Georgia junior left tackle Andrew Thomas and junior quarterback Jake Fromm have several months to decide whether the upcoming season will be their last in Athens.
Their respective choices will occur with significantly more knowledge about the transition to the NFL compared to heralded Georgia juniors of yesteryear such as A.J. Green, Todd Gurley and Matthew Stafford. Green and Gurley endured NCAA four-game suspensions during their junior seasons with the Bulldogs.
Thomas and Fromm were among the 25 college players who participated earlier this month at the NCAA’s Elite Football Symposium in Indianapolis, which runs concurrently with the NFL scouting combine. The symposium was introduced just two years ago and is designed to help college players better understand the trying process that includes dealing with agents, maintaining eligibility and, after getting drafted, how to handle a staggering amount of money.
“It was a great time, and it was a little eye-opening,” the 6-foot-5, 320-pound Thomas said this week in a news conference. “I learned a lot of things about financial literacy as far as NFL contracts. Once you get your contract, they take out 42 percent right off the bat.
“I didn’t realize that.”