Kickoff time is nearing for Friday afternoon’s Liberty Bowl between Georgia and Central Florida.
After that, it will be decision time for at least seven Bulldogs.
Receiver A.J. Green, tackle Trinton Sturdivant, guard Cordy Glenn, outside linebacker Justin Houston, cornerback Brandon Boykin, kicker Blair Walsh and punter Drew Butler each will decide after the bowl whether or not to bypass his senior season for a chance at the NFL. These players have been asked, some almost daily, about their impending choices and insist they are focused on Friday.
“For me, it’s really not that difficult,” Boykin said Wednesday. “When I have a task at hand, I’m able to put off whatever else there is and focus on what I need to, and I think that’s what everybody is doing right now. There is really nothing we can do about the decisions we have to make, because we don’t really have enough knowledge of it right now.
“A lot of people have sent their paperwork [to the NFL Draft Advisory Board] and haven’t heard back yet, so there is nothing we can do but focus on this game.”
Underclassmen have until Jan. 15 to declare.
Georgia coach Mark Richt is not expecting any announcements immediately after the game. The last Bulldogs player to do that was tight end Leonard Pope, who said he was making himself eligible for the 2006 NFL draft minutes after a Sugar Bowl loss to West Virginia.
“From what I understand, I don’t know if anybody’s going to be ready right at that moment,” Richt said. “There might be a couple who know they’re staying, but I think the guys who are thinking about going, they’re going to want a little time to reflect with their families after the bowl game.”
Green and Houston are certain to leave, according to one NFL team’s scouting director, who believes Green will be a top-five selection and that Houston will be among the top 20 players picked after thriving in 4-3 and 3-4 systems the past two seasons. When asked about Boykin, the scout suggested the 5-foot-10, 183-pounder stay put.
“I don’t think he’s ready,” the scout said. “I think a lot of the Georgia guys need to take a look at some of the juniors who have come out. Rennie Curran came out and went in the third round, and that was probably as high as he was going to go. Reshad Jones didn’t go as high as he thought.
“I think Georgia guys need to take a look at some of the history there. I don’t think it’s a strong corner draft, but I also don’t think he’s ready. Will he be drafted? Yeah, but I just think it’s too early for him.”
Georgia’s two top rivals fell off sharply compared to last season due to underclassmen leaving.
Florida lost five juniors to the 2010 draft and went from 13-1 to 7-5 heading into Saturday’s date with Penn State in the Outback Bowl. Georgia Tech had four players depart early and went from 11-3 to 6-7.
Losing Green and Houston would leave Georgia without its top player on either side of the ball, and losing Sturdivant and Glenn would leave the Bulldogs with one returning starter up front. Walsh and Butler have comprised the nation’s top tandem of specialists the past two seasons, so these difficult decisions potentially could result in a difficult 2011 in Athens.
“We all talk sometimes about it, but at the same time, everybody is kind of in different situations,” Boykin said. “Whatever decision they have to make is better for them and their families. Everybody has their own reasons.”
Said Green: “I’m trying not to think about it, but it does stay in the back of your mind.”
Eating some tickets
Georgia is expected to use roughly 6,000 tickets to the Liberty Bowl out of an allotment of 10,000. The SEC is contracted to absorb the cost of 3,000 unsold tickets, which would result in the school having to pay for the remaining 1,000.
Liberty Bowl tickets that are not box seats are $50 apiece, leaving Georgia with a $50,000 bill.
A little more than 7,000 tickets were purchased through Georgia for last year’s Independence Bowl, but some of those were bought by Texas A&M fans after the Aggies sold out of their 12,000 allotment. This Liberty Bowl would mark the fewest postseason tickets Georgia has sold since the 1999 Oahu Bowl, which was held in Honolulu on Christmas Eve.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.