A Georgia quarterback commitment announced Tuesday that he was still a Georgia quarterback commitment.
That wouldn't seem overly newsworthy, but the recruiting process for Jacob Eason didn't quite go as planned. The 6-foot-5, 218-pounder from Lake Stevens, Wash., pledged to Georgia in July but had second thoughts after Bulldogs athletic director Greg McGarity fired coach Mark Richt on Nov. 29.
Eason visited Florida earlier this month, but the coveted five-star prospect is remaining with Georgia after meeting new coach Kirby Smart and new offensive coordinator Jim Chaney. Eason visited with Chaney this past weekend in Athens and told Smart on Monday night that he was sticking to his pledge of enrolling at Georgia next month.
"It all got cleared up, and I'm glad it did," Eason said Tuesday on a teleconference. "I'm excited to get down there and get into Coach Chaney's offense and compete with the guys down there."
Georgia returns scholarship quarterbacks Greyson Lambert and Brice Ramsey, with Faton Bauta having announced earlier this month that he was transferring. Lambert has started 11 of 12 games this season, posting a 9-2 record.
Eason completed 235 of 338 passes (69.5 percent) this season for 3,585 yards with 43 touchdowns and six interceptions, leading Lake Stevens High to the 4A state semifinals. He is rated the No. 1 quarterback nationally by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com, with Scout.com ranking him No. 2.
Not since Matthew Stafford in 2006 has Georgia landed such a heralded quarterback.
"I was aware of him, because he was on our recruiting board while I was at the University of Alabama," Smart said Monday. "He came over and threw for us and that kind of thing, and I was also aware when he committed to (former Bulldogs offensive coordinator) Mike Bobo, who's a good friend of mine.
"Thank goodness I was able to walk into a situation where it was hand-delivered and he was already here. We just had to make sure that we could convince him that this was the right place for him."
Smart had a Tuesday post on Twitter welcoming any receivers who would be interested in catching passes from Eason, who sounded like someone who was ready for at least a little time to decompress.
"It's been a crazy experience for a kid my age," Eason said. "I kind of expected it when you choose between two of the biggest rivals in college football. It was a crazy experience, but it also was an experience I'm glad I had in case I do have the success that I've been hoping I have."
Eason's commitment occurred a day after Bailey Hockman, the No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the 2017 class according to 247Sports, announced that he was opening his recruiting process again. The 6-2, 210-pounder from the Atlanta suburb of Powder Springs had been committed to the Bulldogs since June.
Hockman said via Twitter that he wanted to "make sure that I am at the best place for myself and development as a student-athlete."
The Bulldogs also lost a 2016 commitment Monday when Darion Anderson, a three-star receiver from Warner Robins, reopened his recruitment. They gained one Sunday when Richard LeCounte III, the No. 1 athlete prospect in the 2017 class according to 247Sports, gave a nonbinding pledge.
"I'm really excited with the way recruiting is going," Smart said. "We had a good week on the road and got to see a lot of great players in our state. We're trying to sell our program and move forward, and we're excited about that."
Play-callers tabbed for bowl
With Brian Schottenheimer and Jeremy Pruitt no longer on staff, Georgia has turned to tight ends coach John Lilly to call the offensive plays and outside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer to handle the defensive calls in the TaxSlayer Bowl against Penn State. Lilly replaced Bobo as the play-caller in last December's Belk Bowl against Louisville and was quite successful, as the Bulldogs amassed 492 yards in a 37-14 rout.
Sherrer was defensive coordinator at South Alabama before joining Georgia's staff in January 2014.
Inside linebackers coach Mike Ekeler will not help coach the Bulldogs in Jacksonville. Ekeler has taken another job but has not revealed where.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.