UGA coach Mark Richt: ‘We don’t recruit bad kids’ (UPDATED)

UPDATED THROUGHOUT . . .

HOOVER, Ala. — I’m going to have a lot more for you a little bit later, but for now I’m going to give you just the high points and raw quotes from the beat-writer’s session with Georgia coach Mark Richt here at SEC Football Media Days this morning.

Richt will address the full media contingent here at the Wynfrey Hotel later today. Players Jarvis Jones, Abry Jones and Tavarres King are also here and I talked to them as well and will share their thoughts as soon as I can get around to it.

Now for Richt . . .

>>>As you might expect, the conversation was dominated about team discipline. We hadn’t had a chance to talk to Richt about Isaiah Crowell’s dismissal since it happened on June 29. So he talked about that and about the perception that there is a lack of discipline at Georgia.

On having to kick Crowell off the team: “Well, no decision to dismiss a guy from the team is an easy decision. It’s always tough because I care very much about all these guys. Having to make those kinds of decisions are tough. But, in the end, I think we did what was in the best interest of the program. I wish Isaiah the very best in his future and I hope everything will work out for him.”

>>> On type of kids they’re recruiting: “We’re not recruiting bad kids,” Richt said. “We’re competing for the same guys everybody else is in the league.”

>>> On perception there is a discipline problem at UGA: “We’re certainly going to have an expectation for how we want our guys to behave. If they don’t behave, we’re going to discipline them. So if the discipline involves running up and down the stairs at the stadium or some things that might be at the level of losing playing time or it might be something at the level of losing your ability toi stay at Georgia, the thing we’re going to do at Georgia is we’re gpoing to take care of any issues that do come up in the proper way. And so, if a guy does end up having to leave, it’s for the best interest of the group. From time to time that has to happen. It’s sad that it does but we’re going to keep taking care of business in that way.”

>>> Richt remained mum on whether suspensions are imminent for safety Bacarri Rambo, cornerback Branden Smith and linebacker Alec Ogletree. All have been reported to have run afoul of Georgia’s drug policy and Smith is known to have been arrested for marijuana possession.

Asked if he knew what personnel would be available for Missouri, Richt said” “Do I know? I do know, yeah.”

Asked if he cared to share that information, Richt said: “We’ll share it sometime, but not today. I’ll announce that if there needs to be an announcement on those guys.”

>>> On tailback situation without Crowell: “We’ve got some really good backs. It’s going to change Richard Samuel’s role certainly.”

>>> Richt on being picked by media here to win the SEC Eastern Division. LSU was tabbed as overall champion:

“I hope the media is right. I was looking at the record of picking the eventual champion and it wasn’t real good (4-16). Maybe you guys are a lot better at picking divisional champions anyway. But it would be nice to get back to Atlanta.”

>>> On how much Malcolm Mitchell might play wide receiver this season: “We’re getting him ready to play as much defense as he can. . . . I think by the time the season is over we will have seen a lot of Malcolm on offense. Early on, I don’t know.”

OTHER COVERAGE FROM DAY 3 OF SEC MEDIA DAYS:

• Media vote: Georgia will win SEC East
• It’s UGA’s turn in the spotlight
• Mark Richt: ‘We don’t recruit bad kids’
• Six UGA players on media’s preseason All-SEC teams
• Dooley: ‘You’re not going to have Tennessee to kick around anymore’
  

FULL AJC COVERAGE FROM DAY 2 OF SEC MEDIA DAYS:

• A conversation with former UGA quarterback Zach Mettenberger, now LSU’s starter
• Atlanta’s college-football playoff bid still percolating
• Schultz: Muschamp deserves some time at Florida
• Coaches’ sideline behavior a point of emphasis for SEC officials
• Miss. State needs to pick it up in SEC West
• Muschamp: Dooley didn’t complain about playing Florida in Jacksonville
• Kentucky coach Joker Phillips says he’s feeling no heat
• Schultz: Arkansas living with humiliation after Petrino firing
• Auburn welcomes VanGorder back to the SEC
  

FULL AJC COVERAGE FROM DAY 1 OF SEC MEDIA DAYS:

• SEC commissioner Mike Slive talks playoffs and a lot more
  
• South Carolina’s Spurrier prefers UGA’s schedule
  
• Missouri, Texas A&M state their case
  
• Jeff Schultz’s digi-blog: Welcome to Media Daze.
• Aggies excited, not intimidated, by SEC debut.
• Schultz: SEC needs to be vigilant to avoid Penn State-like scandals
• Vanderbilt coach passes on question about Todd Grantham
• The media’s record at predicting SEC champ: 4-16 since 1992
• Spurrier has no qualms about this quarterback