Rambo staying, Charles going as UGA players wrestle with NFL decisions
Orson Charles, Georgia’s All-SEC tight end, will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft.
Charles revealed the unsurprising decision Wednesday, saying “it’s time to open a new chapter in my life.”
A few hours later, another UGA underclassman who had been seriously considering the draft — safety Bacarri Rambo — made the opposite decision, announcing through the school that he will return for his senior season.
Charles said he consulted with several NFL players and a former NFL coach, Tony Dungy, about his stay-or-go choice. The NFL’s underclassmen advisory committee told Charles that he could be drafted as high as the second round.
The decision wasn’t stressful, Charles said, because “either way I wouldn’t be wrong.” He added: “As I continued to pray about it, I just felt ready.”
The deadline to declare for the draft is Sunday. Charles and Rambo appeared to have the highest draft stock among Georgia players considering early entry, although several others also have said they are weighing decisions.
Rambo’s return is a boon for the Georgia defense. He led the SEC with eight interceptions this past season and was named an Associated Press first-team All-American.
Charles’ departure, combined with the expiration of senior Aron White’s eligibility, means Georgia will head toward the 2012 season without its top two tight ends from last season.
The Bulldogs’ top returners at the position will be junior Arthur Lynch, who has two career catches, and Jay Rome, a highly touted recruit who was redshirted as a freshman last season. Also, Colquitt County tight end Ty Smith has committed to sign with the Bulldogs next month.
“They have a lot of people who can fill the hole at tight end,” Charles said.
Charles was one of two prized recruits, along with quarterback Aaron Murray, who signed with Georgia out of Tampa’s Plant High in 2009. Murray, who unlike Charles was redshirted in his first season at UGA, has two years of eligibility remaining and wished his long-time teammate well.
“The No. 1 thing he said was, ‘Just don’t forget about me,’” Charles said.
“To play [in college] with my high school quarterback was definitely a blessing,” Charles added.
Charles started 29 games for Georgia. He caught 94 passes for 1,370 yards, which set a UGA career yardage record for tight ends, and 10 touchdowns, which tied the school record for the position.
After catching 45 passes for 574 yards and five touchdowns in the 2011 season, he was voted first-team All-SEC by both the coaches and the media. He was chosen first-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association.
In what proved to be his final college game –-a triple-overtime loss to Michigan State in the Outback Bowl –- Charles had one catch for two yards. He said that game did not affect his decision to depart.
“I met the majority of all my goals I came here with,” Charles said Wednesday. “I feel like I’ve grown spiritually. . . . I feel like I’ve grown as a player.
“I was going back and remembering some of the goals I came in [with], and today I was checking them all off, like, ‘Yeah, I accomplished this.’ The past three years have just been a blessing. They’ve been awesome.”
The 6-foot-3, 241-pound Charles is ranked as the third best tight end in this year’s draft by nfldraftscout.com, behind Clemson’s Dwayne Allen and Stanford’s Coby Fleener.
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347 comments Add your comment
azdawg
January 12th, 2012
12:30 am
Wish him the best in the NFL. With his good hands he’ll do well at the next level. His departure will be felt as much as Boykins. Hope the guys in line can do as well as he did. Glad Rambo will play his Sr season.
Hope Washington decides to stay.
Preston
January 12th, 2012
2:07 am
SOOOO glad Rambo’s coming back! Wish Charles was as well but that’s the way it goes in college football. Can’t keep em’ forever. Rambo coming back is HUGE though. The defense will be absolutely lights out next season. If only we could pull off some exciting surprises before (or on) national signing day in a couple of weeks! Let’s get in that top ten again!
Preston
January 12th, 2012
2:09 am
Reddog, good point. We could afford the loss of Charles much more than Rambo.
UGADAWGS2011
January 12th, 2012
2:51 am
DC Dawg
January 11th, 2012
2:22 pm
Another kid leaves UGA early without the TEAM ever accomplishing a thing. This trend is disturbing.
#ajgreen
#knowshonmoreno
#matthewstafford
#orsoncharles
Hey DC Dawg, What about Asher Allen?I think I remember him leaving early, after playing the whole year with a broken hand.. He is a starter in the NFL, was HIGHLY recruited, yet he accomplished the same as those above, right?
