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
Jville Dawg
January 7th, 2013
2:13 pm
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
1:20 pm
Where am I collecting my data on Mason? From 3 types of public games: Spring games, regular season, and post season, Mason ALWAYS has a BETTER PASS EFFICIENCY than Murray, head to head.
——————————————————————————————————————–
Regular season – in mop up duty AFTER A.Murray and Co. have broken the other team’s will
Post season – not sure what you’re talking about here, don’t know when/if Mason has gotten in much if at all in bowl games or SEC Championship game
Spring practice -hold on a second…bwahahahahahahahaha!!!! hahahaha!! ok – so RoJo so you underdstand, the way spring scrimages work is this: 1-Offense (Murray’s team) & 2-Defense goes against 2-Offense(Mason’s team) & 1-Defense. So Murray’s unit is vs 1 Def, Mason is vs 2 Def.
So if you think all that makes Mason a better QB than Murray then so be it. Nothing anyone on this board says will change your mind, just like nothing you say will change ours.
You probably still believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy as well .
If you’re not a UGA fan – your time, passion, and attention to all things Dawg related is pathetic
If you are a UGA fan- then you need to find a new team to root for if you have this much of a problem with Murray and the way Richt runs his program.
ghost
January 7th, 2013
2:18 pm
Rojo, You know how you tell when someone is a large, clueless idiot? They reference “Spring Game” stats.
DogFaceBlues
January 7th, 2013
2:21 pm
With all the records broken and highest passer rating in the country and no more love than he is getting. What a shame. He will break them all this season.
Just Wanna Say
January 7th, 2013
2:21 pm
@RoJo
I’m just going to have to assume that you are here simply to piss people off because you are just that ridiculous. Forgot to spike? Did you see him asking for permission while running down the field?
robodawg
January 7th, 2013
2:22 pm
Avoid a bad showing like at S. Carolina this season and he should be a Heisman finalist.
DawginLex
January 7th, 2013
2:23 pm
ONLY AN IDIOT SPEWS SPRING GAME STATS AS EVIDENCE OF A PLAYER BEING BETTER THAN ANOTHER
WHAT A MAROON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spring games are glorified scrimmages. Good lord you are dumber than a bag of hair
Frodo
January 7th, 2013
2:30 pm
Well, there went the win we needed against Spurrier next Fall. Chalk up a loss in Athens ladies and gents. Boooo! You need to transfer Mason. Hope CMR apologies for ruining your college career for a future NFL benchwarmer, if that.
WDE
January 7th, 2013
2:32 pm
RoJo , lets see Kiper and Co told you Mason is a better QB is that what your telling us.?..And you still haven’t told us which SEC QB’s have won back to back conference titles the last two years.. trolling , trolling, trolling ol’ Rojo keeps on trolling…troll on !
Moist Dawg
January 7th, 2013
2:37 pm
Dawginlex, for once I agree and approve of your comment.
Rojo is 5150 and is making up a bunch of nonsense. Murray is going to be an AMurraygency for def coordinators next year and should add a hiseman to the trophy case.
'94 UGA Alumni
January 7th, 2013
2:42 pm
Thank you Aaron for coming back and we are proud to have you as our QB.
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
2:45 pm
Still waiting on anyone to show me one good reason why Aaron Murray has EARNED the right to ever start another game team that finishes in the top 25 when he’s only played well once in 2010 against Auburn, and has stunk it up the other 11 games?
If Spring games don’t matter, why play them and why keep stats, and why does it matter to you that Mason beats Murray in the Spring games, if it doesn’t matter?
Mop up stats are read the same way by a computer, they all count, funny these same people say Murray is ranked No 1 in pass efficiency ( against UNRANKED TEAMS). He’s ranked #45 against RANKED TEAMS, they don’t seem to mind he compiled that against the bad teams.
But Mason, oh, you can’t use stats like that for Mason, but you can for Murray.
It begs the question:
If Murray’s so much better than Mason, why does Mason ALWAYS beat Murray in Passing efficiency whether it’s a Spring game, a regular season game, or a post season game? Why does Murray ALWAYS LOSE to MASON EVERY SINGLE TIME?
Jville Dawg
January 7th, 2013
2:47 pm
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
1:48 pm
BOTH ESPN NFL Scouts Kiper & McShay say Murray isn’t a top qb.
ESPN Joyner called Aaron Murray the “most overrated player in college football”.
Whose sources to trust, mine, or your anonymous sources?
