Alabama DB Jake Pope commits to Georgia out of transfer portal

If you thought Georgia was done in the transfer portal, you thought wrong. The Bulldogs added the commitment of Alabama safety Jake Pope Friday night to help bolster the depth in what’s already one of the nation’s top secondary units.

Pope, a Peach State product out of Buford High School, spent two seasons in Tuscaloosa with the Crimson Tide, redshirting in 2022 before playing – primarily on special teams – in 11 games this past year. He did not record a stat in his action according to the Crimson Tide’s stats, but is credited with an assisted stop in three snaps against Kentucky according to Pro Football Focus.

On the season, Pope played a total of 91 snaps per PFF, 23 of which came on defense. While he won’t be adding much experience in terms of snaps to the Georgia secondary, spending two seasons in a Nick Saban defensive system certainly should translate well to the similar Kirby Smart one he’ll join in Athens.

Georgia recruited Pope out of high school in the Class of 2022, where he played alongside incoming UGA freshman safety KJ Bolden. Pope, a four-star prospect ranked No. 315 overall according to the On3 Industry Ranking, chose Alabama over UGA, Notre Dame and North Carolina.

Versatile two-way player at receiver and safety for one of Georgia’s best high school programs. His ball skills at receiver immediately jump out and project very well for a defensive back. His ability to track and high-point the football in contested situations is on the level of a true receiver prospect, which puts him well ahead of the curve at safety. It’s also encouraging to see him making plays in the return game. As a safety, Pope triggers quickly and is very active as a cover-down defender on short and intermediate routes. He’s also an active gang tackler. I could see Pope eventually playing some of the hybrid spots in Alabama’s sub-packages as he continues to get bigger.

Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting after Pope’s commitment to Alabama

Pope is the sixth transfer portal pickup for Georgia from the first window of players entering, joining Vanderbilt wide receiver London Humphreys, South Carolina defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod, Miami (Fla.) wide receiver Colbie Young, Florida running back Trevor Etienne and USC wide receiver Michael Jackson III. The Bulldogs did however lose 18 scholarship players to the transfer portal, all of whom have announced their next destinations. A few walk-ons, including wide receiver and return specialist Mekhi Mews (who is headed to Houston), have also entered their name.

Georgia Players in the Portal

OLB Darris Smith (Missouri)
DL Jonathan Jefferson (SMU)
QB Brock Vandagriff (Kentucky)
WR Jackson Meeks (Syracuse)
OL Austin Blaske (North Carolina)
OLB CJ Madden (Purdue)
K Jared Zirkel (Texas A&M)
CB Nyland Green (Purdue)
ILB EJ Lightsey (Georgia Tech)
ILB Xavian Sorey (Arkansas)
WR Yazeed Haynes (Syracuse)
OL Aliou Bah (Maryland)
OLB Marvin Jones Jr. (Florida State)
ILB Jamon Dumas-Johnson (Kentucky)
CB AJ Harris (Penn State)
OL Josh Miller (Syracuse)
WR DeNylon Morrissette (Purdue)
WR CJ Smith (Purdue)

More on the transfer portal…

The NCAA student-athlete transfer portal launched in 2018. It marked a change from when student-athletes had to get a release from one school to transfer to another and they could be limited as to where they transferred. The portal allows student-athletes to simply notify their current school and its compliance department that they intend to move on to another program. Entering the transfer portal does not mean a prospect has to transfer, it just means they can be recruited by other programs and take visits. Georgia has had players enter the portal in the past and elect to return.

Since its implementation, Georgia has added several notable prospects. That list includes Lawrence Cager (Miami), Eli Wolf (Tennessee), Tre’ McKitty (Florida State), Derion Kendrick (Clemson), Tykee Smith (West Virginia), Rara Thomas (Mississippi State) and Dominic Lovett (Missouri). The Bulldogs have had years when they’ve been active in the portal, attempting to take as many as four prospects before the 2021 season. They have also had seasons like 2022 when they didn’t take a single player and went on to go 15-0, winning the National Championship for a second straight season.

Portal needs for Georgia in the current class include defensive line and wide receiver, where it is expected to land multiple players at each position. The Bulldogs could also be in the market at running back, outside linebacker, offensive tackle, or safety. If a player wants to transfer from SEC school to SEC school, he must do so by January 2 when the current window closes. There is another window that will open in the spring but, at that point, a player must transfer in from outside the conference in order to play right away.