UGADAWGS2011
January 12th, 2012
3:00 am
You better believe we’re gonna land more top recruits this year.. Not saying more, but Jordan J. is defenitely NOT the last 5* Grantham is gonna land this year. This guy is a true Coaching BEAST. He has literally taken Slick Willie’s players (decent recruiter, had an alarmingly odd tendency to sign short corners.. BAD playcaller), save a few current players, and went from a 58th (around) ranked defense to the 5th in TWO YEARS. Scary when to think this Defensive Guru gets the top players to play in his system, along with Lakatos’ stated desire to have DB’s who are 6′0+, what kind of dominating D we will have. Hell, it may even override Bobo’s predictable calling when we have a lead. And I mean ANY lead. He has never met a lead he isn’t capable of sitting on. Hope Richt addresses this. He’s a damn good coach, helluva recruiter, but needs some tweaking in his play-calling.
GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hort911
January 12th, 2012
3:21 am
good move for u.
rascaldawg
January 12th, 2012
4:59 am
OC is a class act that has great hands and is a team player. UGA record setter at TE and will do very well in the NFL (as have several other UGA TE). Thanks for the memories Orson Charles; we wish you well!
Stinger
January 12th, 2012
5:53 am
“What say ye??????? UGA Bowl Game attendance.These were ranked teams that had won divisions in BCS conferences, and attendance was announced as 49.429, which would have ranked as the second-smallest gathering in the 17 years Outback Steakhouse has sponsored the game. According to the Tampa Bay Times, however, actual attendance was 40,022 — the sort of gate Georgia fans would mock if it occurred, say, in a regular-season game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Where is the love????
delusional DWAG fan
January 12th, 2012
6:09 am
i like 10 win seasons, losing to lsu or bama in the sec championship game is ok by me. watching all that talent uga has being wasted is ok by me.
delusional DWAG fan
January 12th, 2012
6:11 am
lets see…what else….i like being bashed by the media and now and trend has started of losing bowl games. CMR is awesome!!!! so is booboo, best OC that nobody wants.
RedandBlackDAWG
January 12th, 2012
6:55 am
Stinger,
UGA sold out it’s allotment of tickets for the Outback Bowl. You can’t fill your small stadium for regular season games, even when you play UGA in your own house. Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that you are not a very good team. By the way, the attendance for the first thirty bowl games of the season was 49,000 on average so the Out back Bowl succeeded the average bowl attendance to that point. The bowl attendance for all games was down 2.1%, and it is a reflection of the economy. The main reason the sun bowl was down 6,000 people as cited by a number of writers and the bowl president was because Georgia Tech. was participating in it. The sun bowl went from over 54,000 to a little over 48,000 this year. According to the Bowl officials of the Outback bowl, attendance was over 49,500, with the normal average per year being at a little over 51,000. Who drew the less fans, then?
If you can’t fill your own stadium and can’t go to a bowl game, and get the fans of the area to come and see you play play, it would appear to me that you are once again, spouting out you stupid comments, when in fact, they have very little merit. You might be interested in the ESPN report came out, that ranked Atlanta as the poorest city in fan support for the pros. and it evidently must have carried over to your little institute on North Ave. Don’t worry though, because next year you get to come to a big boys stadium and get your butt beat. You really need to quit grasping for straws in order to find things to rag on about the team that has owned you, throughout your institutes football legacy , if you can call it a legacy. Otherwise, it makes your school look like a real institute, albeit a mental one.
GO DAWGS and GATA
AltamahaDawg
January 12th, 2012
7:11 am
Fortunetely, some of the Georgia fans bashing him in here this time last year did not come into play with his decision.
RedandBlackDAWG
January 12th, 2012
7:29 am
AlamahaDAWG,
Unfortunately, some of the folks that come onto these blogs will always have something to complain about. As my Ole Man used to say, “They would complain if you hung them with a gold rope”. Oh, that it were so easy as that.
GO DAWGS and GATA
Henne Patchinko
January 12th, 2012
7:37 am
Surprised and pleased at Rambo’s decision. He’s a great player.
delusional DWAG fan
January 12th, 2012
7:43 am
lets see what else oh yes I love to wear women’s underwear and high heels.
