Redshirt freshman OL Brent Benedict leaving UGA for ‘personal reasons’
Georgia’s already-precarious situation on the offensive line just got more precarious.
Benedict
Brent Benedict, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman from Jacksonville and a former five-star recruit, left the team due to “personal reasons,” head coach Mark Richt said in a news release on Sunday. Benedict (6-foot-5, 312-pounds) was slated to back up Chris Burnette at right guard. He signed as a tackle.
Benedict did not return calls and texts seeking comment. Richt, who just returned from a mission trip to Honduras, was not available to comment.
Benedict was medically cleared this spring after a two-year rehabilitation of a major knee injury that occurred his senior year at The Bolles School. Indications are there has been some differences over how much and what kind of off-season training he should be doing as he prepared for his first active season on the field.
Georgia is now down to 13 scholarship offensive linemen, five of whom are true freshmen who just arrived on campus (not including Nathan Theus of Jacksonville, who signed as a long snapper). Incoming freshman tackle Xzavier Ward is also expected to miss the season with a knee injury.
Georgia already had a major reshuffle of the offensive line when starting left tackle Trinton Sturdivant went down with his third major knee injury this past spring and tackle A.J. Harmon transferred to Alabama State. Redshirt sophomore Dallas Lee of Buford, who was listed as third-string left guard, will likely shift over to right guard.
Benedict’s departure is the second interruption of what had been a quiet offseason for the Bulldogs. A report out of Columbus on Sunday indicates there could be some eligibility questions for starting linebacker Jarvis Jones and five-star basketball signee Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
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253 comments Add your comment
LoganvilleDAWG
June 27th, 2011
12:10 am
All these so called DAWG fans blaming Coach Richt about the Benedict kid. Ya’ll do not know one thing about this program or college football. Coach Richt didn’t have anything to do with this. Just wait to here the story, mostly you dipsticks fussing about “its Richt’s fault”. Be positive & pull for these young men to win some football games.
RakkasanDawg
June 27th, 2011
12:18 am
I remember when this kid’s knee blew out and UGA stuck with their scholarsip vice what most schools to include Alabama would have done. Had an inkling all was not well with him due to the information the AJC posted on him while discussing the offensive line. I wish him the best of luck but makes me wonder how the school feels about their misplaced faith? If it truly is for personal reasons I hope he gets down there, realizes he made a mistake and comes back. Either way life will go on…
RED DOG 77
June 27th, 2011
12:30 am
Those who would criticize Coach Richt for this guy leaving is just a bunch of damn fools. I remember like yesterday when coach Richt honored his “offer” to this kid who was at the very least one of the top 5 Oline prospects in the nation, even though the kid blew-out his knee…………I don’t know what you call it, but I call it “class”!………….I couldn’t agree more with “granger35….6/26…5:35pm”………….granger35…..’Ol boy you not only seem to know your college football, but you also seem to have a solid handle on ethics as well……….Me? I’m usually pretty pragmatic about such issues…….to this one……I’m angry!………..I just wish we had more good football fans post on these blogs like “granger35″…………The most intelligent chap this BULLDOG has read in sometime…….Bravo granger…………..Regards to all, RED P.S. I just hope coach Richt doesn’t allow this traitor to play SEC football!
Bubba King
June 27th, 2011
1:02 am
BRENT BENEDICT ARNOLD….traitor…this is how you repay the school who stood by you when you had, at the time, what was thought to be a career ender…!!! You use their facilities and rehab for 2 years and you punk out…Coach Richt…when a player is injured in HS, pull his scholarship like the majority of schools do…nice guys finish last….Shame on this punk!!!!
Formerdawg
June 27th, 2011
1:10 am
DAWG FAN: You are an idiot how do you know the kids like it? And just because they throw up doesn’t mean jacksh#%t. I can’t believe you people, do you really think that these kids are leaving for no reason Joe T is the root of all of this. I can’t wait to watch this all fall down on your stupid heads. I actually know a little bit of strength conditioning see how I’m a strength coach and this hire is going to set UGA back five years minimum, majority of the players hate Richt and all hate Joe T workouts. Five wins at the most and you are stupid if you realy on justin anderson and chris burnette do some research before you run your mouth.
what a group of d-bags you are
June 27th, 2011
1:20 am
this kid destroys his knee, and rehabs FOR TWO YEARS!
