Josh Harvey-Clemons' long, strange journey from Georgia to Louisville

[jbcarol]

Richt's church visit will count as his in-home visit with Josh Harvey-Clemons, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound linebacker from Lowndes High School. Harvey-Clemons has UGA, Florida and Florida State in a three-way tie and will announce his decision on National Signing Day

"[Will Muschamp] came to our regular service about a month ago; I guess Coach Richt doesn't want to let Coach Muschamp beat him out with going to church with us," said Josh's grandfather, Woodrow Clemons, with a laugh.

It created quite a stir when Florida's coach showed up at church last month. "We gave everybody a heads up, and they were surprised to see [Muschamp]," Clemons said. "And the collection plate was equally surprised."

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher desperately wanted Richt's seat in the church pew on Wednesday night. "Coach Fisher volunteered to come to church while we were on our visit last weekend. We'd love for Coach Fisher to be there, but he can't because it's the same time that Coach Richt will be there. Instead we're going to meet Coach Fisher to lunch on Thursday – probably at Cheddar's."

[Justifiable Hogicide]

Has God "spoken" to his favorite coach Cheezit about this?

[JackJohnson]

anyone find this statement kind of, umm, Auburn-esque

"And the collection plate was equally surprised."

Oh yea- Muschamp used to coach there

[Calling All Hogs]

I remember when Shula was at Bama he prayed with Tebow for a day and Tebow still went to Florida.

[jamie72921]

I remember when Shula was at Bama he prayed with Tebow for a day and Tebow still went to Florida.

And Spikes followed him from Bama to the Gators as well.

[tiber]

And Spikes followed him from Bama to the Gators as well.

Urban Cryer was noted for his willingness to overlook the occasional eye gouging. 

[jbcarol]

Richt's visit with recruit Josh Harvey-Clemons was briefly at a Valdosta jail on Wednesday night when the 5-star prospect had to help his grandfather with his bail bonds business.

"I'm sure this was an experience that Coach Mark Richt will never forget," said Josh's uncle, Roy Hart, with a chuckle. "Coach Richt said 'I can't wait to read the headlines about this one.'"

Richt reported to Josh's house and rode on a golf cart for about a mile to Mt. Calvary Baptist Church with the 5-star prospect's grandfather, Woodrow Clemons (he's also the legal guardian after the death of Josh's parents). They met with about 20 of Josh's family members and close friends over dinner...

The group moved over to the church's sanctuary for the 7 p.m. service, and Richt's presence caused a little commotion among the congregation. "I guess 60-percent recognized him and the other 40-percent didn't believe it was Coach Richt from the University of Georgia," Clemons said.

In the middle of the church service, Clemons got a business call. He's the co-owner of a Bail Bondsman's service in Valdosta, and three people needed a get-of-out-jail card immediately. Clemons quietly got Josh's attention and explained the situation, eventually dispatching his grandson and daughter – who are both bail bond agents – to do the prison job.

"I told Coach Richt 'Josh has to go to jail and get somebody out. You can go with him or stay here until he gets back,'" said Clemons, who added that Richt initially decided to stay.

"My daughter called because she happened to leave her ID in the van at church," said Clemons. The ID was needed to post bond for the clients. "Coach Richt and Coach Bobo went to jail with my wife to take the ID to them. Coach Richt wanted one more time to talk with Josh before they hit the road. They talked at jail for about 20 or 30 minutes I guess."

[DeltaBoy]

Richt is a great guy!

[jbcarol]

Josh Harvey-Clemons (Valdosta, GA/Lowndes), the top rated outside linebacker in the ESPNU 150, announces his commitment to Georgia.

[jbcarol]

The Josh Harvey-Clemons (Valdosta, Ga./Lowndes) drama could be coming to an end for Georgia.

