Georgia Bulldogs: Jay Rome
Georgia coach Mark Richt confirmed on Wednesday that Ty Flournoy-Smith intends to transfer to another program, although he was not yet sure of the sophomore tight end’s eventual landing spot.
“It will probably be a junior college destination,” Richt said. “He’s talking with [Georgia Military College].”
Richt did not rule out Flournoy-Smith eventually return to Georgia.
“Possibly. That could happen,” he said.
Flournoy-Smith appeared in eight games last fall as a true freshman and seemed to be in the mix for an increased role this season. He was arrested in February for reporting his university-issued schoolbooks as stolen when he had actually sold them back to an Athens-area bookstore, but Richt said at the time that his punishment would be handled internally.
Richt said that he and Flournoy-Smith met this week and that the tight end had reached a decision by the end of their meeting.
“He came to my office and when we were done talking, he thought it was in his best interest to transfer out. That’s kind of where I’m going to leave it right now,” Richt said.
Flournoy-Smith’s departure leaves Georgia with three scholarship tight ends for the 2013 season. Senior Arthur Lynch and sophomore Jay Rome return after splitting the vast majority of the snaps at the position last fall, while signee Jordan Davis will enter the mix this summer.
The Bulldogs seemed set to sign just one tight end for the 2014 class and already have a commitment from ESPN 150 honoree Jeb Blazevich. However, Flournoy-Smith’s departure might alter that plan.
Richt said he is simply not sure whether that will change the coaching staff’s recruiting plan for the position yet.
“You’re going to have a target number at each position,” Richt said. “If you don’t hit a target at a certain position, then you might take that one and give it to this position. So that happens along the way. But we had our target and we basically hit it and now whether that’s changing, I’m just not sure yet.”
Richt said Flournoy-Smith is the only Bulldog that he knows of who is pursuing a transfer.
“It will probably be a junior college destination,” Richt said. “He’s talking with [Georgia Military College].”
Richt did not rule out Flournoy-Smith eventually return to Georgia.
“Possibly. That could happen,” he said.
Flournoy-Smith appeared in eight games last fall as a true freshman and seemed to be in the mix for an increased role this season. He was arrested in February for reporting his university-issued schoolbooks as stolen when he had actually sold them back to an Athens-area bookstore, but Richt said at the time that his punishment would be handled internally.
Richt said that he and Flournoy-Smith met this week and that the tight end had reached a decision by the end of their meeting.
“He came to my office and when we were done talking, he thought it was in his best interest to transfer out. That’s kind of where I’m going to leave it right now,” Richt said.
Flournoy-Smith’s departure leaves Georgia with three scholarship tight ends for the 2013 season. Senior Arthur Lynch and sophomore Jay Rome return after splitting the vast majority of the snaps at the position last fall, while signee Jordan Davis will enter the mix this summer.
The Bulldogs seemed set to sign just one tight end for the 2014 class and already have a commitment from ESPN 150 honoree Jeb Blazevich. However, Flournoy-Smith’s departure might alter that plan.
Richt said he is simply not sure whether that will change the coaching staff’s recruiting plan for the position yet.
“You’re going to have a target number at each position,” Richt said. “If you don’t hit a target at a certain position, then you might take that one and give it to this position. So that happens along the way. But we had our target and we basically hit it and now whether that’s changing, I’m just not sure yet.”
Richt said Flournoy-Smith is the only Bulldog that he knows of who is pursuing a transfer.
ATHENS, Ga. -- Over the last two weeks, we reviewed the competition for playing time at each position on Georgia’s depth chart and identified a player to watch at each position.
A defense that lost 12 significant players will be a focal point well into the fall, and it was in our post-spring recaps. Let’s take a look at the defensive positions first:
A defense that lost 12 significant players will be a focal point well into the fall, and it was in our post-spring recaps. Let’s take a look at the defensive positions first:
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Without question, the highlight around DawgNation this week came Tuesday when tight end Jeb Blazevich (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian) became the first ESPN 150 honoree to join Georgia’s 2014 signing class -- just three days before another one, running back Sony Michel (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage), joined him.