RedandBlackDAWG
January 12th, 2012
7:49 am
Delusional,
I didn’t think cross gender people had any interest in a contact sport, of the football variety. Wow, you must be the exception. Must have had one of those single wides with closets then.
gdawginkalamazoo
January 12th, 2012
8:00 am
Great move and good luck at the next level. Damd Good Dawg!
delusional DWAG fan
January 12th, 2012
8:09 am
redandblackpantydawg enjoys sleeping with me.
Jeff
January 12th, 2012
8:10 am
Good Luck Orson! We will miss you. Its ashame we have a second tier DC that could only get you the ball 1 time for 3 yards in your final game…..AND WE WONDER WHAT THE PROBLEM IS???????????????????????????????????????????
Old Dawg
January 12th, 2012
8:24 am
Enter your comments here
Bulldawgman49
January 12th, 2012
8:29 am
Good Luck Orson Will be following you on Sundays maybe the Falcons or Eagles pick you up .
Old Dawg
January 12th, 2012
8:29 am
Looks like a bad decision right now. He could use another year with a better OL. Just was never the big play maker we were all hopng for. Hope it works out for Him and one day He get’s to play in a Super Bowl.
ole yeller
January 12th, 2012
8:37 am
Rambo will become the “H-Baddger” of the East in 2012.
WDE
January 12th, 2012
8:42 am
@Jeff what did our DC have to do with Orson not getting the ball ?
Niceville Dawg
January 12th, 2012
8:44 am
@Stinger……the game was played on a Monday morning.You guys can’t get that many on a Saturday night.
Kenneth Smith
January 12th, 2012
8:44 am
Thx OC Good Luck in the NFL we will miss you sorry about the decreased in number of passes thrown your way this year. By the take Mike BoBo with you
RedandBlackDAWG
January 12th, 2012
8:51 am
Delusional,
Since you are probably about 15 years old, I doubt you could get anybody to sleep with you now, much less, when you reach adult age, which in your case, will not mean, you are more mature.
Tony Dungy
January 12th, 2012
8:57 am
Keep your mouth shut!
AVikingFan
January 12th, 2012
9:34 am
Orson Charles did a great job at UGA most of the time and deserves all the acculades he gets. However, in Tampa before the bowl game, he led the team in partying. (Murray was in second place according to a teammate from Valdosta.) Those team members who really gave it their best at the game are PO-ed at Charles for his preparation and attitude before and during the game. He knew he was going “pro” and it was at his “home”. He just made a big party out of it, and according to one player, his teammates are glad to see him go.
UGA will be in “Allstate Condition” this year. (In Good Hands) with Jay Rome at TE. The guy is really good. He was a Valdosta Wildcat and I’m a Lowndes fan, but the truth is the truth.
UGA’s “me first team second” RB from Columbus better work on his attitude also. Some of the players are beginning to wish he would leave and take his NCAA record of finding ways to take himself out of games somewhere else.
I am certainly glad Rambo is coming back! Now if UGA can sign some RB’s and OL’s, and find a way to coach’em up, find a way to improve (DRASTICALLY) Special Teams play, things should continue moving in the right direction in Athens, GA! I hope our Josh Clemons decides to sigh with UGA. Trust me, Josh can play!
G-Dawg
January 12th, 2012
10:19 am
We’ll lose almost the whole defense after next year. Think about it.
Why Georgia is nicely positioned to make real hay in 2012 | Mark Bradley
January 12th, 2012
10:30 am
[...] now appears that Orson Charles could be the only Georgia player who’ll leave early for the NFL. If that is indeed the case, the Bulldogs will be positioned nicely for [...]
Dawg in Columbus
January 12th, 2012
10:35 am
I think Keith Marshall will be a good influence on the other UGA RBs
Golden Dawg Says: UGA "Bloggers" Stink .... and are probably not real UGA Fans
January 12th, 2012
10:35 am
Congrats and Welcome J. Jenkins – the latest 5-Star. We Need You – All.
Congrats to the 2011 Dawgs (SEC East Champs) – Very Good Year.
Recruits / Players: Please know that the many of these Bloggers can NOT be from true UGA fans. These bloggers applaud your decision to come to UGA, but degrade and belittle a great player like O. Charles (UGA’s Record Breaking Tight End) when he decides to do what he believes is best for HIM.
