Like I always say in May, June and July, no news is good news in college football during these months. When your team is in the news during the summer, it’s probably for something of the negative variety.
And that’s the case in Athens today. Georgia has dismissed junior wide receiver Jeremiah Holloman from the program.
“Jeremiah Holloman no longer represents the University of Georgia football program,” head coach Kirby Smart said in a statement to The Covington News. “We expect every member of our team to uphold the highest standards and values of the University of Georgia and Georgia football. It is disappointing when this does not happen.”
Holloman is UGA’s best returning wideout. As a sophomore in 2018, he had 24 receptions for 418 yards and five touchdowns.
Holloman’s dismissal stems from an investigation into an alleged assault of a female on April 22 of 2018. The alleged victim didn’t report the assault until a few weeks ago on June 2.
According to a UGA Police Department incident report, the victim reported Holloman began choking her as she awaited a ride near Rooker Hall.
“(The victim) stated that (the brother) walked in at this point and pulled the suspect (Holloman) off her,” according to the report. “(The victim) stated she got behind (the brother) for protection. (The victim) stated the suspect (Holloman) then reached over (the brother) and punched her in the face.”
The victim received six stitches at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center after the incident, but she told doctors she sustained the injuries from falling in the shower. The police report also notes that “doctors observed three abrasions on (the victim’s) neck.”
When I was recording my SEC East video preview to our YouTube channel on Thursday, I noted that one of the few concerns for Smart’s fourth team at his alma mater is a lack of depth and experience at the WR position.
That situation obviously gets worse now. The Bulldogs lost WRs Riley Ridley (44 catches for 570 yards and nine TDs), Mecole Hardman (34 catches for 532 yards and seven TDs) and Terry Godwin (23 catches, 285 yards and three TDs), in addition to TE Issac Nauta, who had 30 receptions for 430 yards and three TDs in 2018.
Fortunately for UGA, it does have a couple of transfers with starting experience at other schools. Demetris Robertson is a former 5-star recruit who had 837 receiving yards in 13 starts for California in 2016 and ’17. However, Robertson barely touched the field for UGA last season.
Lawrence Cager is a grad transfer WR from Miami who has 681 career receiving yards in 18 starts for the Hurricanes.
Georgia has a season win total of 10.5 (“over” -240, “under” +180) at 5Dimes. BetOnline has the Bulldogs listed as 18.5-point road favorites at Vanderbilt in Week 1, but most other betting shops have the game off the board.
In the Games of the Year at 5Dimes, Georgia is listed as a 10.5-point home favorite vs. Notre Dame, a 17.5-point road “chalk” at Tennessee, a 20-point home favorite vs. South Carolina, a 4.5-point favorite vs. Florida (in Jacksonville), a 20.5-point home “chalk” vs. Missouri and a seven-point favorite at Auburn.
UGA has 7/1 odds to win the College Football Playoff. Those are the third-shortest odds on the board behind Alabama (+240) and Clemson (+250). The Bulldogs have +300 odds to win the SEC Championship Game.