Jarmal Reid, brother of UGA standout, picks Oregon State over waiting on Bulldogs

Jarmal Reid, the brother of former UGA standout Jeremy Price, committed to Oregon State during his official visit.

The 6-foot-6, 221-pound small forward from Columbia High School picked Oregon State over UNC-Charlotte and UT-Chattanooga. Reid said he also had the opportunity to follow in his brother’s footsteps to UGA if some other basketball recruits picked other schools.

“Oregon State just recruited me harder than anybody else at this point,” Reid told the AJC.  “By going there, I’m also getting away from playing in the shadows of my brother and starting my own path. But I’ll always be a Georgia guy in my heart.”

Why didn’t Reid follow his brother to UGA? Reid said it was to the best of his understanding that he was a “back-up plan” if UGA failed to land one of state’s “Big 3” — three power forwards that all are ranked among the top 25 overall college prospects in the nation: Southwest DeKalb’s Shaq Goodwin, Shiloh’s Robert Carter and Miller Grove’s Tony Parker. None are committed.

“Georgia didn’t exactly come out and say I was a back-up plan, but it wasn’t hard to figure out,” Reid told the AJC. “After they got commitments from [guards Charles Mann of Milton and Kenny Gaines of Whitefield Academy], they said one of the ‘Big 3’ was going to be their next target.

“I was thinking to myself ‘What about me?’ So it came down to I had to make a decision that was best for me. I didn’t want to be somebody’s back-up plan. I love Georgia and everything. But if one of two of the other guys sign with Georgia, then I would be left out in the open. By that time, my spot at Oregon State might be filled. I had to move forward, and Oregon State is a great school, too.”

“I’m happy the way it all worked out in the end. Hopefully Georgia will be able to understand the reasons behind my decision just like I was able to understand their decision to go after one of those other guys.”

What if UGA misses on all of the “Big 3” and comes back with a committable offer? “I’m committed to Oregon State now and that’s how I plan to leave it,” Reid said. “It all worked out for the best.”

Reid helped lead Columbia High School to back-to-back state championships in basketball. He averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds last year as a junior.

In case you missed it over the holiday weekend …

• Younger brother of ex-UGA standout commits to Oregon State over waiting on Bulldogs (click on story link)
• Remember June Jones, former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons? Jones is at SMU and landed one of Georgia’s top 2013 QBs, Lassiter’s Eddie Printz (click on story link)
• Who was vocal in his support of Mark Richt after the Boise State loss? None other than the nation’s No. 1 RB (click on story link)

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– By Michael Carvell, AJC Recruiting Blog

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