——————————————————————————————————————
So what?! Tony Dungy – who’s FAR more credible than any of those talking heads, said that KC should take Murray with their first pick if he came out this year.
I think I’ll trust the opinion of a Super Winning Coach/NFL Analyst who coached one of the greatest QBs in Peyton Manning over Mel Kiper/Todd McShay/Joyner.
For the record here’s some of Mel Kiper’s “expertise” at work:
“I think Ryan Leaf is more mature than Drew Bledsoe, he’s very much a grown up 21 year old.”
“Wes Welker is not worth a second round pick. I don’t care how much you like his work ethic … he has done nothing to show a value that high”
Kiper had QBs Dan McGwire and Brett Favre rated evenly heading into the 1991 draft.
“JaMarcus Russell’s gonna immediately energize that Raider Nation, that fanbase, that football team- on the practice field, in that locker room- three years from now you could be looking at a guy that’s certainly one of the elite top five quarterbacks in this league. You’re talking about a 2-3 year period once he’s under center. Look out because skill level that he has is certainly John Elway like.”
“Ki-Jana (Carter) could be the next Bo Jackson”
Kiper rated TCU’s LaDainian Tomlinson as tied for the 25th-best player in the 2001 draft, and only the third-best running back that year, behind Mississippi’s Deuce McAllister and Wisconsin’s Michael Bennett.
He thought Houston QB Andre Ware “was going to be a great NFL quarterback.”
Kiper was high on Southern Cal WR Mike Williams; Detroit took him 10th overall in 2005, Williams made seven starts, had 44 catches and two TDs, and was out of the league after three seasons.
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
2:49 pm
Murray will never win the Heisman because he can’t play well against the top teams. He’s no Johnny Manziel or Zach Mettenberger, oh to have a poised QB that can play his best game against Alabama, we can only dream. Instead we’re stuck with a guy who’s best game is against New Mexico State. Not the way to impress the voters. Johnny won it that day he played his best against Alabama. Murray will never do that.
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
2:54 pm
Dungy just likes Murray because he’s a Christian like Dungy, and Dundgy’s biased because he’s Richt’s mentor, and because Dungy’s son played ball with Murray at Plant High, he’s extremely biased, and no active NFL Head Coach has ever said something like that about Aaron Murray, or ever will.
McShay/Kiper/Joyner are much more respected in their talent evaluations that you suggest. I’ll go with their opinions over your “anonymous’ sources and an inactive biased friend of UGA. If it’s true, why don’t get 3 sources in the NFL Head Coaches who agree wiht you? What you can’t?
Big Crimson 75
January 7th, 2013
2:58 pm
Congrats to Murray & UGA, I guess!!
This decision doesn’t put UGA any closer to #1.
Bama & A&M will be pre-season top 5 Teams from the SEC, that’s it.
UGA is in the same boat whether Murray stayed or bounced.
Y’all are neck & neck with SC & Fla(with their awful QB) for East supremacy.
As for the all the draft “experts”, no one is perfect at evaluating talent.
McShay & Kiper certainly aren’t, butt neither is Dungy.
I seem to recall Dungy lobbying hard for Tebow.
In fact he said, he’d spend a top 10 pick on Tebow without thinking twice.
Tebow’s so bad, he got Greg McElroy some PT this year!!
WDE
January 7th, 2013
2:59 pm
Rojo , Murray is coming back and baring injury will be the starting QB this fall……deal with it.
Jville Dawg
January 7th, 2013
3:00 pm
Here’s a gem from your buddy Todd McShay:
“I can’t remember being in such awe of a quarterback in my decade of attending combines and pro days. Russell’s passing session was the most impressive of all the pro days I’ve been to. His footwork for such a big quarterback was surprising. He was nimble in his dropbacks, rolling out and throwing on the run. The ball just explodes out of his hands.”
Here’s what an NFL Scout had to say about McShay:
“McShay does not have any good connections,” the source opined. “Higher-ups in the league think he is an arrogant asshole. A know-it-all. And he really knows nothing. Whatever he says about a quarterback, take it to the bank, it will be the opposite. Remember, last August he stated that Jevan Snead was better than Colt McCoy and would get drafted in the top five. He has yet to publicly retract that statement.
“One of the reasons the kid came out was because of what McShay said. The family thought McShay knew and everyone else was wrong. . . . He has problems with game management, accuracy and leadership among other things, but pretty boy Todd thought he was great because of one good game (the Cotton Bowl) a year ago. McShay is a pretty face who comes across like he knows what he is talking about. He does have good presence, but knows nothing.”
