Things aren’t going all that smooth in Athens, Georgia at the moment.
Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs are undoubtedly kicking themselves for losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game.
That loss cost them a chance at three-peating as national championships.
Adding salt to the wound is the fact that Georgia was clearly one of the four best teams in the country and were deserving of a playoff spot.
If there was one team that could beat the Michigan Wolverines, it was the Georgia Bulldogs … But in the one game they HAD to win, they lost to the hated Tide, and that was that.
Georgia got snubbed from the College Football Playoff this year not FSU. After barely losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship by just 3 points, the committee dropped UGA from #1 to #6 in the rankings.That doesn’t make much sense to me. Georgia’s resume was also far better than. pic.twitter.com/5HpmfnNmAK
— RGE (@RawGaEnt) January 8, 2024
Now, amidst rumors that Smart could be considering a jump to the NFL, comes the news that they lost a transfer quarterback who they thought they had locked up.
UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava, who initially announced his commitment to the Bulldogs just on Monday, has since had a change of heart and opted to sign with the USC Trojans instead.
Georgia loses UNLV QB transfer Jayden Maiava to USC just one day after commitment https://t.co/aV7QeELQoP
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 10, 2024
Did something happen behind the scenes? Perhaps an NIL deal of sorts? … Maybe we’ll soon find out.
Maiava, a Hawaiian-born signal-caller, joined UNLV as a three-star prospect in 2022 and redshirted his first year. He had a standout 2023 season, winning the starting job and throwing for 3,085 yards and 17 touchdowns.
In one of the more whirlwind recruitments I can remember, I'm now hearing former #UNLV QB Jayden Maiava has flipped his commitment from #Georgia to #USC, this one has gone back and forth 2-3 times so might not call this one done until he starts classes pic.twitter.com/Au5ReWhb2P
— Greg Biggins (@GregBiggins) January 10, 2024
Of course, with 2024 Heisman Trophy candidate Carson Beck at quarterback, Maiava wouldn’t have seen much playing time for the Bulldogs next season.
At USC, he’s expected to compete with Miller Moss for the starting job.
Moss was phenomenal in USC’s bowl game against Louisville. So head coach Lincoln Riley will have a couple of great options to evaluate.
The Miller Moss to Ja’Kobi Lane connection this coming season is going to be ELITE😮 pic.twitter.com/1LKyxnzdyI
— Trojan Football fan (@TrojanFBx) January 5, 2024
What do you make of Maiava’s flop-flopping decision?
Was his decision to ditch Georgia in any way a sign of Smart and the Bulldogs losing their power and allure?
Or was this simply a case of Maiava being conflicted, and ultimately deciding to switch his commitment to a program where he has a better chance to start???