CHARLES CLEAREDGeorgia junior tight end Orson Charles was cleared Wednesday morning after being mentioned in a Yahoo! Sports article detailing Nevin Shapiro, a former University of Miami booster, who claims to have provided impermissible benefits to 72 Hurricanes football players and other athletes.According to the article, top prospects attended Shapiro's home or luxury suite in order for him to make a recruiting pitch. Charles was among those listed, along with eventual Florida commitments Andre Debose and Matt Patchan, and several who signed with Miami."The University of Georgia is aware of the article mentioning Orson Charles and has been in communication with the NCAA," the school said through a release. "There are no issues with UGA or eligibility issues with Orson Charles. UGA will have no further comment regarding this matter."Richt, a former Miami quarterback, had not read the Yahoo! Sports story but heard it discussed on the radio and said "it just sounded pretty dramatic."
The Georgia Bulldogs conducted their second preseason scrimmage Wednesday afternoon at Sanford Stadium, after which coach Mark Richt announced that senior safety Jakar Hamilton likely will miss the season.
Hamilton has a stress fracture near his ankle, according to Richt, but he has the opportunity to redshirt. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder started the first five games last season after transferring from Georgia Military College and played in all 13, amassing 27 tackles and an interception he returned 17 yards for a touchdown against Louisiana-Lafayette.
"Jakar is a very good special-teams player and was also competing for downs as a safety," Richt said. "I would think a young man like [freshman] Corey Moore will have a better opportunity to play on specials and is one step closer to the field as a safety. I imagine that would light a fire under him a little bit."
The Bulldogs did not suffer any significant injuries during the two-hour scrimmage, but top tailbacks Richard Samuel (strained quad) and Isaiah Crowell (groin) did not participate. Richt said the two will miss today's kicking practice but that Crowell has a chance to return for Friday's workout.
Richt maintains that Samuel will not be back until next week.
In the absence of Samuel and Crowell, former walk-on Brandon Harton rushed 12 times for 51 yards and redshirt freshman Ken Malcome rushed five times for 10 yards. Starting quarterback Aaron Murray completed 11 of 16 passes for 108 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while backup Hutson Mason was 13-of-27 for 125 yards.
The scrimmage was closed, and statistics were provided by Richt.
"I thought it was a pretty good scrimmage," Murray said. "The offense made a lot of plays here and there. There were some lulls, but that's going to happen."
Junior flanker Rantavious Wooten caught five passes for 61 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown, while senior split end Israel Troupe had five receptions for 50 yards.
Sophomore inside linebacker Alec Ogletree led the defense for a second consecutive scrimmage, compiling eight tackles and a sack.
"He would have been successful at safety, but I think moving him to linebacker is one of the best decisions our coaches could have made for the overall success of our defense and our team," outside linebacker Jarvis Jones said of Ogletree. "He can get off blocks. He can run sideline to sideline. He can make big plays. He's a high-energy guy and brings it every day."