He he tore his anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, meniscus and hamstring all at once. And apparently he is still suffering from nerve damage. At some point, if the healing hasn’t brought you back to 100% – it might be time to hang up the cleats! Having worked my butt off to recover from an ACL rupture and replacement surgery, i can tell you that it’s difficult. much less having your entire knee rebuilt.
you pukes sit around and judge these kids like they owe you something. it’s disgusting and speaks to the pathetic state of your lives. living some type of unfulfilled athletic fantasy vicariously through a bunch of teenagers you’ve never even met. You should be ashamed.
what a group of d-bags you are
June 27th, 2011
1:23 am
UGA has been so desperate for Offensive Line help over the past two or three years, it’s no wonder that they honored his scholly. UGA was likely praying for his recovery and offering him every therapy in the book so that he could help that MISERABLE O-line.
Traitor? Not likely. More likely that UGA begged and begged him to stay onboard to see if the rehab took.
Bubba King
June 27th, 2011
1:28 am
F-U buddy……richt needs to start pulling scholly’s from these kids…his loyalty has been his downfall…and will continue to do so when there is definately no loyalty in return…that’s all I am saying…this is a business, so he needs to act that way….And, by the way, nobody owes me a damn thing….I played out my college years…I’m not living thru anyone….He owes the people who stood by him!!! I am obviously not one of those people….so, shut up!
Bubba King
June 27th, 2011
1:31 am
“UGA has been desperate for OL help over the past two or three years…???” Yeah, they only sign 4-5 4*** OL/year….and have 15 OL on scholarship as we speak…you have no clue what you’re talking about….
what a group of d-bags you are
June 27th, 2011
1:38 am
I’ll say it again:
UGA has been so desperate for Offensive Line help over the past two or three years, it’s no wonder that they honored his scholly.
what a group of d-bags you are
June 27th, 2011
1:38 am
this kid was a top 50 national recruit out of Bolles – and this O-LINE is MISERABLE
what a group of d-bags you are
June 27th, 2011
1:39 am
http://jacksonville.com/sports/college/georgia-bulldogs/2011-06-26/story/former-bolles-star-brent-benedict-leaving-georgia
Columbus
June 27th, 2011
1:41 am
Richt will get Benedict back if some coach has not pushed the kid too far… The deal with th Carver players should be nothing much. Missing a couple games maybe. Hopefully Jarvis will miss only one and be eligible to play this year and not have to sit waiting on the NCAA to make a determination. He had plane rides it appears that had NOTHING to do with anything with football but AAU basketball or whatever. So maybe he gets nothing if its not related to football in any way. I dont see any big deal with either issues. No school involvement, just AAU guys spending money on things that they should not have. It has been a Parks and Rec scandal going on down here for awhile. The former mayor ordered the police dept. to investigate that dept. and this is part of what was uncovered in improper spending of taxpayer money. So it seems to be splitting hairs on the NCAA eligibility or rules breaking if you ask me. But you know the NCAA, anything they get a whiff of must be a violation is some way. This seems very minor to me though. Cell phone bill for a basketball players mom(from a Nike sponsored league” and a trip from the same basketball league that had nothing to do with football, not college basketball whatsoever. I guess Jarvis was in college at the time but was Pope? The NCAA regulating AAU(Nike) basletball also? Damn….
Professional Athletes David
June 27th, 2011
1:42 am
Yeah! I agree with @Poopdawg. This is a new opportunity for someone else who want the position and the skills required by the position. And also, good luck to Brent!
Columbus
June 27th, 2011
1:43 am
YAll like my typing skills?!
Just Think About It...
June 27th, 2011
1:57 am
I would lean towards what Bigboy said on the first page. I was friends with Brannan Southerland’s brother (who plays at Vandy) in high school, and Brannan got screwed by UGA out of the NFL. Maybe this guy wanted to avoid that happening, and decided somewhere else would be better about getting him back to 100%
Bubba King
June 27th, 2011
2:01 am
Yeah…blow you knee out..completely…and let’s see how you great your prospects are…yeah, this kid was a 5 star recruit…..before he completely blew his knee out…he doctor said he might not play football again…At the time that UGA did the honorable thing and gave this kid what no other team would have, they were definately not desperate for Olinemen…and could have gotten another lineman who was healthy…rather than risk it all on a kid who might not play a down…2 years of rehab and he QUITS…HE QUITS…a 3 star with 2 legs is better than a 5 star on crutches any day…good riddance…Since UGA is so “desperate” for linemen, I guess this will free up a scholarship for someone who deserves it…college football is tough…only the strong can make it!!!
1962 Dawg
June 27th, 2011
4:52 am
Leaving the team for personal reasons could mean a number of different reasons for leaving, and time will tell what those reasons were.
Wish this kid the best wherever and whenever he gets a chance to play.
