Freshman leaves UGA football team (UPDATED WITH RICHT REACTION)
Six months after signing with Georgia’s football program, and without participating in a single practice, freshman outside linebacker Dexter Morant left the team.
“Football’s just not for everybody,” coach Mark Richt said at his post-practice media briefing Wednesday. “I think he felt like he lost the desire to play. We tried to convince him that it would be in his best interest to stay and fight through it. . . . In the end, he felt like it wasn’t for him, at least not right now.”
Morant, a 6-foot-7, 240-pounder from Manning, S.C., signed with Georgia in February. He played defensive end in high school but was projected as an outside linebacker in new UGA defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s 3-4 alignment.
Coming out of high school, Morant was rated the nation’s No. 15 defensive-end prospect by Rivals.com, No. 44 by Scout.com and No. 73 by ESPN.com.
Morant, who had been in Athens since June, informed Richt of his decision to leave before Tuesday’s practice.
“He told me a couple of times,” Richt said. “We were working hard to try to keep him. He was leaving; then he was staying. He was leaving; then he was staying. He finally decided he wasn’t going to stay.
“He came to me with his keys in his hand and said he wanted to go. I sat with him and tried to get him to stay. He didn’t want to do it.”
Richt isn’t sure of Morant’s plans.
“As I spoke to him, it didn’t seem like he was that interested in playing football. Period,” Richt said. “He said, ‘Coach, if I really wanted to play football, Georgia is where I want to be. It’s just that I don’t know what I want to do right now.’ It was more of a feeling like he lost the desire to play the game.”
(AJC correspondent Andy Johnston contributed to this blog from Athens.)
Other UGA coverage:
Contracts reveal UGA basketball non-conference opponents, dates, payouts.
Kansas junior college welcomes former UGA QB Mettenberger.
Coaches challenge UGA offensive line to be ‘dominant’
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374 comments Add your comment
heyberto
August 4th, 2010
3:33 pm
He read one post from Bradley, thought the program was doomed and bolted.
AltamahaDawg
August 4th, 2010
3:33 pm
personally, I hope they pass out red panties to the opposing fans before every game. The miniscule degree that it would bothers any UGA fan at this point…… well…..would take a tech fan sitting in the stands with his laptop to calculate.
Bruce Mac
August 4th, 2010
3:33 pm
Recruting, he is just one of the many trolls that spend their entire day making crap up so they can feel better about their pitiful life. Don’t encourage his ignorant ramblings and he will go away.
DawginLex
August 4th, 2010
3:34 pm
moire,
You are dumber than a rock to post that obnoxious, holier than thou garbage.
Put all the UGA fans into one category like some ignorant moron.
Congratulations, you have wasted your GT degree because it obviously didn’t teach you anything.
ugag is irrelevant
August 4th, 2010
3:34 pm
we observe a lot of negative language in the above and hope you all will somehow improve yourselves
Browncoat
August 4th, 2010
3:35 pm
Hey GeoffDawg, doesn’t the Georgia fight song use the Phrase “to heck with Georgia Tech.” Just saying.
Reality
August 4th, 2010
3:35 pm
@destin dawg -
Huh? Have you even been there? You have no idea to which you speak. Go back to your red neck motel in Destin. Enough said.
TampaGator
August 4th, 2010
3:35 pm
The 3-4 defensive scheme (with requires a certain set of skills and bulk both on the line and at LB…and limits DL opportunities to play) may cost Georgia some good DL recruits in the future…with this kid probably being the first to realize he does not fit the scheme well. He probably transfers to Clemson. But he also might just be a “quitter” as someone else posted.
DawginLex
August 4th, 2010
3:36 pm
The police,
You must not read about any school other than UGA.
Maybe you can’t read so you get your mom to read the AJC to you at night.
moron.
Mark (another one)
August 4th, 2010
3:37 pm
We may never know the real reason for Mr. Morant’s actions but this is a teenage kid who is trying to make his way in this world. I wish him well, whatever he chooses.
