. Talk about some size mismatches next year.
Rickie Fowler
August 11th, 2011
10:06 am
Hey C.J.:
Come over to my house, and we’ll try on some all orange outfits together. It will be fabulous!! I have a Puma tennis skirt that will look divine on you.
Cowboy up!
xoxoxo,
Rickie
Old Boy
August 11th, 2011
10:06 am
Quit with the sour grapes. We wanted him, he decided he wanted to go elsewhere, we will find another athelete to fill the scholly. Good luck to him; let’s move on.
so much for the
August 11th, 2011
10:06 am
dream team 2. lmao. too funny.
guess the dawgs really didnt want him. ;o)
rumor has it that the kid was ticked cause he didnt get a hug from coach richt and he was never invited to one of richts’ special ‘tickle’ parties ala michael jackson.
Okie from Muscogee
August 11th, 2011
10:07 am
Why anyone would want to spend 4 years in Stillwater, OK (or 4 days for that matter) is beyond me. Pesonally, I’ll take Athens 100 times out of 100. Can’t imagine wanting to be 1000 miles away from home in a dump in the middle of nowhere when I could be playing betweent the hedges and close to home. Nontheless, good luck to this kid. We can agree to disagree, and life goes on. GATA!
bucket
August 11th, 2011
10:10 am
ATL Sports Fan hit the nail on the head. Best wishes to Mr. Curry and I hope he has a great career @ OSU!
Jacket Man
August 11th, 2011
10:13 am
He needs to be given the facts about the weather in the plains states; tornado alley and paralyzingly snow as compared to our basic temperate climate in Georgia. It’s one thing to be raised in this type of environment; something totally different to choose to move to. Football is played in the Fall – he needs to remember he’ll be going to class in December, February, and March as well.
I wish the young man well but think he’s made a big mistake; he should have stuck with his initial choice; UGA..I’m sure he would be much happier.
Dollar Bill
August 11th, 2011
10:15 am
Not a UGA fan but y’all can do better with that scholly. The kid can play but in my opinion the State is full of this caliber type player.
ColoradoDawg
August 11th, 2011
10:15 am
Can’t blame him. Too many pups in the kennel and gonna be hard to get on the field unless you’re an AJ or Justin Blackmon caliber receiver.
freedyg
August 11th, 2011
10:18 am
Really wanted him @ uga, but probably saw more playing time @ st. Don’t forget lately st has been churning out wr, Dez & now this Blackmon kid. Also his younger brother has an oklahoma st offer.
Big Ten Champs Nebraska....Dawg
August 11th, 2011
10:21 am
You UGA fans are a riot. Had he not changed his mind, you would be bragging what a great recruit he was. Now that he has changed his mins, you act as if it is no big loss.
Typical.
bucket
August 11th, 2011
10:21 am
BTW, this was not a shocker as the headline suggests.
The rest of us
August 11th, 2011
10:23 am
Guess Richt being a man in his fifty can’t compete with a man who’s FORTY anymore. Oh well, can’t wait to see where he commits to next.
rpidge
August 11th, 2011
10:23 am
Hopefully one day the NCAA will impose a penalty on recruits who commit and then de-commit. It seems ok for the recruit to play the commit game but in reality it really hurts the college program that is trying to line up the offers they plan on making. The freshman student is supposedly entering into a world where he will have to make binding decisions for his present and future life. If you make the high school senior athlete accountable for the decision he makes on selecting a school then you have gone a long way to helping him mature. He or she should think long and hard on the commitment before it is made and after the decision is made any change should bring on a hard consequence. It may sound tough but it needs to be done to help the universities as they go about planning their respective programs.
steross
August 11th, 2011
10:25 am
The problem is not kids going against their commitment. The problem is the NCAA’s butchering of the English language in the process. Kids should verbally give their “intent.” If they change their mind, that is OK as it was just an intent. When they sign, it should be a letter of commitment. That is the point they are committed and not just showing intention. Proper use of the language would prevent all the whiny fans from prematurely complaining about lack of commitment from high school kids.
