Washaun Ealey Completes Transition From UGA, Transferring To Jacksonville State

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Washaun Ealey Transferring To Jacksonville State Football, To Houston Nutt's Dismay

Former Georgia Bulldogs RB Washaun Ealey has found a new college football home: the Jacksonville St. Gamecocks, according to a report by the Athens Banner-Herald's Marc Weiszer. As that's a FCS program, he'll be able to play in the 2011 season.

Had he transferred a year prior, he would've been able to contribute to JSU's last-second beating of the Mississippi Rebels and perhaps helped the Cocks avoid a near-catastrophe against the newborn Georgia St. Panthers.

Weiszer cites Ealey's high school coach as saying the school will be a good fit.

Ealey left UGA as the program's two-time defending rushing champ, having faced mounting problems on and off the field, though none were really all that cataclysmic. If Mark Richt had simply had enough of Ealey's constant adventures, nobody really blamed him. The talented back leaves behind very high unfulfilled expectations, hopefully heading to a better opportunity. 

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• about 2 years ago
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Washaun Ealey Is Leaving Georgia Football, And Georgia Football Is Totally Cool With That

Washaun Ealey's departure is a loss for Georgia, but it may be worth it for the attitude shift it represents.

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Washaun Ealey To Georgia Southern Football Transfer Not Happening

Despite months of speculation, newly released Georgia Bulldogs RB Washaun Ealey will not be joining the Georgia Southern Eagles, reports the Athens Banner-Herald's Marc Weiszer. In an email, GSU assistant athletic director Rose Carter said, "Georgia Southern has not been and will not be in conversation with Washaun Ealey."

If Ealey wants to remain in-state and avoid missing the 2011 season, that would leave only the Georgia St. Panthers, though Bill Curry's also recently kicked a miscreant or two off his own team. Some have noted the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets always like to keep a pile of running backs handy, but I can't decide whether Paul Johnson would rather bring on Ealey to spite Georgia or not bring him on to spite Georgia.

It's a big sea out there otherwise, as his unconditional release frees him to play for any school that will have him. The Kentucky Wildcats would likely be pleased to bring on the guy who pummeled them for five touchdowns, while Ealey's always been good to the Colorado Buffaloes.

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• about 2 years ago
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Washaun Ealey On Transferring From Crowded UGA Backfield: 'Just Wasn't Feeling The Vibe'

Washaun Ealey told Dawgs 247's Gentry Estes he's leaving the Georgia Bulldogs football program because he's thinking about his future and where he "wants to be in 10 years," which presumably means the NFL. It makes sense a college football player wouldn't be happy about having to give up playing time to Isaiah Crowell and Carlton Thomas in addition to Caleb King, and it sounds like that's the root of the issue for Ealey:

I'm a person where I want to be a premier back. If I was to play here, I would have had to share the backfield with Caleb and Carlton also. Then they were going to try to give the freshman, Isaiah, his chance. He probably was going to get some carries at the beginning of the year, too. I just felt like I didn't want to be in that mix of things anymore.    

Not that the split isn't in the best interest of both parties, of course. Mark Richt has long made it clear he's had it up to there and back with Ealey's off-field adventures and on-field inconsistency.

Ealey wants to go somewhere where he can be a feature back, which makes you wonder again about those Georgia Southern Eagles transfer rumors. Well, remember the original Adrian Peterson, who still holds the Division I all-time career rushing record? He went on to have a nine-year NFL career. Just saying.

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• about 2 years ago
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Washaun Ealey's Transfer Enlists Bryan McClendon's Assistance, Disappoints High School Coach

Washaun Ealey will soon transfer from Georgia Bulldogs football to another school. UGA running backs coach Bryan McClendon has been trying to help Ealey settle on a new destination, as told to the Athens Banner-Herald's Marc Weiszer:

He's got some things to look at and we're trying to make sure that we make the right choice for him ... There's still plenty of options out there for him, so we're trying to do what we can to put him in a good position still ... That's my main focus for him right now: that he sets himself up to do well in life outside of football.

That potential Georgia Southern Eagles transfer also gets a mention in the story. Weiszer also talked to Ealey's high school coach, Emanuel County's Milan Turner:

I hate to see him go. I was really hoping it would work out for Washaun and for the University of Georgia. It's a privilege to play there. We've known Washaun's had some incidents here and there that have kind of gotten him in trouble ... Hopefully they'll part ways on good terms.

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• about 2 years ago
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Washaun Ealey Transfer Announcement Pleases Georgia Football Fans

Complicated student-athlete Washaun Ealey will soon transfer from the Georgia Bulldogs football program, ending one of the most entertaining runs in Athens history -- and a decent Sanford Stadium career to boot, if one that fell short of what might've been.

Kyle King at Dawg Sports shakes his head at Ealey's failings, but did not come to bury the tailback:

That is not to say that I wish the young man ill, or that I am prepared to dismiss the announcement of Ealey's release with a flippant "good riddance to bad rubbish." Washaun had his struggles, but he hardly qualified as rubbish, even if his judgment needed improvement, both on and off the field.

However, so far the Dawg Sports community is very happy to see Ealey gone. Georgia fans can all hope the outgoing No. 3 serves as an example for Isaiah Crowell, the player most likely to take over at the position Ealey held for most of the past two seasons.

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• over 2 years ago
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Washaun Ealey Suspension Heats Up Georgia Southern Transfer Rumors

Washaun Ealey has reportedly been suspended from the Georgia Bulldogs football program. This much we know. Meanwhile, those message board rumors of Ealey transferring to Georgia Southern have intensified.

We didn’t do anything with the GSU rumors when they first started bubbling up, but now there’s actually a reason to address and share them. They have been floating since at least January, showing up on Georgia message boards and even general SEC boards.

Supposedly (again, according to message boards), Ealey was recently seen in Statesboro alongside Eagles recruits. Georgia Southern fans are already penciling him into the team’s depth chart.

Obviously Ealey’s predicament has been worsening for some time now, with Ealey missing various rounds of early-morning punishment runs on top of totally random on-field production, incurring that arrest, and engaging in a generally impressive spree of not-all-that-scandalous mischief. And it sounds like he’s lost his starting job to Isaiah Crowell, assuming the freshman does his part.

While it would take some time for Ealey to learn Jeff Monken’s system — and adjust to a team culture that is certainly no more accommodating to Ealeyesque behavior than Mark Richt’s is — he would instantly be the most physically talented player on the team.

But again, it’s just a rumor for now.

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Wayshun Ealey Suspended Indefinitely By Mark Richt

ESPN.com is reporting that Georgia running back Washaun Ealey has been suspended indefinitely from the team. The suspension bars Ealey from working out at the team facility or participating in any team functions.  The Atlanta Journal Constitution in a short update says that the suspension is reportedly a result of Ealey failing to show up for a "punishment run" last week. Thus far the University of Georgia has not released a statement. 

The suspension comes on the heels of Georgia's signing of the Nation's No. 1 running back in Carver Columbus native Isaiah Crowell. When talking about Crowell, Mark Richt hinted that there was a strong possibility that the freshman could take the opening hand off next season against Boise State in the Georgia Dome. Perhaps this incident further explains that statement. 

Ealey, a junior, rushed for 811 yards with 11 touchdowns. He missed the season opener after being suspended due to having been arrested for leaving the scene of an accident and driving on a suspended license. Ealey was just part of Georgia's backfield discipline problems as second leading rusher Caleb King was suspended twice last season in off the field incidents and was academically unavailable for Georgia's bowl loss to Central Florida.