Some reports whenever Benedict was recruited questioned whether or not he would be able to play football again.
His scholarship was offered before he injured the knee so Richt kept his word by honoring it. All who blame Richt and UGA should keep this in mind.
Hope all works out well for Benedict, having ligament damage is hard enough to overcome but recovering from it and nerve damage both are extremely difficult.
Getting well should be this young man’s number one goal, not football.
Notso Fast
June 27th, 2011
6:57 am
Richt kept his word by giving this guy a scholarship after the knee problem. I can imagine that if you are over 300 pounds and spend 2 years getting the knee ready that you will have some problems putting yourself in position do more damage. The young man may need time to decide if football is something he wants to do.
u.g.a. I hear you
June 27th, 2011
7:08 am
“the way joe t is working these kids they won’t even make it to the 4th quarter… expecting these kids to rep 80% of their maxes for 30-40 reps on a daily basis is a great way to ruin these kids’ bodies.”
yeah, kill them, that’s the way to build a team to survive sec football…sure BB had preexisting, but this is another warning imo.
Big Al
June 27th, 2011
7:26 am
Maybe if Richt would stay home, he would quit losing players.
FLA DAWG
June 27th, 2011
7:36 am
Redshirt last season after having been a 5 star recruit and now slated to be a backup this season.
Think the kid wants to go somewhere he can start!? If the recruiting process means anything this kid was a standout. He wears a redshirt last season when clearly the O Line needed help figuring he’d start this season.
I bet this guy goes elsewhere and is a starting O Lineman who can get the job done. We could’ve used him last season and this season.
Here we go again.
sportzfan
June 27th, 2011
7:52 am
Bubba King….the name “Bubba” suits you well! How many years of college football have you played? And are you a doctor of some sort since you seem to know everything about this young mans condition?
I am sure there were other offers on the table coming out of HS for this 5 Star recruit…..including the injury. Yes UGA was, and still is desperate for good Offensive Linemen, just like every other college program in the U.S., that’s your foundation for a winning program.
Again, in this article he left for “personal reasons”…….do you know what his personal reasons are, or what they really were? The word “indications” are also used in the article….meaning they’re speculating. Why don’t you people leave this kid alone and keep your nose in your own household……and by the way, you idiots talking about how “this is a business”, you’re insane….it’s still college athletics, regardless how much money is involved and I’m dure none of these kids aren’t paying income tax on their schlorships.
Alabama question
June 27th, 2011
7:59 am
Could someone figure out how many O linemen Alabama has signed in the last five years and how many are still on their roster? Just wondering
AltamahaDawg
June 27th, 2011
8:15 am
FLA Dawg, I’m sure he would have been awesome, hoping around on that one good leg last year.
Paddy
June 27th, 2011
8:36 am
fprice….your comment about judging talent does not make any sense. Go back and read the article! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rumbo……CMR didn’t run this kid off, he quit the team. Go back and read the article again!
RxDawg
June 27th, 2011
9:00 am
“Indications are there has been some differences over how much and what kind of off-season training he should be doing as he prepared for his first active season on the field.”
Then see ya later. It’s been long time past that we get rid of the guys that aren’t willing to do what it takes to win championships. This guy does two years of rehab under UGA’s tab and then decides he wants to leave? What a joke… Gaurantee you will never see him in the NFL.
Eat abd Tweet
June 27th, 2011
9:01 am
I heard the guy reported overweight and out of shape. He had a tough time adjusting to the newly implemented S&C program. We need stong young men on the LOS and not some fat off.
Eat and Tweet
June 27th, 2011
9:02 am
Enter your comments here
Snoop Dawg
June 27th, 2011
9:05 am
Yo-
I don’t get it. Why should UGA give someone with a bum knee a full athletic scholarship? Oh, you say Preacha Man had offered him a scholarship before he blew out his knee, and since he is such a good Christian Man then it is right to go ahead and give the kid the scholarship. Do you believe this? If you do, then you and whatever money you may have are in danger of being parted by any of several million schemers.
Listen up. We need to change our attitudes if you want UGA to return to championships. This kind of weak crap is not conducive to winning. If the fellow messed up his knee and can’t play football, then we shouldn’t be offering him an athletic scholarhip. And since knees are the weak links to offensive linemen, why would our three million dollar a year CEO Markt Wrecked be recruiting damaged goods anyway? This is clearly bad judgment. But everyone is mesmerized with da Preacha Man. Do you want a preacher or a coach? Well, right now you have a preacher, not a coach. We will not win until we have a coach, and a highly dedicated motivated one to boot whose vision is return to GLORY. Get on board, or get on the loser bus.
