Georgia QB Jamie Newman opts out of 2020 season. What it means for Bulldogs’ offense

One of Georgia’s newest roster additions will opt out of the 2020 season.

Jamie Newman, a graduate transfer quarterback from Wake Forest, has chosen not to play for the Bulldogs because of COVID-19 concerns and will start training for the NFL, he announced Wednesday.

“With much prayer and discussion with my family I would like to announce that due to the uncertainties of this year amid a global pandemic I will officially opt-out of this football season to prepare for the upcoming 2021 NFL draft,” he said via a social media post.

Newman joined UGA’s program in January after previous starting quarterback Jake Fromm declared for the NFL Draft. Newman is the first player to opt out for the Bulldogs. The season kicks off Sept. 26 at Arkansas.

The news was first reported by 247Sports and Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel.

College athletes can opt of of their 2020 sports seasons that are being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and not lose a season of eligibility. Newman’s opt-out follows a pattern of draft-eligible players making similar decisions. Recently, LSU star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase joined three other Tigers — Tyler Shelvin, Kary Vincent and Neil Farrell — to skip the 2020 season.

Newman came to Georgia after a strong campaign at Wake Forest. He became a dual-threat weapon for the Demon Deacons with 2,868 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. Newman added 574 rushing yards and six touchdowns to those totals.

After Fromm’s departure, Newman was expected to start for Georgia at quarterback this season. The competition for the role, however, heated up after Georgia landed JT Daniels from USC. Daniels received an immediate eligibility waiver.

Georgia held its first preseason scrimmage Saturday at Sanford Stadium. Head coach Kirby Smart said Newman ran a majority of the first-team reps alongside Daniels. Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken lauded Newman for his dual-threat abilities, and added that he’s a “better thrower than people think.” An impression out of the first scrimmage was that Newman still had an advantage to start.

“I would like to thank Coach Smart for extending the opportunity for me to be a part of the University of Georgia football program,” Newman said in making his announcement. “Although my time has been short I’ve built some great relationships and I’ve had a chance to continue my development.”

Newman, since transferring to Georgia, had been pegged as a first-round NFL Draft selection and a potential Heisman Trophy candidate with the Bulldogs. He’s expected to begin training for the NFL, according to reports.

Newman entered preseason practices on Aug. 17 with some injury concerns. He went through the summer period of workouts and walkthroughs while battling a mid-foot sprain. Smart said he got “mental reps” during that time, but wasn’t a full participant. Newman recently received full clearance for contact as Georgia continued spring practice.

Georgia’s deep quarterback pool suddenly thins out with the departure of Newman. There are a host of injuries, too, that make the search for a starter unclear.

Daniels, who is returning from a torn ACL suffered during the first game of the 2019 season, has not yet been cleared for contact. He participates fully in practice and gets reps, but a lack of clearance makes for uncertain evaluation.

Beyond the transfers, Georgia has three other options.

D’wan Mathis, a redshirt freshman, didn’t practice much through the 2019 season due to a brain injury that required surgery last summer. He was a four-star signee after flipping to the Bulldogs from Ohio State. Mathis ran with the first-team during red-zone periods throughout the first scrimmage, Smart said.

Freshman Carson Beck, whom Smart has shown favor toward, becomes another viable candidate. He has been with the program since bowl practices began last December and might not be too far behind his teammates as the offense underwent a reset under Monken.

The most-experienced option for the Bulldogs comes in Stetson Bennett. He served as Fromm’s backup last season and returned to the program in 2019 after transferring to a junior college.

“One of the guiding principles of both the SEC and UGA return-to-play protocols has been the health and safety of our student-athletes,” Smart said in a statement. “We have emphasized continually that any student-athlete who decides to opt out because of health and/or safety concerns related to COVID-19 would be fully supported to include honoring scholarships, access to academic facilities, etc., and would remain in good standing with the team. While we will miss him being part of our program, I fully support Jamie’s decision and we will continue to regard him as a Georgia Bulldog. Certainly we wish him nothing but the best in his quest for an NFL career and he knows he will always have a home at UGA.”

New Georgia football 2020 schedule

Sept. 26: at Arkansas, 4 pm (SEC Network)

Oct. 3: vs. Auburn, 7:30 pm (ESPN)

Oct. 10: vs. Tennessee

Oct. 17: at Alabama, 8 pm (CBS)

Oct. 24: at Kentucky

Oct. 31: OPEN

Nov. 7: vs. Florida in Jacksonville, 3:30 pm (CBS)

Nov. 14: at Missouri

Nov. 21: vs. Mississippi State

Nov. 28: at South Carolina

Dec. 5: vs. Vanderbilt

This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 3:34 PM.