Academic issues sideline Caleb King, 2 others from Liberty Bowl

Tailback Caleb King and two other Georgia football players won’t play in the Liberty Bowl because of academic issues, UGA said Sunday.

The other players are backup cornerback Derek Owens and reserve offensive lineman A.J. Harmon.

According to UGA, King won’t be allowed to play in the game because he violated the athletics department’s attendance policy by missing five academic-related appointments, while Owens and Harmon are ineligible for the game under NCAA academic rules. Those rules require players to earn at least six credit hours in the semester preceding a bowl.

Georgia plays Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

The game will be the fifth this season missed by King, who is the Bulldogs’ second leading rusher with 430 yards on 80 carries. He was held out of two games because of a high ankle sprain and was suspended for two others because of an arrest for failing to appear in court to address a speeding ticket.

King, a junior, started four games this season at tailback. Washaun Ealey, who started seven games at the position, is expected to get the start in the Liberty Bowl, with Carlton Thomas also likely to see action.

Harmon, a redshirt sophomore, played in four games this season, while Owens, a freshman, appeared in all 12 regular-season games.  Neither Harmon nor Owens started a game.

King, Harmon and Owens will be eligible to participate in spring practice.

The Georgia team reported Sunday to Memphis. Some players were delayed by weather-related travel problems. The team’s first practice in Memphis is scheduled for Monday morning.

366 comments Add your comment

Auburn Players go to class and UGA has no class

December 27th, 2010
11:13 pm

David ,

You Whining CRYBABY UGA fan, anything written negative about your pitiful doggies and you want to cry, UGA has classless fans.

carverheights

December 28th, 2010
12:17 am

The upside is that Carlton King (have you ever heard of him getting into trouble?) will get about 10 totes this game.

We should be ok.

I guess what I am most concerned about is…….if I’m a Freshman and I’m seeing upperclassmen screw up and consistently allowed back into the fold, I’m thinkin’ I can make like 2 major mistakes before I need to worry………..

crossdawg

December 28th, 2010
7:43 am

Another one of CMR’s thugs who can’t remember to meet his obligations. A dawg should be able to do something beside run the 40 (like think) in order to be recruited.

skidawg

December 28th, 2010
7:53 am

cantondawg……King is an ADULT even if he is still in college. He missed “5″ APPOINTMENTS the same as he missed COURT. You make appointments per schedule. Even if you miss an appointment you reschedule them responsibly. Same mistake. Same error in judgement.

Bulldawg '72

December 28th, 2010
9:00 am

As the comedian Ron White syas, “You can’t fix stupid.”

carverheights

December 28th, 2010
1:43 pm

“Auburn Players go to class and UGA has no class

December 27th, 2010
11:11 pm
Our players go to class at Auburn and earn degrees, at UGA they have no class and earn DUI’s.”

That is not an accurate statement. You need to check the APR.

Wait, BRB……

carverheights

December 28th, 2010
2:01 pm

Gotta love wiki……

Here are the academic progress rates for 2009-2010

#1 Vanderbilt 89%
#2UGA 68%
#3 Fla 67%
#4 Ala 67%
#5 LSU 67%
#6 MSU 64%
#7 AU 63%

That’s quite a wide margin right there….but wait, there’s more!

The US News and World Report rated UF, UGA, and Bama ahead of AU amongst the 10 peer public universities, for 2011.

But wait, there’s more…..

Y’all passed integration in 1963, but didn’t have your 1st African American student ’till 1964.

We had 2 African American students in 1961 and have an academic center in their honor, on campus.

I think y’all just cruise around Phenix City and swoop up any kid eatin’ a bowl o’ brunswick stew and ask him to run a 40.

Academically…….we’ll, (wink, wink) y’all take care of that.

There are a lot of good Alumni from AU, but to say y’all have football players that perform better academically is a flat out lie. Y’all get kids into that school that no one else can enroll. And no, I’m not talking about Cam….

bigbalddawg

December 28th, 2010
3:23 pm

just another reason to get rid of Richt. He has no control over his players on or off the field. He can’t win big games, he recurits convicts and is more concerned about making Ford commercials. Time for change

doug

December 28th, 2010
5:43 pm

Just kickem out. We cant play football anymore,cant keep kids out of jail. Its a circus and Richt does not have what it takes to keep this program afloat. UGA football is dead and everyone thinks its a just a temporary down turn. Its not. Our talent pool is drained and our coaching is the worst its been since the Goff era. Its only going to get worse. Richt has to go.

georgiagirl

December 28th, 2010
10:39 pm

I’m really tired of all these people talking crap about Caleb King, and Georgia football in general for that matter. Please everyone keep in mind that these are KIDS and like all of you did when you were in college, they make mistakes too! I know we all did stupid stuff in college, skipped one too many classes and focused on the wrong things, so give the kid a break!!!!

[...] • Sitting Dawgs (and Jackets). Academics have sidelined three Georgia players – running back Caleb King, backup cornerback Derek Owens and offensive lineman A.J. Harmon – for Friday’s Liberty Bowl match with Central Florida. It will be the fifth game this season King has missed, on the heels of an ankle injury and a two-game suspension for failing to appear in court on a speeding ticket. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] [...]

GTOldSchool21

December 29th, 2010
6:28 pm

Great comments here…but King has been a bust. Everyone thought he was the next H. Walker. Not even close. If there is ever another H.Walker, I want to see. Even as a Yellow Jacket…we would all want to see it. But King ain’t it. He should be suspended more than a sorry bowl game….

Dawg Draper

December 30th, 2010
3:37 am

king suspended against ucf? No big deal–dawgs win in an easy blowout—bet the house.

snellvillemike

December 30th, 2010
12:02 pm

Rodney Garner did not do a thorough job of character investigation with Caleb King. Look, he transfers from Parkview to GAC because he could not pass the Gateway in order to graduate from Parkview. He can graduate from GAC without the Gateway. Anyone worthy of going to a college can pass the Gateway. Should not have been recruited.

snellvillemike

December 30th, 2010
12:06 pm

Hey, geogiagirl. We all did not do the crap these ballplayers are doing. And many of us who were on athletic scholarships, went to class, worked our butts off and were appreciative of the opportunity provided to us. Character matters. Colleges and Universities can find ballplayers who are outstanding individuals and players. They just have to work harder to find these individuals. Get rid of the bad apples and you will have a better team and the University will be honored and not disrespected.

ronaldmcdonald

December 31st, 2010
7:32 pm

go bobo go. bobo has to go