Sometimes the issue is being surrounded by strangers and strange surroundings, and sometimes it is something else. The fact is that the first semester of college is hard on a lot of people, and each person is different. Whatever it is, sometimes people just need to keep pushing through and others need a change of direction.
ryan
August 4th, 2010
3:37 pm
Todd Gratham is looking for athletes that will work hard for there spot and have passion Willie Martinez never did UGA does not want quitters.
Floppy Balls
August 4th, 2010
3:37 pm
okay…now they’re starting to say that back in June he was homesick, he missed his girl, and had “lost some passion” for the game. That’s coming from my friend there…..(dont hate the balls)
heyberto
August 4th, 2010
3:37 pm
Altamaha, you are correct. The University threw the guy out, and we should be proud we didn’t put up with bad behavior. It’s not like he fired off an AK-47 in a parking lot, and we took him back a year later.
AltamahaDawg
August 4th, 2010
3:38 pm
Got to love getting preached to about “a lot of times on your hands”, by a tech fan who cuts and paste the same long tirade on the Georgia blogs, under new names at least once a day, sometimes several times on different blogs.
DawginLex
August 4th, 2010
3:38 pm
Could it be that it is a hundred and forty freaking degrees in the shade and he is getting screamed at by the coaches and just said “to heck with it” ???
ryan
August 4th, 2010
3:39 pm
TampaGator Alabama runs the 3-4 defence under Kirby Smart and they one national title.
UGA is a joke
August 4th, 2010
3:39 pm
“We signed the #15 DE in the country”
later…
“We didn’t want him anyway…good riddance”
“Kirby is coming…mark it down, take it to the bank”
later…
“Kirby is a traitor. Not welcome back in Athens EVER”
You UGA fans talk so much BS out of both sides of your mouth it must get awfully confusing. Wait til St. Mark leaves and Kirby becomes your head coach. I can’t wait for the backtracking on that one!
Reality
August 4th, 2010
3:39 pm
@GeoffDawg -
Give me a break. Your own fight song, “Glory,” ends with, “and to h@ll with GA Tech.” Does this mean that every uga person feels like a little brother to Tech?
Tech students, decades ago, re-worded “Glory” and it ends with, “the cesspool of the South.”
I was simply explaining where that phrase came from since some of you uga people obviously never heard of it.
Grow up, if possible.
Barnacle Bill Bavasi
August 4th, 2010
3:40 pm
Seems like in the olden times there was a mountain of a lineman named Dwayne Puckett, who couldn’t handle the bright lights of Athens and retreated back to the friendly, safe confines of Deepstep. Maybe this is like that.
TampaGator
August 4th, 2010
3:40 pm
Dorsey Hill….having a bad hair day???
…and Georgia is running a easy camp so far. This kid probably just realized he didn’t fit the scheme well, missed his SC home (and his momma’s cooking), realized he really wanted to go to an academic school less challenging (like Clemson) and took off for new ground.
….he also might realize he made a mistake and come back. Kids sometimes do that.
Yard Dog
August 4th, 2010
3:41 pm
Dexter is a LOSER – no room for losers on the Bulldogs. Yo Red Panties, you sound like one of those typical gatech dot-heads. You know what I am talking about – you guys populate half of your freakin campus!
GeoffDawg
August 4th, 2010
3:41 pm
Browncoat – I could be wrong but I believe that it’s typically yelled by the student body during the tech game but is not officially part of the fight song like it is at tech. Personally, when I was a student, we would adlib it to match whichever rival we were playing at the time. I would agree that the “to hell with Georgia Tech” is the best known version.
Dap01
August 4th, 2010
3:41 pm
Red Panties: Do you have anything to contribute or do you simply make up stuff on the blog of a rival school?
AltamahaDawg
August 4th, 2010
3:42 pm
I didn’t say anything about throwing him out, or bad behavior.
TampaGator
August 4th, 2010
3:43 pm
….but you got to admit that the summer of 2010 has not been a very good one for the University of Georgia so far. But kids quit football teams all the time….it just creates an opportunity for a better player to step into the limelight. I am sure Richt wished the kid luck and went back to coaching up the kids who want to be there immediately.