W Georgia dawg
August 11th, 2011
10:25 am
rpidge
August 11th, 2011
10:23 am
Hopefully one day the NCAA will impose a penalty on recruits who commit and then de-commit. It seems ok for the recruit to play the commit game but in reality it really hurts the college program that is trying to line up the offers they plan on making. The freshman student is supposedly entering into a world where he will have to make binding decisions for his present and future life. If you make the high school senior athlete accountable for the decision he makes on selecting a school then you have gone a long way to helping him mature. He or she should think long and hard on the commitment before it is made and after the decision is made any change should bring on a hard consequence. It may sound tough but it needs to be done to help the universities as they go about planning their respective programs.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Dumbest statement on Earth.
So what recourse will the student athlete have if a coach leaves, is fired or retires?
Full release from scholarship?
Maxine Waters
August 11th, 2011
10:27 am
Can’t blame him. Better football and academics.
RxDawg
August 11th, 2011
10:29 am
Awe man… tough break. I hope UGA wasn’t too blind sided by this and had some other WR prospects.
Fball fan
August 11th, 2011
10:29 am
Time to offer tibbs or hegedus
icallbs
August 11th, 2011
10:29 am
He’s a kid. Show some class and let it go. He’s young; what’s your excuse? Good luck to him, end of story.
Alabama Jack
August 11th, 2011
10:32 am
Jawga – never failed to recruit a kid they wanted – never lost a recruit that was any good. The ones they keep they coach down to mediocrity and then brag about their next pre-season national championship.
GT Fan
August 11th, 2011
10:32 am
Did he commit to UGA b/c of his Dad & family?? I mean, how many times in the article did his father say the he [dad] and the rest of the family were lifelong Dawg fans.
I did; however, like the father’s quote where he told his son to be a little selfish, and not go where his mom, dad, and family wanted him to go.
RRTDawgs
August 11th, 2011
10:33 am
WR. Joel Caleb high on the Dawgs will visit Athens next week .
bulldogmaniac
August 11th, 2011
10:33 am
Good. Makes more room for lineman!
Truedawg
August 11th, 2011
10:33 am
Chris – Agree 100%……I feel if you commit to a school (Our first of the year at that) then you should stick to it…..OR take your visits and make a decision instead of making your decision and then taking visits…..SMH…
UGA man here with correct opinion
August 11th, 2011
10:35 am
Mr. Curry, good luck to you and work hard and you will do well. Ok State is a fine university and have fun, get a good education.
UGA mna, class of 71 & 73
BigTimeTechFan
August 11th, 2011
10:37 am
Best of luck to him, Ok St has been producing some big time receivers. They will be real good this year, my pick to win national title.
The reason he has played for so many schools is his dad is an asst coach, and his dad has taken new jobs at different schools, not the kids fault.
SouthSide Dawg
August 11th, 2011
10:37 am
Hope Okie State is on TV a lot so your friends and family can see you play. Stillwater is not an easy place to get to.
dap01
August 11th, 2011
10:38 am
Why?
Walker, Texas Ranger
August 11th, 2011
10:39 am
The film they showed him was the last time Ok State played UGA. That would be enough to convince most. Told you guys 6 weeks ago that if UGA didn’t start showing his brother some love then this would happen. Count on him going to OK State as well. As for it being NO BIG LOSS, check out his numbers at the end of the year in a spread offense compared to the run offense he was in before. He will gain a star by year end.
RRTDawgs
August 11th, 2011
10:39 am
I remember a lot of you haters said Curry was slow could not run routs now that he switches you say how great he his talk about hypocrites.
Live & L L
August 11th, 2011
10:40 am
Chris, Bob Loblaw, You realize your comments make you appear to be petty, obsessed fans who have no perspective on life. They’re teenagers!!! Flown around in jets and paraded around towns! You don’t understand why they might change they’re mind?? Ever bought a car or a house on a verbal commitment? That’s right: they’re worthless! Grow up and give these kids a break.
intheknow
August 11th, 2011
10:40 am
If your not 100% sure you want to be a Bulldawg…please go somewhere else….we want athletes that are fully committed…good luck at OK ST…as soon as you enroll there you’ll be totally forgotten in the state of Georgia…hope your parents like being on the road for the next four years to watch you play…its gets awfully expensive.