Whisky Breath
June 27th, 2011
9:08 am
RabidDawgfan, you couldn’t be more wrong. Every year somebody goes down on the line during the season. Only if you have depth can you survive it. Ga is a perfect example of kids on the line getting hurt. In fact they may be worst than other schools over the last couple of years. Depth may be more important than the starting 5. Benedict is a tremendous loss because he was so highly rated.
RxDawg
June 27th, 2011
9:11 am
granger35
June 26th, 2011
5:35 pm
I 100% agree with you. I know I’m on the outside looking in, and don’t know what all exactly is going on… but Benidict is looking pretty dawg gone low to me. Really low.
Whiskey Breath
June 27th, 2011
9:26 am
So Joe T is supposed to run this guy off, BS. This kid knew about paying the price. Trash the kid if you want to, but he left because he didn’t like the program. He felt like he was being under coached. People don’t understand that you can coach them up or down.
BW
June 27th, 2011
9:29 am
The bigger picture here is the quality of life after football. This kid has a difficult decision to make whether to contiune playing FB and risk permanent injury the rest of his life or stop playing altogether. His knee injury in HS caused some nerve damage in his leg so this is more serious than the normal knee rehabilitation. Kudos to CMR for honoring his committment to Brent. He and his family lost his older brother who died after his senior year in college waiting to be drafted.
It is real easy to set at your computer and judge what is going on when you really don’t know the whole story. I wonder how many of you actually played college FB and realize the emotions that these athletes go through. I can tell you from experience, it ain’t HS football! If he can’t do the workouts, he won’t play anyway. So this is a no win situation for him
AltamahaDawg
June 27th, 2011
9:32 am
It always occurs to me that the more selfish the reasons for leaving, the bigger favor he did the team.
RJM
June 27th, 2011
9:33 am
Thanks God for Marine spell check. Helps the image. Go Army!
Wonderful Ohio on the Gulf 'Dog
June 27th, 2011
9:35 am
With the possible exceptions of Florida and Vanderbilt, our SEC opponents would all have cut Benedict’s rear end before he first arrived on campus.
AltamahaDawg
June 27th, 2011
9:39 am
Not saying his reason were selfish, just that IF you think it was, would you not think he did the right thing to leave and not waste a spot?
Chi Town
June 27th, 2011
9:40 am
Why would anyone ever want to leave Athens? It’s the coolest city in the world.
Just ask any mutt fan and they will be happy to tell you about it.
schmeckdawg
June 27th, 2011
9:58 am
I’m more worried about the possibility of losing Jarvis Jones!
Georgia | MrSEC.com
June 27th, 2011
10:06 am
[...] freshman offensive lineman Brent Benedict is leaving Georgia due to “personal reasons,” according to a Mark Richt press release yesterday.Benedict has spent two seasons rehabbing a major [...]
schmeckdawg
June 27th, 2011
10:08 am
Chip, quick question. I saw in the latest edition of The Sporting News that Keith Marshall no longer had UGA on his his list. If I remember correctly, he had Awbarn, Bammer, Clem & Son, North & South Cakalaki. Any word on this?
alcoadawg
June 27th, 2011
10:08 am
The kid is a true bulldog. He knows he’ll never play at UGA. He is leaving to free up a scholarship.
bitter CMR
June 27th, 2011
10:09 am
go DAWGS——————JOE T————–hard-hard—————will see opening day
Chip Towers
June 27th, 2011
10:13 am
schmeckdawg: I’m not as up on recruiting as I once was but it seems Marshall has lost interest in UGA and the Dogs are looking elsewhere. But can’t swear to it. Ask Carvell on the recruiting blog.
Special K
June 27th, 2011
10:20 am
Put the spin on this one boys.
schmeckdawg
June 27th, 2011
10:29 am
Thanks Chip!
Dawg
June 27th, 2011
10:48 am
Remember how he injured his knee in high school? By running down the field acting the fool after his team scored a touchdown. What a waste.
Mean Machine
June 27th, 2011
11:10 am
Damn, I thought this kid was gonna be a solid player, especially after UGA stuck with him after he blew out his knee celebrating a TD. What a shame, but gotta trim the fat. The beatings will continue until morale improves!
Bulldawg Bob
June 27th, 2011
11:36 am
Unfortunate situation all the way around. Prayers to Benedict that he may continue to heal and recover from his injury. Thankful to have a man like Richt on the job who would honor his word in a situation like that. Hopefully recruits will hear about this and understand the significance when being offered a scholarship from a man of character such as CMR