Georgia QB Jamie Newman Opts Out of 2020 Season to Prepare for NFL Draft

Georgia quarterback Jamie Newman has opted out of the 2020 season and will begin preparing for the 2021 NFL draft.

Head coach Kirby Smart also released a statement offering his support for the quarterback:

Newman had transferred to Georgia after spending the past four years at Wake Forest. He was eligible to play immediately as a graduate transfer and was battling for the starting job until opting out.

As Bleacher Report's Matt Miller noted, JT Daniels will likely become the Bulldogs' starting quarterback as a result of the latest news.

Newman seemingly had a leg up on Daniels, who was still recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season at USC and hasn't been cleared for contact.

Stetson Bennett and D'Wan Mathis could also compete for playing time for the Bulldogs.

There were high expectations for Newman, who was coming off an impressive season as a dual-threat quarterback at Wake. He finished 2019 with 2,868 passing yards and 26 touchdowns to go with 574 rushing yards and six more scores on the ground.

With Georgia entering the year No. 4 in the Associated Press preseason poll, he had a chance to raise his profile even more going into the draft.

Newman was named to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award (player of the year) and Davey O'Brien Award (top quarterback) and headlined a list of transfers who could grow their stock in 2020, via Josh Edwards of CBS Sports.

Pro Football Focus ranked the quarterback No. 3 at his position going into 2020.

Georgia must now figure out how to compete for a national championship without the talented passer.