UGA Coach On Roquan Smith Not Signing NLI: "If My Son Is Good Enough, I'm Not Going To Let Him Sign An NLI"
Georgia is the benefactor of linebacker Roquan Smith's prolonged recruitment. The Peach State product flipped his commitment from UCLA to Georgia after Bruins' defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich left for the Atlanta Falcons shortly after signing day. Smith signed his UGA financial aid agreement, which does not bind him to the school the same way a National Letter of Intent does.
One anonymous Georgia coach can't blame Smith, and reportedly told the future Bulldog and his Macon County High School coach Larry Harold that he would handle his son's recruitment the same way.
“The UGA coaches were fine with Roquan not signing an NLI — actually one of the coaches said that if their son is good enough, they’re not going to let him sign an NLI either,” Macon County coach Larry Harold told the AJC.
“I’m not going to say which UGA coach it was. You’re going to have to ask them. He was like ‘Coach, if my son is good enough and is in the same position as Roquan, I’m not going to let him sign an NLI. I understand exactly why you’re doing this.’ They get it. So I guess the buzz is going around.”
We can't blame Smith either, after the way his UCLA commitment turned out. Avoiding a Letter of Intent is the smart way to go if there's any concern that a team's situation may change after National Signing Day.