Dorsey Hill
August 4th, 2010
3:43 pm
Moire,
We know that Tech fans don’t care about football. Why the hell would they. I don’t think that Vandy fans care much about football either. It kinda of goes along with not being very good at it. Its the same reason Americans don’t care about soccer. Why should we we’re terrible? So thanks Mr. master of the obvious.
As far as academics and success goes I’d be willing the bet that there are a few doctors and lawyers out there with UGA degrees that are doing pretty damn well for themselves and certainly better than most Tech grads. Tech grads work for companies. We own those companies.
tom
August 4th, 2010
3:43 pm
It aint for everybody. Must not be for him.
Know Football
August 4th, 2010
3:43 pm
Don’t know the kid, but maybe he wasn’t a good fit for being a 3-4 end. It’s unfair to automatically label the kid a “quitter,” when you don’t have all the facts yet.
The position requires a unique skill set: You have to be big enough to take on guards and fullbacks trying to set the edge in the run; but you also have to be nimble and athletic enough to not only rush the passer but drop into coverage at times. That’s why I think the Ogletree kid will eventually be moved there and be a perfect fit.
The kid may have come to the conclusion that he’s better fit for a conventional 4-3 end — big, tall, rangy, quick first step, good with his hands.
I wish him the best, wherever he lands.
Reality
August 4th, 2010
3:44 pm
@GeoffDawg -
Interesting. Coming from an entire family of UGA graduates and fans, “Glory” has always ended with, “and to h@ll with GA Tech.” If that is not the ‘offical’ ending, what is?
I can understand that the student body might ad-lib the school to match the days opponent, but what is the offical ending?
DawginLex
August 4th, 2010
3:45 pm
The official ending is to spell the word Georgia.
G E O R G I A
Jesse James
August 4th, 2010
3:45 pm
Can’t help but wonder if it was just too tough for him, or if he just lost his love for the game or he came from a high school program where he was treated special. You see that happen alot of times when a kid has it easy in high school.
Vince Lombardi
August 4th, 2010
3:45 pm
per the AJC, UGA is a Cesspool:
http://www.ajc.com/news/broken-sewage-line-sends-96745.html
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
August 4th, 2010
3:46 pm
reality- your never been kissed friend from gt actually did ok with your midtown friends.
moire- we state 30-24 bc/ it’s the most recent score from the series. however, your gt fans still post a score from 2 years ago. makes sense??
Reality
August 4th, 2010
3:46 pm
@DawginLex -
Let’s not confuse things. Yes, the spelling of Georgia is the ending, but what is the offical last line of the song? If it is not “and to h@ll with GA Tech,” what is it?
TampaGator
August 4th, 2010
3:47 pm
ryan…
I didn’t say the 3-4 is not a good defense…obviously…..Bama proved that it is. But look at Bama players on defense. They all fit a certain mold which a lot of excellent recruits do not fit. That was my point. Georgia might have great success with the 3-4 as its regular defense. But they will lose out on some really good recruits who do not fit the scheme. Florida, on the other hand, runs a multi-defenses that include the 3-4 and the 3-3-5 and the standard 4-3…which prsents a large realm of opportunities for a large realm of recruits. That’s all.
JB
August 4th, 2010
3:47 pm
Silver lining……Grantham is taking it to another level……no more shoulder bumping tackling and no more softness………..Willie would have had him over for dinner and a Disney movie, Grantham got on that a$$…………..
The police
August 4th, 2010
3:47 pm
DawginLex,
How many Alabama, LSU, or AU players have been arrested in the past year?
DawginLex
August 4th, 2010
3:47 pm
glory glory to ol’ Georgia
G E O R G I A
that’s all i’ve ever known.
kevin
August 4th, 2010
3:48 pm
Moire,
Your whole post is GT snobbery and while it held weight in the past, it does not any longer. UGA’s admission statistics are on par with GT’s and Princeton Review named UGA one of the top 10 value public schools in the country (oh yeah, and GT is not on the list). Look, no one will argue that GT is not a good school, but the days of UGA being academically inferior are over.