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
3:02 pm
Mason owns several state of Georgia records, for td’s, yards, etc, let’s just say he beat out every QB that’s ever played in the state of Georgia for several different records. Mason once threw 7 td passes in a playoff game. Mason’s first pass at Georgia? Touchdown, look it up. Mason turned around Lassiter High, turned them into winners.
Plant High won a state championship the year before AND after Murray won his, they’re just a powerhouse. And the year Murray won his state championship, he was injured for 7 games, Saban was so impressed with the guy who took Murray’s place when Murray went down, he went out and got him to Alabama. Murray was just a kog in the wheel at Plant, they won with ANY QB the year before and after Murray.
Jville Dawg
January 7th, 2013
3:02 pm
Oh that was JaMarcus Russell he was talking about not Russell Wilson- who btw a lot of people thought was too short to play in the NFL, yet he’s the lone rookie or even two year starter still in the playoffs. Not Luck, not RG3, not A.Dalton,
Bama Olineman
January 7th, 2013
3:02 pm
This is great news; I can blindside the little puzzy again after another interception runback and listen to the leghumpers whine about how their little fairy QB was a victim of a cheap shot.
Skokie Dog
January 7th, 2013
3:03 pm
I’m perplexed by the assertions of some who have posted here that Mason will get plenty of snaps in the 2013 season. Why would you think that, given the coaching staff’s tendency to leave Murray in games, even after the outcome was no longer in doubt. And for those who criticized RoJo’s references to G-Day statistical comparisons of Murray and Mason, that’s about all the evidence that we have to consider, since the coaches have given Mason so few opportunities to play during the regular season. Many of you assume that Murray is clearly better than Mason, while criticizing those of us who suggest that may not be the case, but the fact is that neither of us has much evidence to confirm our suspicions or assertions, since Murray has almost all the playing time in regular season games. If you’re sure that the U.Ga. coaching staff couldn’t possibly be wrong in judging talent, then I’m sure that you’re comfortable in your certainty that Murray is far better than Mason. As for me, I’d like to see Mason given the chance to play meaningful snaps in games that count. I just don’t expect to see that happen.
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
3:05 pm
Hilarious, JVille thinks he knows more than McShay and Kiper COMBINED.
Joey
January 7th, 2013
3:06 pm
We should thank RoJo – at least he hasn’t changed his name all day.
Saves lots of time to just scroll on past his repetitious crap.
Jville Dawg
January 7th, 2013
3:07 pm
Big Crimson 75
January 7th, 2013
2:58 pm
As for the all the draft “experts”, no one is perfect at evaluating talent.
McShay & Kiper certainly aren’t, butt neither is Dungy.
I seem to recall Dungy lobbying hard for Tebow.
In fact he said, he’d spend a top 10 pick on Tebow without thinking twice.
Tebow’s so bad, he got Greg McElroy some PT this year!!
————————————————————
That’s my point! He’s going on the word of Kiper and McShay that A.Murray isn’t an NFL caliber QB. I was just trying to point out that you can’t always take what these guys say good or bad about a player as gospel. They’re just like the weatherman, they got a 50/50 shot of being right or wrong everyday.
Alphare
January 7th, 2013
3:08 pm
Sorry cannot resist a 1-liner:
Not good enough for the NFL, too good for the dawgs.
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
3:08 pm
Ok, if being wrong in your judment of QB talent disqualifies you, then Mark Richt is disqualified because he started Joe Terishisnki over Matt Stafford. Guess it’s not any more of a stretch to start 2-11 vs top 25 teams 0-2 in SEC Champ’s Aaron Murray over Georgia’s state record holder and best QB to ever play high school football in Georgia Hutson Mason.
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
3:10 pm
JVille, no, you don’t know more than McShay & Kiper combined. Or KC Joyner, who dubbed your guy Aaron Murray college football’s “most overrated player”. We will all go with their opinions over yours.
Jville Dawg
January 7th, 2013
3:11 pm
RoJo unlike you- I don’t think I know better than anyone, however, I know enough to know both of those guys have been wrong enough, I wouldn’t take it to the bank what either of them say about anyone. They don’t know. They are paid to spew stats, generate conversation and pacify football fans until draft day, and then act as more filler between draft day and fall camp, by “grading” each team’s draft.
