The departure of Georgia's third-string quarterback from this past season hasn't made quite the ripple as the departure by the Bulldogs' backup.
Matthew Downing, a freshman walk-on from the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, announced this week via Twitter that he is leaving Athens for Texas Christian University, where he is expected to be a walk-on as well. The 6-foot, 195-pounder played in the blowout victories over Austin Peay, Middle Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Massachusetts for the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division champions, going 8-of-10 passing for 88 yards.
Downing's four appearances as the third-stringer put him more in line with many of the SEC East's second-string quarterbacks, with Tennessee's Keller Chryst having played in six games this past season, Kentucky's Gunnar Hoak four and Florida's Kyle Trask three. Playing no more than four games also allowed Downing to redshirt.
"I would like to thank the coaches, my teammates, and the entire support staff at the University of Georgia for everything they have done for me over the past six months," Downing wrote. "I have cherished my time at UGA and I am going to miss all my teammates, but I'm grateful for the relationships that I was able to build during my time. Also, thank you to Dawg Nation for accepting me with open arms."
Downing's older brother, Michael, was a TCU graduate assistant this past season.
His departure comes less than two weeks after Georgia second-string quarterback Justin Fields, a five-star prospect in the 2018 signing class, transferred to Ohio State. Fields failed to put a dent in Jake Fromm's stranglehold on the starting spot, with Fromm having led the Bulldogs to 24 victories the past two seasons.
Georgia landed two quarterbacks in December's early signing period: Dwan Mathis of Oak Park, Michigan, and Stetson Bennett of Jones County (Mississippi) Junior College.
Fromm will enter the 2019 season as Georgia's only quarterback with game experience with the Bulldogs.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.