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Georgia defensive duo determines portal destinations

Palmber-Thombsby:Palmer Thombs•12/21/24•

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Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

A pair of former Georgia defenders announced their next stop in the transfer portal Saturday morning. Defensive lineman Jamaal Jarrett is headed to USC while linebacker Troy Bowles will be a Michigan Wolverine next season.

Both spent two seasons in Athens with the Bulldogs as signees in the Class of 2023 and will have three years of eligibility remaining, using a redshirt and one year of eligibility.

Jarrett and Bowles become the second and third Georgia players to pick their next spot. Cornerback Julian Humphrey will suit up at Texas A&M in 2025. Four players remain uncommitted including wide receiver Michael Jackson III, defensive back Justyn Rhett, linebacker Sam M’Pemba and defensive back Jake Pope. Wide receiver Rara Thomas and defensive back David Daniel-Sisavanh, neither of whom were with the team this past season, also remain uncommitted.

Jamaal Jarrett

The 6-foot-5, 350-pound nose tackle was viewed as a project coming the college. He saw the field in five games during his first year on campus, retaining a redshirt with one of those being the bowl game. He did however have an impact when stepping foot on the field recording at least one tackle in four of his five contests.

As a second-year, Jarrett took on a larger role in Georgia’s rotation, especially with defensive line injuries plaguing UGA early in the season. He played in 11 of the 13 games for the Bulldogs before the College Football Playoffs but saw a downturn in his production with just three tackles.

Troy Bowles

The son of NFL head coach Todd Bowles, previously of the New York Jets and currently of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Troy spent two seasons at Georgia. He appeared in five games his first year on campus totaling five tackles – including a nice three tackle showing in the season-opener against UT Martin – before seeing the field less in second season. Bowles saw snaps against Clemson and Tennessee Tech before not making the travel roster with the Bulldogs on road trips to Kentucky and Alabama. A Tampa, Fla. native, he did travel with the team to Jacksonville for the Georgia-Florida game but did not see any action.

Bowles was among the nation’s top linebacker prospects in the Class of 2023, coming in at No. 7 for his position and No. 88 overall according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He signed with two others in the top-10 however, CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson, and has been the odd man out in the equation with a talented Class of 2024 only leaving him further from the field at Georgia.

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 their 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.

Last season, Georgia lost 21 scholarship players to the portal, watching several end up at power conference programs around the country. The Bulldogs did add to their talent however, as they’ve done before. Adding to the likes of Lawrence Cager, Tre McKitty, Derion Kendrick, Tykee Smith, Dominic Lovett and others that have joined the program in the past, UGA brought in Trevor Etienne, Colbie Young, London Humphreys, Ben Yurosek, Xzavier McLeod and others that have had an impact on the Bulldogs’ 2024 campaign.

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