What Greyson Lambert's Georgia Transfer Really Means (And What It Doesn't)

Go Dawgs! pic.twitter.com/GUetQAdtFy

— Greyson Lambert (@Greyson_Lambert) June 3, 2015

Former Virginia signal caller Greyson Lambert confirmed today that he is transferring to the University of Georgia, where he will have two years of eligibility remaining. Lambert leaves Charlottesville having started 9 games as a sophomore before being felled with an ankle injury. In that time he threw for 1932 yards, but his 10 touchdowns were balanced with 11 interceptions. At 6'5 and 220 pounds Lambert looks like a prototypical pro style passer. It's pretty safe to say he's not being recruited as a runner:

Speaking of running quarterbacks, it's worth noting that Lambert came out of Wayne County High School as part of the same class as Faton Bauta. Bauta was offered late in the recruiting cycle, but Georgua passed on Lambert entirely. That was not a heinous oversight, but a conscious decision. Greyson Lambert wasn't a can't miss prospect coming out of high school, and isn't one now. He lost the starting job at Virginia this spring for a reason.

What Lambert does bring is some more depth and a little insurance in case the guys already on campus just don't progress. As we discussed earlier, it doesn't appear that anyone in Athens is really too bent out of shape about the Bulldogs' ongoing quarterback race. I asked Mark Richt earlier this week whether looking at graduate transfers at all positions is something that a program has to do annually at this point. His response broke ranks with some in the profession:

I think you have to. A transfer who you think has the talent base to help you win, I think you talk to them. It's well within the rules. You're rewarding a guy who got his degree and giving him an opportunity to make a change if he wants to. I have no problem with the rule as it sits.

In other words, as long as graduate transfers are allowed to happen, you should expect Mark Richt to look for ones who can help his football team. One could argue that Lambert's transfer is a bit of a blow to the quarterbacks already in Athens. Instead, I think it would be more accurate to say that the message being sent is that every player will have to compete for a starting spot. Mark Richt isn't running a summer camp. He's running a football team he wants to compete for conference and national titles. If Lambert can help with that he'll find the welcome to the Classic City to be pretty warm.