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Sting Factor: Georgia loses Rivals100 RB John Emery

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

John Emery
John Emery (Rivals.com)
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Every time a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local, regional and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.

MORE: Emery decommits from Georgia | Can Florida hang with Georgia this weekend?

THE SITUATION

John Emery surprised many, including some of his family, when he announced his commitment to Georgia after a visit in July. Georgia was viewed as the leader late in the spring and into the summer, so it was not a real shocker that he committed to the Bulldogs, but more of the timing.

That commitment did not last three months. On Thursday evening, Emery announced that he is no longer committed to Georgia. His last visit was to LSU. He was in Baton Rouge to see the Tigers beat Georgia a couple of weeks ago. LSU may now be viewed as the favorite. Alabama, Florida and some others may try to make a move here as well.

Georgia was locked in on Emery for months, and Dell McGee led the way. Do not expect the Bulldogs to give up. They will continue to pursue Emery, but new backs will quickly become targets. Georgia has been planning to sign one back in this class, and at times there has been chatter about two. UGA now has zero running backs committed, so that position takes a priority.

How much does this hurt Georgia? Did it see this coming? We ask our experts to weigh in on just how much losing him stings and also take a look at which schools might benefit going forward.

LOCAL REACTION  

“Much like the earlier loss of Jadon Haselwood, Thursday's decommitment of Emery hurts in a big way. While the Bulldogs have a star-studded running back room that returns all of its pieces next year, including the injured Zamir White, the staff knows there's no such thing as too many talented ball carriers in the SEC. Emery was certainly the apple of Georgia's eye, but there were looming concerns even when he committed as to whether the Bulldogs would be able to hold for the long haul. Georgia has several potential options to turn to, but the staff clearly favored Emery. It wasn't a total shock, but it's still a big loss.” – Jake Reuse, UGASports.com

STING FACTOR: 8

REGIONAL REACTION 

This was somewhat of a surprise, but far from a shock. Emery always talked about how his recruitment would not be over until papers were signed, but he always seemed fairly solid with his commitment to Georgia. We knew LSU would never go away, and the Tigers are the team to beat now. This one hurts Georgia pretty bad though. Georgia is likely to still be Georgia when it comes to running backs if you look at its history, but Emery is a special talent. Georgia is still expected to receive an official visit from Emery, so this battle is not over yet. Georgia is now playing catch-up though. The month of October has not been a kind one to Kirby Smart and his staff, losing Emery and five-star wide receiver Jadon Haselwood. – Chad Simmons, Southeastern Recruiting Analyst

STING FACTOR: 7

NATIONAL REACTION  

“I’d give it a seven, because he’s such a talented kid and a big get from Louisiana. But knowing the way UGA recruits running backs it can’t be much more than that. It hurts, but the Bulldogs will be fine.” – Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell

STING FACTOR: 7

WHAT’S NEXT? 

Georgia has been recruiting other backs, so it is far from left out in the cold here. But who will the Dawgs replace Emery with? Or could they get Emery back? These next six weeks will tell that story.

Other than Emery, Kenny McIntosh, out of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.), is one to keep an eye on. Georgia may be in this one a little more than expected. Another South Florida back is Nay’quan Wright. He is thought to be a Florida lean, but McGee has kept in contact with him and seen him numerous times.

Staying in state, Jamious Griffin is one to watch. The NC State commit has drawn more looks by the way he’s played this season. Georgia reached out him earlier this season.

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