Jacob Eason will decide between UGA and UF by next week
By John Buhler
Jacob Eason, long-time commit to the Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 2 pocket passer in the Class of 2016, will decide between Georgia or Florida by next week.
In an exclusive interview with Jeff Sentell of DawgNation and the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the No. 2 pocket passer in the High School Class of 2016 Jacob Eason said that he will decide between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators around this time next week.
Eason has been Committed to the G since July 2014 when he and 4-Star offensive tackle Ben Cleveland committed to Georgia together. Both high school seniors have been integral pieces in another Top 10 recruiting class here at Georgia.
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With the firing of former head coach Mark Richt, now with the Miami Hurricanes, this has surely affected some of the commitments and the leanings of many top recruits in the nation with regards to Georgia.
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While players like Cleveland and wide receiver Charlie Woerner were going to Georgia no matter what, Richt’s departure has left Jacob Eason re-evaluating his options before enrolling in class in January. Eason remains steadfast to his UGA commitment, but will choose between UGA and arch rival Florida around this time next week.
This stems from the rapidly approaching Dead Period on December 13th, where recruits and commits won’t have direct contact with head coaches. Eason will play in the U.S Army All-American Game in the early part of January and then will enroll at either the University of Georgia or the University of Florida.
Eason told Sentell that his decision “should be around next week sometime because I am going to be out of here in January (to enroll early in college). I’ll take my trip to Georgia, come back, talk with my family, and hopefully have a decision by then.”
Jacob Eason didn’t seem to think it was a big deal that UGA had hired a defensive-minded head coach in Kirby Smart as Richt’s replacement, but does wish to see who Smart hires as his offensive coordinator.
Eason told Sentell, “I’m not really concerned about that. A head coach is a head coach. (Smart) is going to be looking over everything so obviously he is going to get the defense rolling, which will get the offense the ball. It all depends on who he gets at (offensive coordinator) to be able to develop the offense and me.”
Smart has said that he will be methodical with choosing his new coaching staff. He may not make anything official until even after Jacob Eason decides on a school to early enroll in. While it is smart for Smart to have patience to make the right hire at offensive coordinator, one has to believe that he told Eason who is on his short list for the next OC at UGA when the two met in Washington earlier this week.
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While Eason remains committed to Georgia, we do know that Florida does have two strong offensive coaches in head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, both stemming from the Nick Saban coaching tree in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The hot name out there for Georgia’s next potential offensive coordinator is Western Kentucky’s offensive coordinator Tyson Helton, whose Hilltoppers have one of the best aerial attacks in the country, albeit using a spread offense. Helton’s brother Clay is now the full-time head coach of the USC Trojans, so Tyson may venture to Southern California.
Alabama’s wide receivers coach Billy Napier has been in circulation over the UGA OC gig. Kirby Smart even reportedly inquired about Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos, but Enos has a non-compete clause and cannot join another SEC staff from his current post willingly.
Next: Tyson Helton: Right fit for Georgia Bulldogs new OC?
Though I do expect that Jacob Eason will honor his commitment to the University of Georgia, we will have to wait until he has had his visit with Georgia this weekend before we will know where the No. 2 pocket passer in the country chooses to enroll early this January. The Dead Period starts on Sunday, December 13th.