Bottom Line: UGA Fans needs to support these players while they are at Georgia (win or lose) AND when they decide to leave …. just as much as you support them when they sign with UGA.
Many of the comments on the Charles are shameful and hopefully are NOT from real UGA fans.
Go DAWGS – 2012 “NATIONAL CHAMPIONS”!!!
delusional DWAG fan
January 12th, 2012
11:31 am
redandblackdawg is fighting his sexuality by assuming i’m a cross dresser. Get out of the closet gay one.
robodawg
January 12th, 2012
11:43 am
No surprise and not the worst news for UGA. We need Rambo back and Rambo needs to come back, so that’s good.
We should be good to go at TE with Lynch and Rome. Yes, Charles was a unique talent at that position, but I don’t think we capitalized on that the way we should’ve.
Dawg Tired
January 12th, 2012
11:48 am
We’ll miss Charles’s pass receiving abilities. He has been a good player. Sometimes a little too self promoting after catches, but overall a very positive factor. Hope he does well in NFL. Needs to improve blocking ability at next level.
docdawg
January 12th, 2012
11:51 am
Charles had a stellar career, learned how to block, catch in traffic, he`s ready to go, and should as a business decision. 1 knee shot and draft stock plummets. Rambo needs 1 more SEC year as well, smart decision to return, same for Williams, they will benefit in next draft with seasoning, improved coverage experience, and conditioning. nasty defense next year, and year after with some of the redshirts and new recruits incoming.if we can run next year, look out, and tight ends in fold now ready to rock
Coach
January 12th, 2012
1:33 pm
This is what happens when you recruit players who are looking toward the NFL. Recruit football players that want to win at UGA, not “check off” their accomplishments before they leave. I noticed in his checkoff list that SEC or National Championship must not have been on the list.
HD27
January 12th, 2012
1:41 pm
Save the suspense, everyone but Orson is coming back!
http://dogbytesonline.com/te-charles-expected-to-announce-he-will-enter-nfl-draft-54112/
Nick
January 12th, 2012
2:21 pm
Sorry to see you go but I don’t blame you one bit. Really enjoyed seeing you play and sorry the wins couldn’t have been more. Good luck at the next level and in life in general. You’re a class act.
BR-Thank you!! And good luck!
Alabama Dog
January 12th, 2012
2:56 pm
Nick: I agree completely. I can’t say I didn’t expect this. The one question I DO have is: if Georgia is stocking NFL teams with this kind of talent, WHY are they NOT winning? It’s gotta be coaching…..
Georgia Tight End Orson Charles goes pro- Bacarri Rambo Stays Between the Hedges | Georgia Dawg Football
January 12th, 2012
4:11 pm
[...] Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal constitution reports that Georgia tight end Orson Charles has deci… All indications are that the 6’3′ Charles will be a first round pick in the 2012 draft. While he never quite developed into one of the all-time great Bulldogs at the tight end position, Orson Charles possesses the pass catching ability and physical skill set needed to be an impact player at the next level. Bulldog Nation is appreciative of the time Orson Charles spent between the hedges at the University of Georgia. [...]
GulfShoresDawg
January 12th, 2012
5:50 pm
Orson, I love ya man! Good career in the NFL…hope you get on a team with some great other bulldawgs!
BiggDawgK
January 12th, 2012
7:11 pm
Good luck Orson. I hate to see you go. You are a damn good Dawg.
Stinger
January 12th, 2012
8:12 pm
He couldn’t wear Calvin or Bay Bay’s jock strap !!!!!!!!!!!
RxDawg
January 13th, 2012
9:32 am
Thanks for everything Orson. Best of luck in the NFL.
DawgSTILE
January 18th, 2012
11:06 am
Glad rambo is comming back, but even if he was not, nothing to worry. Has anyone heard about that hotshot DB from WILKENSON COUNTY, IVEY GEORGIA? His name is Linwood Turpington. This kid IS the real deal. Word is, Johnson (GT), and even Saban have this guy on there watch lists, Google the name, watch the tapes, the speed, his movement to the ball, its criminal! He’s only a junior but you heard it here first. Future SEC first team selection.