What do departures mean?

Not counting AJ Green and Justin Houston, who both departed early for the NFL draft and discounting Trinton Sturdivant, Tanner Strickland and Jeremy Longo who were medically disqualified, eight players have left the Georgia program since the end of the dismal 2010 season and a ninth player could soon depart. Rumor has it that sophomore cornerback Derek Owens may be seeking a transfer and head coach Mark Richt would not say one way or the other if Owens was leaving at his weekly news conference.

The question will now rage whether these players are jumping off of a sinking ship or if these players aren’t willing to put in the work to help pave the future of the program under Richt in Athens. Several players have been turned off by the new approach to the strength and conditioning program and others have seen their spot on the depth chart drop as Richt and his coaches seem heck-bent on playing the best players on campus, regardless of experience. Before the season I called for Richt to play the best players, be it a true freshman or a fifth-year senior. It seems Richt is pulling out all of the stops after starting 0-2 and that has meant playing a bunch of the Dream Team members, redshirts be darned. Ray Drew, Watts Dantzler, David Andrews, Chris Conley, Nick Marshall and Ramik Wilson have all seen action while Isaiah Crowell, Malcolm Mitchell, Damian Swann, Chris Sanders, Corey Moore and Amarlo Herrera have seen extensive time on the field from the first game. These players are all a part of the Dream Team 2011 recruiting class that is being looked at to save Richt’s job. By playing them early, he just might save it.

The players that are leaving perhaps didn’t live up to expectations or maybe are bitter over a freshman beating them out for playing time. Either way Richt cannot look back at the unhappiness of now-former players. He needs to concentrate on the current squad and try to keep them happy. The best way to keep players happy: WIN. If Richt keeps winning, I have a feeling the exodus will cease.