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Editor's note: Over the next couple of weeks, we'll clean out our notebook from Georgia's spring practice to tell the stories we didn't get to before the Bulldogs' G-Day game. We started with fullback Quayvon Hicks earlier this week. Today we catch up with tight end Jay Rome.
ATHENS, Ga. -- Jay Rome and Arthur Lynch established themselves late last season as weapons in Georgia’s passing game. Now Rome has an ambitious goal for the duo entering their second season as the Bulldogs’ primary options at the position.
ATHENS, Ga. -- Jay Rome and Arthur Lynch established themselves late last season as weapons in Georgia’s passing game. Now Rome has an ambitious goal for the duo entering their second season as the Bulldogs’ primary options at the position.
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Short of national signing day itself, nothing creates a bigger buzz around RecruitingNation than when we unveil and update the ESPN 150.
That list of some of the nation’s top prospects dropped on Thursday, with a number of Georgia targets making the list. Georgia doesn’t count an ESPN 150 member among its three 2014 commitments thus far, but that could change soon.
This week, we took a look at Georgia’s chances of landing some of the top ESPN 150 players on its board and also updated the Bulldogs’ efforts to land some other top talent, including:
That list of some of the nation’s top prospects dropped on Thursday, with a number of Georgia targets making the list. Georgia doesn’t count an ESPN 150 member among its three 2014 commitments thus far, but that could change soon.
This week, we took a look at Georgia’s chances of landing some of the top ESPN 150 players on its board and also updated the Bulldogs’ efforts to land some other top talent, including:
- Defensive tackle Lamont Gaillard (Fayetteville, N.C./Pine Forest), who said Georgia leads.
- Defensive end Lorenzo Carter (Norcross, Ga./Norcross)
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Editor’s note: Over the next two weeks, we’ll take a closer look at each of Georgia’s position groups at the end of spring practice. Today we examine the tight ends:
Returning players/stats: Arthur Lynch, Sr. (12 starts, 24 catches, 431 yards, 3 TDs); Jay Rome, So. (one start, 11-151, 2 TDs); Ty Flournoy-Smith, So. (no catches)
Newcomers: Jordan Davis, Fr. (ESPN No. 15 tight end, expected to enroll this summer)
Key storyline: As with Wednesday’s receiver to watch, Chris Conley, Georgia tight ends Lynch and Rome started to play a much larger role in the passing game in the second half of last season once injuries created opportunities for more balls to come their way. Now established in the passing game, Lynch and Rome could build on last season’s 582 combined receiving yards by getting off to a quicker start as receivers this fall.
Returning players/stats: Arthur Lynch, Sr. (12 starts, 24 catches, 431 yards, 3 TDs); Jay Rome, So. (one start, 11-151, 2 TDs); Ty Flournoy-Smith, So. (no catches)
AP Photo/Alex MenendezArthur Lynch became a bigger threat for the Bulldogs in the second half of 2012 and is UGA's second-leading returning receiver.
Key storyline: As with Wednesday’s receiver to watch, Chris Conley, Georgia tight ends Lynch and Rome started to play a much larger role in the passing game in the second half of last season once injuries created opportunities for more balls to come their way. Now established in the passing game, Lynch and Rome could build on last season’s 582 combined receiving yards by getting off to a quicker start as receivers this fall.
ATHENS, Ga. -- At the midway point of last season, many Georgia fans were asking why the Bulldogs’ tight ends -- and Jay Rome in particular -- weren’t playing a bigger role in the offense.
Rome caught only two passes in the first eight games last fall as a redshirt freshman, playing almost exclusively in a blocking role. That was not what anyone expected from the player whom ESPN rated as the nation’s top tight end prospect when he signed with the Bulldogs in 2011.
Rome caught only two passes in the first eight games last fall as a redshirt freshman, playing almost exclusively in a blocking role. That was not what anyone expected from the player whom ESPN rated as the nation’s top tight end prospect when he signed with the Bulldogs in 2011.
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ATHENS, Ga. -- With G-Day coming up this Saturday, fans will get to see the new Georgia defense and possibly a reconstituted offensive line. The annual spring scrimmage in Sanford Stadium will likely answer a lot of questions, but in the meantime we will answer a few of them here in this edition of the DawgNation Mailbag.
