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Kirby Smart must make strong impression on Georgia QB commit Jacob Eason
By Corey Long
Published:
A reconciliation with new Miami coach Mark Richt seemingly out of the picture, top quarterback prospect Jacob Eason is down to two schools – Georgia and Florida.
Eason is a five-star pro-style quarterback who guided his Lake Stevens High team to the Washington state semifinals. He threw 43 touchdowns passes as a senior.
He is committed to Georgia and has been for nearly 17 months. After Richt’s departure from Georgia and subsequent hiring at Miami, some linked Eason to Miami, but the son of former Notre Dame receiver Tony Eason decided to take an official visit to Florida instead.
Despite reports of Eason flipping his commitment, he left Gainesville without making an announcement.
That shouldn’t have shocked anyone.
Eason has invested a lot of time in Georgia and wouldn’t change a commitment without giving new coach Kirby Smart a chance to explain his plans for the program.
With Eason’s official visit to Georgia planned for this weekend and a final decision to be made soon after here are a few things that we do know.
1. Talk of a “flip” was premature: The minute Eason arrived at The Swamp there were rumors of him making a flip. Those rumors, likely started on team site message boards or Twitter, were unfounded and that shouldn’t be a surprise. Eason has been committed to Georgia for a year and half; he wasn’t going to let a weekend visit completely change his mind. He was going to go back to Georgia one more time before making a final decision.
2. The depth charts are friendly: Georgia likely will have Greyson Lambert and Brice Ramsey returning next season but neither QB has come close to establishing himself as a reliable option. Florida will have Treon Harris or Luke Del Rio to start the season until Will Grier returns from his year-long NCAA suspension in Week 7. Eason could play at either as a true freshman.
3. Smart will be staffing: Kirby Smart could have his staff in place before the Eason’s arrival this weekend. It’s likely he’ll at least have an offensive coordinator in place. Smart, who will continue to lead Alabama’s defense through the playoffs, needs to make waves with this offensive coordinator hire because this person will be the face of the program on the days Smart is preparing the Crimson Tide for their playoff semifinal game against Michigan State.
Weeks before Richt was fired, Eason’s father was asked whether a coaching change would impact his son signing with the Bulldogs. He indicated that a drastic change from a pro-style attack that favors his son’s skill set and experience to a run-heavy or spread attack would be a critical factor in his final decision.
Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.
