University of Georgia redshirt freshman guard Brent Benedict has left the team for personal reasons, Bulldogs football coach Mark Richt announced Sunday.
The 6-foot-5, 312-pounder from Jacksonville exited spring practice as the No. 2 right guard behind Chris Burnette. His departure follows starting tackle Trinton Sturdivant's season-ending ACL injury in spring practice and the transfer after spring semester of backup tackle A.J. Harmon, who has enrolled at Alabama State.
Benedict spent last season recovering from a gruesome injury he suffered as a senior at The Bolles School. While running down the field to celebrate an early-season touchdown, he tore his ACL, PCL and meniscus.
Despite that setback, Benedict was rated by RIvals.com as the No. 12 tackle and No. 76 overall prospect nationally in the 2010 class.
Chaos in Columbus?
The Columbus Ledger Enquirer reported Sunday that Tony Adams and Herman Porter, two top officials within the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department, used an unauthorized bank account to pay for flights to and from Los Angeles for Jarvis Jones in 2009. Jones is a former member of the Georgia Blazers AAU basketball team headed by Adams and Porter and played the '09 football season at Southern Cal, and he is now a starting outside linebacker for the Bulldogs.
Columbus police chief Ricky Boren told the paper that the NCAA was aware of the investigation, and a Georgia spokesman said the university is aware as well.