I never said I know more than either of those guys, you however should go into coaching since you obviously know more than anyone here. LOL, what a joke!
North Ave. Faithful
January 7th, 2013
3:11 pm
I can’t believe you people are responding to this rojo yoyo, and moist dawg you it’s heisman.
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
3:14 pm
JVille, I mean Bulldawg, I mean Thomas Brown, ok, we know how smart you think you are, sure McShay & Kiper and Joyner over there at ESPN know nothing, and you are some kind of football genius when it comes to Aaron Murray’s talent??? Wow, thought I’d heard it all.
Jville Dawg
January 7th, 2013
3:16 pm
Again RoJo – They were all high on JaMarcus Russell, which further proves my point, just because those 3 all agree on a player good or bad, doesn’t mean squat.
Jville Dawg
January 7th, 2013
3:17 pm
RoJo – you need to take a reading comp course!
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
3:28 pm
Like I said, we’ll all go with what the experts all agree on when it comes to Murray’s talent, you go with what Mark Richt thinks. The same Mark Richt who started Joe Terishinski over Matt Stafford.
Jville Dawg
January 7th, 2013
3:30 pm
Let me see if I can simplify it for you RoJo
You thinking Kiper/McShay/Joyner are correct in their assesment of Murray doesn’t make your opinion of him any more right or wrong than my disagreeing with Kiper/McShay/Joyner Murray makes my opinion any more right or wrong.
What we do know for sure, is that over the next 2-3 yrs Someone IS going to be proven right and someone proven wrong, but today on 1/7/13 they are all just opinions, and you know what those are like.
Again for you to be so passionate about it you should write a letter to your congressman and maybe they can get Mason the starting job,but for now, whether you agree or not CMR is in charge and A. Murray is our QB and he led the team to a 12-2 record and most likely a top 5 finish. You can throw whatever stats you want, this team that team, spew vitriol nothing you say, no tantrum you throw is going to change that fact now or ever.
Deal with it.
RDawg
January 7th, 2013
3:30 pm
Mason and Lemay now move on. Mason has the size and arm NFL coaches are looking for, so he must move on to get playing time.
Columbus
January 7th, 2013
3:30 pm
427 yards and 5 TD’s NOT enough for you SMART(DUMB)Enough? With a balanced running game AND dropped TD passes by the receivers? UGA had no motivation. Nebraska did. You have little motivation when yor bowl game is not against an equal or better team AND you get left out the BCS bowl you deserved….BUT UNLIKE FLORIDA and OTHER SEC teams, UGA got the job DONE INSPITE OF THESE FACTS….HATER…
RoJo
January 7th, 2013
3:39 pm
If Richt won’t allow for competition at QB, and he won’t Mason and Lemay and Bauta and Ramsey all need to transfer.
Mark Richt runs an entitlement based talent system that isn’t based on competition, or who earned it, but who he likes the best.
So were I Hutson Mason, I’d tell Mark Richt thanks for the memories, time to transfer to a coach that will be fair instead of favoritism. After all, even the bible says:
FAVORITISM IS A SIN.
James in Amelia Island , Florida
January 7th, 2013
4:40 pm
Dawgs Fans are happy to have Aaron Murray for his Senior year! Our offense has all the lineman back, two of the best running backs in the SEC , two great tight ends, and with Mitchell, Bennett,Scott Wesley,others who are great pass receivers. A QB who knows how to read the defense and has broken all the pass records in the SEC. Thank you, Aaron for returning to lead UGA to another SEC Run.
Hope to get some great prospects in to fill the needs on defense. Araron Murray is a young man who works as hard as anyone in football on the field and a leader that UGA is very proud to have.
Go Dawgs!
tom
January 7th, 2013
4:47 pm
of course he is…Two of the softies guys in college.
bucket
January 7th, 2013
4:48 pm
It is hilarious reading people on a blog try to put down the guy that barring injury will be the career leader in passing yards and td’s in SEC history this time next year. To all you know-it-alls: if you really knew half as much about football as you think you do, then you would either be playing it right now or coaching it!!! Since you are posting on here, we’ll just assume you don’t know your butt from a hole in the ground!
zbulldawg
January 7th, 2013
4:54 pm
Let The Big DAWG Eat
ANOTHER SHOT AT HIS HEAD
January 7th, 2013
4:58 pm
Good, it will give us another shot at his head and see if it can be knocked off again…….BIG BOY FOOTBALL STYLE!
truedawg881
January 7th, 2013
5:01 pm
Glad Murray is coming back our off. should be almost unstopable we can throw and run the football to keep D on there toes we will be find on D see you at natonal champ game Murray go dawgs
LakeDawg
January 7th, 2013
5:15 pm
No matter how you cut it, having Murray back is great news. He will be the best pocket passer in the nation. You can’t replace that. He gives the Dawgs a chance to accomplish something significant.
