Murray bypasses NFL draft to stay at UGA (updated w/ Richt reaction)
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray ended the speculation Sunday night about whether he’s staying in school or going to the NFL. He’s staying, Murray announced via Twitter.
“Blessed to be the QB for the Dawgs, not ready to leave just yet,” Murray tweeted to his 64,000-plus followers. “Time to get back to work & help lead this team to a championship.”
Murray could not be immediately reached for further comment, and UGA made no official announcement of his decision. (UPDATE: Georgia coach Mark Richt reacted to Murray’s decision in a statement Monday morning: “I’m certainly pleased that after weighing his options Aaron has decided to remain at Georgia for his senior year. His leadership and productivity have been tremendous during what has been an outstanding career. This is great for Aaron and great for Georgia.”)
A three-year starter for the Bulldogs, Murray had been weighing whether to return for his final season of college eligibility or to enter the 2013 NFL draft.
He said previously that the NFL’s underclassmen advisory committee informed him he likely would be a second or third-round pick if he entered the draft.
Murray graduated from UGA last spring with a degree in psychology, and he enrolled in a graduate program in industrial-organizational psychology in the fall.
He is the first quarterback in SEC history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. This past season, he passed for 3,893 yards and 36 touchdowns. In Georgia’s Capital One Bowl victory over Nebraska, he passed for 427 yards and five touchdowns. He leads the nation in pass efficiency rating for the 2012 season, just ahead of Alabama’s AJ McCarron, who plays in the BCS title game Monday night.
Murray has led Georgia to back-to-back SEC Eastern Division titles, although the Bulldogs lost in the SEC Championship game both times.
Murray’s return is a boon for the 2013 Georgia team, which expects to return all but two starters – receivers Tavarres King and Marlon Brown – from an offense that averaged 37.8 points per game.
– Tim Tucker, AJC
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513 comments Add your comment
Buzz-off
January 6th, 2013
8:55 pm
DawgsForever = UGa in SC = techies (guaranteed)
Dewayne
January 6th, 2013
8:55 pm
Hey tide, your D coordinator or the puppet to Saban sure in hell didn’t show UGA they had a dominate defense either.
CHDawg
January 6th, 2013
8:56 pm
Murray for Heisman! Mason for Heisman in ‘14! More importantly, Dawgs to the Championship! We need to Tunsil, Foster, Adams and the rest of our signees to complete the picture for next year. Kamara can be the return man! Go Dawgs.
Spivedog
January 6th, 2013
8:57 pm
@The Tide is Rolling and Nothing can stop it, I’m going to take a wild guess here, but I’m willing to bet that you couldn’t get into UGA after high school? Sounds familiar.
Why else would a Bama fan chime in on a UGA blog when Bama is about to play for the NC? You don’t have better things to do?
Jim
January 6th, 2013
8:57 pm
CAN’T WAIT – Great Choice!
HappyDay
January 6th, 2013
8:58 pm
Thank you Aaron Murray!!!!
Buzz-off
January 6th, 2013
8:59 pm
Is that 32 years without a probation for cheating?? Yes, I’m proud I can brag about that fact….something Bama, GT, Auburn, TN, etc can’t do!!!
RoJo
January 6th, 2013
8:59 pm
Hutson Mason transfers in 5.4.3.2.1…..
UGA89
January 6th, 2013
8:59 pm
Feel bad for Hutson Mason but with UGA opening at Clemson I’m happy that Aaron Murray is returning for his senior year.
I heard Connor Shaw is having surgery and might not be ready for the UGA game. Any truth to that??
Murray’s staying, which means UGA is back in the hunt | Mark Bradley
January 6th, 2013
9:00 pm
[...] game one night before the 2013 edition is played. (Crazy as I am, I’m not that crazy.) Still, Murray’s announcement should put the Bulldogs back in the ol’ hunt. They were five yards and five points short of [...]
PaulPaul
January 6th, 2013
9:00 pm
Murray is a credit to our school. Glad he is coming back. Anyone on here who is not happy knows nothing about football. Bobo is also a really good OC. Look at how our offense progressed over the year. Basically having to rely on untested freshmen in the backfield and a line that was questionable at the start of the season he did a great job of play calling. Coach Friend deserves a big hand from all of us. He did what Searles could never do with the raw talent he had. Now that we have a DL coach that seems to be able to teach players how to stop the run we should be better next year. Mark this down we will be a better defense in 2013. There is enough talent on defense with the new recruits coming to be stronger and quicker. You are going to see some really good recruits sign in February. A couple that may surprise some of you.
Go Dawgs!
Buzz-off
January 6th, 2013
9:00 pm
Our defense will better….guaranteed!!
