Former players and recruits react to Mark Richt's departure

ATHENS -- No matter what your opinion was of Mark Richt the football head coach, it's hard to find anything bad to say about Richt the person.

Richt was respected by the players who have come through his program during the past 15 years. And that's what made Sunday's mutual parting with the program difficult to swallow for many of his former players.

"Greatest coach of all time and even a better person," former Georgia running back Todd Gurley posted on Instagram. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. Words can't explain how this feels but I know God has a plan."

Following Sunday morning's news, many of Richt's current and former players took to social media to express their thanks to Richt for his influence off the field.

"@MarkRicht turned a immature 18 yr old, into the man I am today," sophomore linebacker Davin Bellamy tweeted. "Thank you for taking me in."

"I wouldn't be the person I am today withoutctrack val="5.00000e-003"/>The reaction by current and former players shows just how well-liked Richt is. Given that, his firing is likely to have an effect on the recruiting trail, one place that Richt has excelled at for most of his career. Georgia currently holds the fourth-ranked 2016 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

Many of Georgia's 17 commitments opted to go with no comment, including three-star linebacker Jaleel Laguins and three-star receiver Darion Anderson.

One of the most highly touted recruits in the 2016 Georgia class, four-star offensive tackle Ben Cleveland, offered his continued support to the program.

"I have 100% faith in UGA bringing in the right man," Cleveland tweeted. "I've committed to the program and will always be a dawg. Gotta stay positive."

While no Georgia commitments have de-committed, the firing did catch the eye of several high-profile targets, which is where the firing could hurt the recruiting class the most.

"If that isn't a shocker than I don't know what is," five-star athlete Mecole Hardman Jr. tweeted.

"That Changes everything," four-star offensive tackle E.J. Price tweeted.

This story was originally published November 29, 2015 at 9:32 PM with the headline "Former players and recruits react to Mark Richt's departure ."