Why Did Dexter Morant Return to the Georgia Bulldogs?

Last Tuesday, Dexter Morant, the lanky linebacking prospect from the small town of Manning, SC, decided to leave the Georgia Bulldogs. He had, according to many, "lost the desire to play". It was expected that his decision was final and Mark Richt and company would go about the business of finding another player to step in and make an impact at an already thin position (OLB).

However, if you are a Georgia fan, you know all of this and are honestly just wondering what happened to make him come back? Furthermore, will he do this again? After all, this isn't the first time the young kid from Manning has flip-flopped on his decision to stay or go.

The first hint of uncertainty came during the recruiting process. Shortly after the firing of Willie Martinez and his staff, Morant began to have some second thoughts about signing with Georgia—mostly due to its location. It was 5-hours from home and both South Carolina and Clemson were shorter in distance to his home in Manning.

Manning, for those who may not know, is a very small community (about 4,000 people). It's located about 45-minutes south of Florence, SC and about an hour east of Charleston—it's tiny. I should know, my grandmother currently lives there and my mother and father, coincidentally, both were born and raised in Manning.

This is the place that Dexter Morant calls home. Coming out of high school, everyone knew his name and rooted for him to go out and “make something of his life”. The fact that Division-I schools like Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina were knocking on his door made him into somewhat of a celebrity in Manning and he found the attention flattering. However, he never allowed it to go to his head—he was still the small-town kid who relished hanging out with friends and spending time with family.

I heard from a close friend of his, in late May, that he was considering leaving. The sheer size and atmosphere of the University of Georgia was intimidating. He felt out of place and lonely being so far away from his friends and family and the transition into college life wasn't going the way he had hoped.

He missed home—period.

That feeling of longing persisted through June and July. Then, in late July, he took a trip home to visit with a few of those close friends—his boys—and he was reminded of just how comfortable and easy things were for him there. He spent most of that weekend reminiscing and hanging out with the people who played a major part in his life and it felt good.

By the time he left, he was certain that he needed to leave Athens and go back home to Manning.  He flirted with the idea of transferring to a smaller school, South Carolina State, which is located in Florence, because he could commute daily if he wanted to and he would have the benefit of being able to see his friends and family whenever he wanted.

The decision felt like the right one—at the time.

However, once he returned home to Manning, he remembered exactly what he was giving up. His mother and many of the friends he so loved and valued the opinions of, were disappointed with his decision to "quit" without giving it a fair shot. They felt he made a rash decision about his future and most did not support his choice to forego a shot at something big in order to stay where things are familiar.

They implored him to reconsider his choice and rethink how leaving this opportunity on the table, not just to play football but to get an education, would effect him in the long term.

Morant got the point and decided that he may very well have made a mistake in leaving the way he did. He contacted coach Richt and jumped at the chance to be admitted back.

For those who wonder why let him back when there can be no guarantees about his level of focus, commitment, and desire to play football, I say, cut him a little slack for the moment. Making the transition from small-town living to big-time university football player is a big jump. It’s not easy for everyone and many guys consider leaving in their first year—Morant is not an anomaly in that respect.

As for how he'll pan out at Georgia, it's anybody's guess, but if he can live up to his potential and develop into the force that many hope he can be, then this episode will become a distant memory soon enough and the Georgia football program will be made a better one for it.

What say you?