Just In...........
January 7th, 2013
5:17 pm
Have any of you bloggers been reading what you write? Aaron Murray is decent, but the key to 2013 will be DEFENSE. Georgia got gashed in both the SECCG and the CAPITAL ONE BOWL on the ground. Nobody(well I just saw one blogger say it) wants to admit that we need the 4-3, and not the 3-4 in the sec. The 3-4 works great when you dealing wth big time passers, but heres your reality; The SEC doesn’t have one 1st round QB for the upcoming year. The 3-4 is made to attack and put pressure on the passer, and the toss sweep, and inside run game. This new spread offense that most are using some version of has to have guys who are lane disciplined and forces the qb into bad situations. Georgia could go with a solid 4-3 next year and dominate the east. They will have a hard time dealing with A&M WHO WILL WIN THE WEST NEXT YEAR(I SAID IT BAMA FANS) and Bama or LSU who always hav great backs and are highly disciplined. The Key to all this is Will Mason, or LeMay stay? These are both VHT(Very highly touted QB’s)and will they be content with there rolls? If not and we have only Parker Welch, and Brice Ramsey to turn too, we are in trouble! Wish Murray the best, but BULLDAWG NATION GET HONEST WITH YOURSELVES,and realize CHAMPIONS are made on D, and not at QB. In fact with the exception of CAM NEWTON, what other QB on any SEC NTT has a QB that has flurished at the next level? Now look at FLA, ALA, LSU, and AU and look at the players from those teams in the NFL who are prospering. Georgia find your Defense, and 2013 I’ll betcha you playing in a BCS Title game. If not, You’ll be listening to again, asking, “How is it UGA gets all that talent and falls short year after year”! Geez folks isn’t 32 years enough?
LakeDawg
January 7th, 2013
5:19 pm
Great news!
Just In...........
January 7th, 2013
5:19 pm
Have any of you bloggers been reading what you write? Aaron Murray is decent, but the key to 2013 will be DEFENSE. Georgia got gashed in both the SECCG and the CAPITAL ONE BOWL on the ground. Nobody(well I just saw one blogger say it) wants to admit that we need the 4-3, and not the 3-4 in the sec. The 3-4 works great when you dealing wth big time passers, but heres your reality; The SEC doesn’t have one 1st round QB for the upcoming year. The 3-4 is made to attack and put pressure on the passer, and the toss sweep, and inside run game. This new spread offense that most are using some version of has to have guys who are lane disciplined and forces the qb into bad situations. Georgia could go with a solid 4-3 next year and dominate the east. They will have a hard time dealing with A&M WHO WILL WIN THE WEST NEXT YEAR(I SAID IT BAMA FANS) and Bama or LSU who always hav great backs and are highly disciplined. The Key to all this is Will Mason, or LeMay stay? These are both VHT(Very highly touted QB’s)and will they be content with there rolls? If not and we have only Parker Welch, and Brice Ramsey to turn too, we are in trouble! Wish Murray the best, but BULLDAWG NATION GET HONEST WITH YOURSELVES,and realize CHAMPIONS are made on D, and not at QB. In fact with the exception of CAM NEWTON, what other QB on any SEC NTT has a QB that has flourished at the next level? Now look at FLA, ALA, LSU, and AU and look at the players from those teams in the NFL who are prospering. Georgia find your Defense, and 2013 I’ll betcha your playing in a BCS Title game. If not, You’ll be listening to again, asking, “How is it UGA gets all that talent and falls short year after year”! Geez folks isn’t 32 years enough?
Woogie
January 7th, 2013
5:22 pm
So, what is LeMay gonna do?
anon1
January 7th, 2013
5:44 pm
Was talked into coming back after Brice threw three interceptions in the AllStar game. Will Lemay still be around next year?
BeckyThompson
January 7th, 2013
5:59 pm
Can’t wait to watch him next year! Hope he breaks tons of records esp since he showing us that you can’t put a price on being a Georgia Bulldawg!!!! Not even the NFL worth that! Thanks Murray!!!!