Georgia was in need of a quarterback and the graduate transfer from Wake Forest was a hot commodity when he made his decision to depart the Demon Deacons and take his talents to Athens. As if replacing three-year starter Jake Fromm isn’t difficult enough, Jamie Newman will be challenged to implement a new, more RPO- oriented attack and add some swagger to the UGA offense.
The Las Vegas oddsmakers, who are more right than wrong, believe he made the right decision in choosing the Bulldogs.
According to William Hill Superbook, Newman’s odds for securing the Heisman have moved to 10/1, now third behind Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields (7/2) and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (4/1). In early February, Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook had Newman at 12/1 odds and just after his transfer announcement, Newman was listed at 16/1 odds.
Newman was one of the top graduate transfers on the market. Miami, Oregon, Maryland and Washington, among others were seeking the services of the North Carolina native.
According to Pro Football Focus, Newman is the nation’s third-highest graded returning quarterback, behind only Fields and Lawrence. He started all 13 games last season and led Wake to an 8-5 record. He completed 220 of 361 passes (60.9 percent) for 2,868 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He rushed for 574 yards and six touchdowns on 180 carries.
Being the starting quarterback at the University of Georgia always comes with high expectations and takes an extremely talented, confident and bright athlete to handle the pressure. Jamie Newman checks off all the boxes. Dawg fans will have their first opportunity to check out Newman and the 2020 Bulldogs during G-Day, scheduled for 2:00pm on Saturday, April 18. The game will be game carried live on the SEC Network.
