With the news that Jamie Newman made his decision to opt-out of the 2020 season, many Georgia fans are undoubtedly searching for the evil spirit that convinced Newman to abandon his opportunity to lead the Dawgs. The supernatural must have been involved, right?

Let’s back up five o’clock train to Doomsville. Jamie Newman is a grown man with a college diploma and hard-earned experience playing college football. He has every right to make decisions about his future based on how he sees the potential benefit of playing during this pandemic. Obviously, his calculations convinced him that the risks of playing this fall outweighed his estimate of the probable benefits of participating.

Of course, it would have been better for the program if Newman had come to his decision earlier in the year, if for no other reason than to provide additional practice reps for the other quarterbacks. Newman’s decision came less than a month before the opener and Kirby Smart will adjust to the new reality in his quarterback room. The cupboard is far from bare.

There may be fewer options at quarterback but all of the team’s goals are still in place. Meeting those objectives may have been made slightly more challenging, but challenges are constant in sport.

Next man up!