UGA_85
January 6th, 2013
9:00 pm
Enter your comments here
UGA in SC
January 6th, 2013
9:00 pm
I hope all you guys are right about Murray, but frankly for as much experience as he has, to make mistakes in such crucial situations in so many big games does not engender a lot of confidence to get us to a National Championship much less win the SEC. Anyway hope I’m wrong and he becomes a QB WE can trust when it counts. GO DAWGS!!!!!
UGA in GA
January 6th, 2013
9:01 pm
I agree with UGA in SC,play two QB’s like Gamecock.
UGA_85
January 6th, 2013
9:01 pm
Good news for us dawgs. Those that are not happy, find another team!
The Tide is Rolling and Nothing can stop it
January 6th, 2013
9:01 pm
Defense better?!?!
This is why you losers can’t win a title. The rest of the SEC laughs at you.
32 years…
DAWG82
January 6th, 2013
9:02 pm
UGA will have one of the top offenses in the nation next year if not top.
A M is a class act.
Matt in ATL
January 6th, 2013
9:02 pm
UGA in SC, it’s Koolaid, and all that was said about you is true. Murray took us to 7 yards, and a tipped pass, for a NC showdown. Not enough for dimwits like you who probably haven’t personally accomplished a fraction of what Mr. Murrary has achieved. Think about that.
Spivedog
January 6th, 2013
9:02 pm
@ The Truth, Rodney Garner leaving was a mutual decision fwiw. Garner almost resigned after the South Carolina game. CRG and Grantham haven’t seen eye to eye since Grantham took over.
DAWG82
January 6th, 2013
9:03 pm
Tide is rolling go on back inside the single wide.
MT
January 6th, 2013
9:03 pm
I was talking about Ogletree, Red. Calm yourself down.
RoJo
January 6th, 2013
9:03 pm
Defense loses 8 starters:
Shawn Williams, Rambo, John Jenkins, Sanders Commings, Jarvis Jones, Christian Robinson, Abry Jones,
Geathers thought to go pro too.
9 starters gone in one year, will be a lot worse.
UGA_85
January 6th, 2013
9:03 pm
No tide we laugh at folks like you that troll a message board.
DAWG82
January 6th, 2013
9:05 pm
RG may can recruit but it is widely known about it not getting done with the DL.
Spivedog
January 6th, 2013
9:05 pm
@Rojo, there is a 0 % chance Mason transfers. He knows the situation, which is why he redshirted this season. Mason loves Athens and has no plans on transferring.
hit a single
January 6th, 2013
9:06 pm
QB play in the SEC will be something else next year. It may not have been as strong a year for the SEC overall, but people better watch out next year. Glad to have Aaron back.
DAWG82
January 6th, 2013
9:06 pm
Defense will be fine. We will have a bunch of young hungry kids who play hard every down and are very talented.
Lee
January 6th, 2013
9:06 pm
Murray earned the right to compete for the starting QB at Georgia for another year..He does not need to come back for a national championship.He has my admiration for staying the course at Georgia, with the opportunity of making his accomplishes known for many years.He should not base his staying on a possible national championship.If he does, he could become fodder for the media gurus.
Dawgfan
January 6th, 2013
9:07 pm
Great news AM, Go Dawgs! Next Heisman candidate
James K Polk
January 6th, 2013
9:07 pm
I have mixed feelings about this. Obviously, we will be a much better team with Murray, but I still think we are looking at a four loss season with all the defense leaving. I’d almost rather sacrifice a couple of more losses just to get Mason a season of experience. It’s a double-edged sword. Murray coming back makes us a better team in 2013, but a much worse team in 2014.
Spivedog
January 6th, 2013
9:08 pm
and Rojo, Geathers has already made the decision to leave early (although it hasn’t been announced). Geathers made the decision after Garner left for Auburn. Kwame was leaning towards coming back until Garner left. Clifton told Kwame to stay b/c he (Clifton) regrets leaving early.
TURD FERGUSON
January 6th, 2013
9:08 pm
get on board, last week you Dumb Dawgs wanted him to leave now you are glad he is staying. thats why every one out side the DAWG NATION cant stand you. hang them one week then cut them down before they choke the next. YOU SUCK AS FANS.
Raiderbeater
January 6th, 2013
9:08 pm
I have higher hopes in our opening day defense than the one we had all this year with the ” superstars” on it. The new d is going to be young guys that are force to play hard together…..they have no delusions of grandeur and NFL agents whispering in their ear all year. Jarvis was a great pass rusher but was vanilla when ran against. Notice our players went for the strips, the interception, or the big hit. They didn’t wrap up and tackle low. They were trying to get noticed individually.