The “Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges for 2010″ are:
1. University of Virginia (Charlottesville VA)
2. City University of New York – Hunter College (New York NY)
3. New College of Florida (Sarasota FL)
4. Florida State University (Tallahassee FL)
5. University of Colorado (Boulder, CO.)
6. State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton NY)
7. Univ. of Georgia (Athens GA)
8. Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA)
9. Texas A & M University (College Station, TX)
10.University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK)
GeoffDawg
August 4th, 2010
3:48 pm
Not officially approved by the school Reality and like I said to Browncoat, often changed by the student body depending on the game opponent.
UGA:
Glory”
(Played after a score)
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
G-E-O-R-G-I-A.
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
G-E-O-R-G-I-A.
“Hail Georgia”
(Played after the PAT)
Hail to Georgia down in Dixie!
Our college honored fair and true,
The Red and Black is her standard,
Proudly it waves!
Streaming today and the ages through,
She’s the fairest of the Southland,
We’ll pledge our love to her for aye,
To that college dear we’ll ring a cheer,
All hail to dear old UGA!
GT:
“Ramblin’ Wreck”
(Played after the PAT)
I’m a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer,
A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, hell of an engineer,
Like all the jolly good fellows, I drink my whiskey clear,
I’m a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer.
Oh, if I had a daughter, sir, I’d dress her in White and Gold,
And put her on the campus, to cheer the brave and bold.
But if I had a son, sir, I’ll tell you what he’d do.
He would yell, “To Hell with Georgia,” like his daddy used to do.
Oh, I wish I had a barrel of rum and sugar three thousand pounds,
A college bell to put it in and a clapper to stir it around.
I’d drink to all good fellows who come from far and near.
I’m a ramblin’, gamblin’, hell of an engineer.
Reality
August 4th, 2010
3:48 pm
I find it totally amazing that the uga fans here, that claim to be so faithful to Athens, don’t even know the offical last line of the “Glory” fight song.
Sad, very sad.
heyberto
August 4th, 2010
3:49 pm
Floppy, thanks for intelligent commentary. You may go take your meds now.
scott
August 4th, 2010
3:50 pm
Hey Reality, I have never heard Tech fans at any game, Athens or Atl.
Its hard to hear the tech fans/students over all the noise made by UGA fans, even when we play you guys in Atl. Facts hurt.
Floppy Balls
August 4th, 2010
3:50 pm
UGA is headed down the same road as Tenn. If they dont get a tough coach….Like the guy at Church but not as a coach…
Reality
August 4th, 2010
3:50 pm
@GeoffDawg -
Thanks for looking that up for us. However, I have only heard the spelling of Georgia done at the very end of the song. I have heard “and to h@ll with GA Tech” done at the end of each refrain.
Also, I have never ever heard of the words you have for the last part of UGA song. Is it ever sung by the student body?
DawginLex
August 4th, 2010
3:51 pm
reality,
geoffdawg just gave you the song.
what did i miss?
ryan
August 4th, 2010
3:51 pm
The UGA coaches this year are more aggressive they want be more explosive on defence maybe Morant could not handle it UGA does not need those type players cant take the heat get of the kitchen.
AltamahaDawg
August 4th, 2010
3:52 pm
“and to hell with au-au-burn” was always rythmically challanging.
Nothing like “to hell with Louisiana Lafeyette” though.
Lets be honest
August 4th, 2010
3:53 pm
@ Obvious –
Clearly your intelligence/education is lower than that of a UGA grad. In ALL of your post you quote someone else. Can’t come up with your on?? You must be a Techie… Before you respond, tell me why on are on a UGA blog???
In regards to the article. Glad to see he’s gone. We don’t need quiters on our team poisoning other teammates minds.
DawginLex
August 4th, 2010
3:54 pm
i really had trouble in 2006 at the dome
“and to hell with virginia polytechnic institute”