Pros keep stealing talent from Goff's Bulldogs

Sporting News, The, June 27, 1994 by Ivan Maisel

Georgia Coach Ray Goff noted with some relief last winter that the NFL had left him alone.

"When we went 5-6," he said, "who did you think we were going to lose?"

Georgia has lost five undergraduates to the NFL in Goff's tenure. The two who departed in January 1993, Tailback Garrison Hearst and wide receiver Andre HAstings, took with them a lot of variety from the Bulldogs' offense. Not even a quarterback as talented as Eric Zeier can work without a running game.

Without Hearst, the Bulldogs fell from 11th in Division I-A rushing in 1992 to 93rd last season, the difference between 234.9 yards per game and 107.4 yards per game. Sixteen running backs averaged as much as Georgia's entire team.

Goff solved that problem by signing Georgia's entire team.

Goff solved that problem by signing George Lombard, a 6-foot, 205-pound running back from The Lovett School in Atlanta. He was expected to provide help.

Goff may have sidestepped the banana peel of the NFL only to step into the manhole of professional baseball. Lombard desided against higher education to sign with the Braves, who made the outfielder an early-round draft choice.

Lombard isn't the only prayer to ditch his college scholarship, nor is he the most prominent. Josh Booty apparaently will leave his job as Louisiana STate quarterback/savior to sign with the MArlins, who made him the fifth overall pick of the draft. Stanford and Brigham Young are also competing with baseball for signees.

Georgia Athletic Director Vince Dooley has bemoaned the recent success of the Braves because it it has hurt the Bulldogs at the ticket window. When Dooley coached, he rarely had to worry about the Braves in October.

But Georgia never suffered as direct a hit from the Braves as Goff did with Lombard.

When asked where that leaves him, Goff says "screwed." But he has only good wishes for Lombard. The door to Sanford Stadium will remain open for him.

"If he wants to play a year or two and doesn't make it or doesn't like it, he'll still be a freshman in eligibility," Goff says.

Georgia also lost receiver signee All Davis, who signed as a 39th-round draft choice of the Pirates. If you're keeping score at home, that's five Bulldogs lost to the NFL, two to baseball.

All hope for rushing help is not lost. Junior-college transfer Larry Bowie, a fullback, is "as good or better" than anyone Georgia had last season, Goff says. In addition, February signee Dave Williams from Houston and Kenshun Smith from Atlanta are expected to help.

Also, the sudden loss of Lombard and Davis provided a scholarship for Rod

Persymond, the 1993 Georgia 4A Player of the Year. Perrymond, 5-10 and 192 pounds, scored 39 touchdowns in leading Dunwoody to the state championship.

Perrymond's running backs coach at Georgia will be David Kelly, his head coach at Dunwoody whom Goff hired after last season. In the final analysis, Zeier may get some help. All is not lost at Georgia, at least until the next pro draft.

Motivation on a platter

The Big East Conference met last week for the first time since its emotionally wrenching membership vote last March, when the league reached a compromise that allowed Rutgers and West Virginia to become full members but kept Virginia Tech and Temple affiliated for football only.

"I think there are some ruffled feathers," Commissioner Mike Tranghese says. "I've tried to assure them the decision was not based on kicking (Virginia Tech and Temple) out because, |We don't like that program.' It was based on we couldn't get the votes to expand to 14 members."

What's interesting is that Virginia Tech, with quarterback Maurice DeShazo and linebacker Ken Brown, is a genuine contender to win the league championship. Now it has plenty of incentive.

Recruiting trouble

Add Mississippi to the list of schools in hot water with the NCAA.

After completing a nearly year-long investigation, the NCAA has accused the school of 15 infractions, of which the most serious is the failure to maintain "institutional control" of the football program.

The NCAA alleges that officials involved with the program offered cash and airline tickets to one recruit, and cash and an automobile to Dwayne Curry, who was recruited by the school but who enrolled at Mississippi State. The NCAA also says that an improper automobile loan was approved for former Mississippi linebacker Cassius Ware.

"It is a very serious letter of inquiry," says Mississippi chancellor R. Gerald Turner. He says the status of Coach Billy Brewer would be determined by the outcome of the school's internal investigation.

The school has until August 15 to respond to the NCAA. If the NCAA decides on penalties against the program, Mississippi could be banned from television appearances and suffer a reduction is scholarships.