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Editor’s note: Each day this week, we’ll ask a question that Georgia’s football team faces this spring as it moves toward the 2013 season. Today’s question: Statistically, Georgia enjoyed one of the finest offensive seasons in school history last fall. What must a group that returns 10 starters do to improve in 2013?
ATHENS, Ga. -- No Georgia offense has ever scored more frequently than the 2012 bunch that averaged 37.8 points per game and ranked among the nation’s most explosive units.
That sets the bar awfully high for a 2013 offense that returns 10 starters, but they know they must be even more ambitious this offseason if they are to match that production, much less exceed it.
ATHENS, Ga. -- No Georgia offense has ever scored more frequently than the 2012 bunch that averaged 37.8 points per game and ranked among the nation’s most explosive units.
That sets the bar awfully high for a 2013 offense that returns 10 starters, but they know they must be even more ambitious this offseason if they are to match that production, much less exceed it.
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TE Smith charged with filing false report
February, 23, 2013
Feb 23
11:06
AM ET
By
David Ching | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia tight end Ty Flournoy-Smith was arrested late Friday night and accused of falsely reporting textbooks as stolen, only to have actually sold them back to a local bookstore, according to police.
“He filed a police report stating his books had been stolen to the police department,” UGA police chief Jimmy Williamson said. “The police department started investigating this crime to see if we could find his books or find the responsible party, and we did. We found out that he was the one that sold his books to a local book-buy store and he had filed a report with us falsely.”
Smith was booked into Athens-Clarke County jail at 10:56 p.m. on Friday and charged with false report of a crime. He was released at 12:41 a.m. on $1,000 bond.
Williamson said Flournoy-Smith filed the report earlier this week and his detectives visited a number of area bookstores in order to track them down. Once they located the books, Williamson said, their interviews with the store clerk and with Flournoy-Smith led them to believe he had been the one to sell back the books.
They sought and were granted a warrant and will attempt to prosecute because of the waste of resources involved in the investigation, Williamson said.
“This situation here, it appeared that he needed money and he sold the books back,” Williamson said. “The books are issued to him, I guess athletics can say more about it, through the program. When there’s a loss, he has to make them aware. And to cover up what he’d done, he had to file a police report.
“If somebody files a report with us and we have someone assigned to investigate it and we do everything we can to find it, that’s credible and real. There’s a lot of resources spent on it and all it was was one lie to cover another lie, so we prosecuted. When we figure out someone knowingly falsifies a police report, then we prosecute.”
The rising sophomore appeared in eight games last season, but did not register a catch while playing behind junior Arthur Lynch and redshirt freshman Jay Rome.
“He filed a police report stating his books had been stolen to the police department,” UGA police chief Jimmy Williamson said. “The police department started investigating this crime to see if we could find his books or find the responsible party, and we did. We found out that he was the one that sold his books to a local book-buy store and he had filed a report with us falsely.”
Smith was booked into Athens-Clarke County jail at 10:56 p.m. on Friday and charged with false report of a crime. He was released at 12:41 a.m. on $1,000 bond.
Williamson said Flournoy-Smith filed the report earlier this week and his detectives visited a number of area bookstores in order to track them down. Once they located the books, Williamson said, their interviews with the store clerk and with Flournoy-Smith led them to believe he had been the one to sell back the books.
They sought and were granted a warrant and will attempt to prosecute because of the waste of resources involved in the investigation, Williamson said.
“This situation here, it appeared that he needed money and he sold the books back,” Williamson said. “The books are issued to him, I guess athletics can say more about it, through the program. When there’s a loss, he has to make them aware. And to cover up what he’d done, he had to file a police report.
“If somebody files a report with us and we have someone assigned to investigate it and we do everything we can to find it, that’s credible and real. There’s a lot of resources spent on it and all it was was one lie to cover another lie, so we prosecuted. When we figure out someone knowingly falsifies a police report, then we prosecute.”