DawgsForever
January 6th, 2013
9:08 pm
Not a Techie here. I love my Dawgs and want nothing but the best for them. Like I was saying, I really hope something clicks with Aaron and he somehow just learns to get over this slump that he’s in when it comes to big games and get those big Ws against Clemson, LSU, SC, and UF next season. Go Dawgs!
ugab
January 6th, 2013
9:08 pm
This is good news. AM is a DGD! AM will start at QB. Mason will get his snaps. Mason will have his year to shine. Mason sat out this season to seperate his self from AM. I am worried about our Defense. We have to focus more on stopping the run. WORK HARD ON THE OFF SEASON. STAY IN SHAPE. OL SHOULD BE BETTER. IT IS GOING TO TAKE HARD WORK. ALABAMA PUSHED OUR D AROUND. LETS GO DAWGS.
RoJo
January 6th, 2013
9:09 pm
Murray has a 18% win record against teams that finish top 25. He’s 2 wins, 11 losses.
You got 4 of those guys on the 2013 schedule in Clemson, South Carolina, LSU, and Florida.
So with Murray’s 18% record there that means 3-4 losses to the above 4 top 25 teams.
Should Georgia get back to the SEC Championship, Murray has an 0% win record there, 0 wins, 2 losses.
Should Georgia get back to a Bowl game, Murray has a 33% win record there, so UGA looking at an 8-5 or 9-4 season.
Grinderswitch
January 6th, 2013
9:09 pm
Well I feel sorry for Hutson Mason cause I know he has been waiting to play but this is great for UGA as AM has the experience. As others have commented hopefully HM will get to play a lot too this year then be super ready for 2014 and get drafted high in the NFL. Offense will be awesome now let’s build up that D#.
Lee
January 6th, 2013
9:09 pm
Enter your comments here
hit a single
January 6th, 2013
9:09 pm
Our defense this year was too much a reach and grab defense. I hardly ever saw a LB put his face mask on the numbers. That is why people come run right at us.
UGA in SC
January 6th, 2013
9:10 pm
UGA 89…..I heard Shaw was having foot surgery too but didn’t hear that he wouldn’t be ready for us. The real problem is Dylan Thomson looks like he may be better than Shaw. GO DAWGS!!!!
RoJo
January 6th, 2013
9:10 pm
Hutson played for 7 passes in 2012, he knows he won’t get more than 10 passes a year at Georgia.
MT
January 6th, 2013
9:10 pm
Where are you, Red? A little embarrassed for assuming I was talking about Murray, even though his name wasn’t mentioned? Who has ever complained about Aaron Murray’s behavior off the field?
I think he came back to try and finish his degree. He may not end up being a top NFL QB, but if he’s not, he’ll be able to get a decent job.
hit a single
January 6th, 2013
9:11 pm
I meant could run right at us. We tackled way too high.
Lee
January 6th, 2013
9:12 pm
Why did you just delete my comments?. They are not repeats or the same as others.They also write kindly of Murray.
rivercard
January 6th, 2013
9:14 pm
Raiderbeater- agree with a lot of your take, but still think Grantham may be part of defensive problem.
I’m no dawg fan per se, but I thought that offense was national championship quality and the best balanced that I saw all year. Whatever the D ends up being they should be in any game they are playing.
ugab
January 6th, 2013
9:14 pm
I HOPE WE GET AM SOME PROTECTION IN THE BIG GAMES. EVERYONE BLAMES AM. WHAT ABOUT THE OL AND THE RUNNING GAME? ARE WE GOING TO BLOCK CLOWNEY NEXT SEASON OR JUST CHIP HIM? SO OUR DEFENSE DID NOT HAVE A HUGE PART IN LOSING TO ALABAMA. WE LOST 2 GAMES. SC COULD NOT BE BLOCKED AND ALABAMA RAN IT ALL NIGHT LONG.
Glory Between the Hedges
January 6th, 2013
9:14 pm
Our defense does not have pressure on it. Just make some key stops next year and the offense will take care of the rest. Gurley will rush for over 1500 yards and be a heisman finalist. Michael Bennett will be back and hopefully the way he was! The offense is going to be a nightmare to stop. The only person that will stop it is Richt when he tells the QB to down the ball.
Snoop Dawg
January 6th, 2013
9:14 pm
Now if just Kwame Geathers will also stay and graduate. He needs another year, and UGA needs him another year too.
Kwame,you will be ready for 1st Round after next year when we earn a NC!
Region 7-AAA
January 6th, 2013
9:14 pm
Georgia is going to be sick next year. I would be terribly surprised if they didn’t at least make that National Championship game.