The rising sophomore appeared in eight games last season, but did not register a catch while playing behind junior Arthur Lynch and redshirt freshman Jay Rome.
With signing day 2013 behind us, it’s time to turn our attention to 2014 recruits. Here are five players Georgia will be targeting for next year’s class:
RB Sony Michel (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage)
RB Sony Michel (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage)
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia’s football program seemed to be on the ropes with two weeks remaining until signing day 2011. Three seasons of declining results, capped by the program’s first losing record under Mark Richt in 2010, left the Bulldogs in an uncertain position.
But when Malcolm Mitchell and Jay Rome elected to join the Bulldogs’ “Dream Team” recruiting class on Jan. 20, 2011, an impressive finishing push for Richt’s coaching staff leading up to signing day was launched. That was a big step toward the on-field resurgence that allowed the Bulldogs to win back-to-back SEC East titles over the last two years.
Another strong signing class followed the “Dream Team” in 2012 and played a role in the Bulldogs’ division championship. And as Richt’s staff attempts to reel in a final batch of blue-chip prospects before national signing day on Wednesday, we can review the successes of the past two seasons and point to that mid-January day -- 13 days before signing day 2011 -- that Valdosta (Ga.) teammates Mitchell and Rome publicly committed to the Bulldogs as the jumping-off point for Richt’s staff to restock their roster with a flood of talent.
But when Malcolm Mitchell and Jay Rome elected to join the Bulldogs’ “Dream Team” recruiting class on Jan. 20, 2011, an impressive finishing push for Richt’s coaching staff leading up to signing day was launched. That was a big step toward the on-field resurgence that allowed the Bulldogs to win back-to-back SEC East titles over the last two years.
Another strong signing class followed the “Dream Team” in 2012 and played a role in the Bulldogs’ division championship. And as Richt’s staff attempts to reel in a final batch of blue-chip prospects before national signing day on Wednesday, we can review the successes of the past two seasons and point to that mid-January day -- 13 days before signing day 2011 -- that Valdosta (Ga.) teammates Mitchell and Rome publicly committed to the Bulldogs as the jumping-off point for Richt’s staff to restock their roster with a flood of talent.
To gear up for 2013 national signing day, DawgNation's Radi Nabulsi is breaking down every commitment in the Bulldogs' 2013 recruiting class.
Vitals: Tight end Jordan Davis, Thomson, Ga./Thomson | 6-foot-4, 225 pounds
Committed: July 29, 2012
Vitals: Tight end Jordan Davis, Thomson, Ga./Thomson | 6-foot-4, 225 pounds
Committed: July 29, 2012
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Ashley Henderson has heard all of the questions about whether a player from a small private school in Georgia can make the leap to playing major college football. He believes Aulden Bynum has the physical tools and the toughness to make that transition.
“People have asked me, ‘Well, because he goes to Valwood, do you think he’s going to be able to do it?’ ” said Henderson, who coached Bynum and the Valiants to a Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) state title last fall. “I said, ‘Well, I coached O-line at Valdosta for seven years and he’s as good as I ever had there.’ ”
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By the numbers: UGA classes since 2006 
January, 18, 2013
Jan 18
7:00
AM ET
By
David Ching | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- Here’s a breakdown of Georgia’s last seven recruiting classes and what they managed to accomplish in college and beyond:
2006
ESPN top five classes: Florida, USC, Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame
Georgia’s ranking: 4
2006
ESPN top five classes: Florida, USC, Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame
Georgia’s ranking: 4
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
David Ching
David Ching came to ESPN.com in 2011 after six years covering UGA for the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer and Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald. He lives in Athens. Email him at davidchingespn@gmail.com.
Radi Nabulsi
Radi Nabulsi joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering the University of Georgia for Rivals.com for four years and for the UGA Athletic Association since 1993. Nabulsi is a graduate of the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and lives in Athens. He can be reached at radinabulsiespn@gmail.com.
Kipp Adams
Kipp Adams joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering University of Georgia football and basketball recruiting for five years at Rivals.com. He lives in Sandy Springs, Ga., and enjoys spending time with his two sons. He can be reached at kippadamsespn@gmail.com.