Though he publicly committed to the Bulldogs early Monday morning, he has yet to fax his letter of intent and there has been family drama surrounding his decision. Some of his family members want him to go to Florida

[jbcarol]

UGa has to report NCAA secondary violation due to comments on Harvey-Clemons

Shortly after Harvey-Clemons made his announcement in Valdosta, ESPN reporter Cara Capuano asked Richt for his reaction and for his thoughts on prospect's athletic abilities. Turns out that violates NCAA bylaw 13.10.2, which states that no one from a member institution can comment on a prospective student-athlete until his or her signed letter-of-intent has been received. As has been well-documented now, Harvey-Clemons' letter-of-intent was not received by UGA until Thursday morning.

"It is something we're having to deal with," Booz said. "It's not a significant issue. It's not one that's going to impact any of the individuals involved. It's going to be considered a Level II secondary violation. Because of how everything transpired yesterday — it was a very, very odd and very unique situation — it just kind of caught everybody off guard."

Booz said Athletic Director Greg McGarity will send a letter to the Southeastern Conference informing them of the mistake. But he said was highly unlikely any enforcement would result.

[jbcarol]

NCAA Bylaw 13.10.2: Comments Before Signing.

Before the signing of a prospective student-athlete to a National Letter of Intent or an institution's written offer of admission and/or financial aid, a member institution may comment publicly only to the extent of confirming its recruitment of the prospective student-athlete. The institution may not comment generally about the prospective student-athlete's ability or the contribution that the prospective student-athlete might make to the institution's team; further, the institution is precluded from commenting in any manner as to the likelihood of the prospective student-athlete's signing with that institution. Violations of this bylaw do not affect a prospective student-athlete's eligibility and are considered institutional violations per Constitution 2.8.1.

[jbcarol]

There is a chance Georgia will without starting safety Josh Harvey Clemons when the Bulldogs open the season against Clemson on Aug. 31.

Harvey-Clemons, a rising sophomore from Valdosta, was implicated in an incident involving the use of marijuana in a UGA dorm room on May 15. Also involved in that incident was teammate Ty Flournoy-Smith, a sophomore tight end from Moultrie. Flournoy-Smith, who was also arrested on an unrelated misdemeanor charge in February, was advised last week by coach Mark Richt to transfer to a junior college.

The UGA Athletic Association's marijuana-use policy calls for a suspension of 10 percent of competition dates for a first-time violation. That would translate to at least one game if administered.

Georgia officials, including Richt, were all in Destin...

http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/college/georgia-starter-harvey-clemons-faces-suspension-fo/nX4zz/

[jbcarol]

From Sandestin, Richt stated that Clemons will be suspended for UGa's opening game with Clemson.

[jbcarol]

Harvey-Clemons was dismissed from the football team on Tuesday for an unspecified violation of team rules. The team announced the news in a two-sentence press release by the school, with no other details. Harvey-Clemons, a five-star recruit two years ago, was a key member of last year's defense and was expected to be again this season - but only when he was on the field. The Valdosta native was already facing a three-game suspension to start this season, which was a continuation of a suspension that began with the Gator Bowl, for his second violation of UGA's student-athlete drug policy.

http://www.macon.com/2014/02/18/2944922/josh-harvey-clemons-dismissed.html

Tipped the football upward in a perfect spiral on Auburn's Prayer in Jordan-Hare.

One of the more storied recruits in the last few years. On one Wednesday night, Coach Richt's visit started at church and ended at jail as the kid's grandfather was a bail bondsman. Richt spoke of him on ESPNU during National Signing Day before the fax had actually arrived earning a minor violation.

[jbcarol]

AJC UGA ‏@ajcuga ·30m
Josh Harvey-Clemons had aserved 1st of a 4-game suspension due to a 2nd violation of #UGA's marijuana-use policy. http://bit.ly/1dIRJIQ

[jbcarol]

Kelly Benefield ‏@kellyaub90 ·31m
@ClayTravisBGID BREAKING Josh Harvey-Clemons named starting QB at Auburn.

[jbcarol]

Mark Bradley ‏@MarkBradleyAJC  2h
Harvey-Clemons: Another major UGA talent gone http://wp.me/p3Xdq9-dc

Rules are rules, OK? Josh Harvey-Clemons broke enough of them to have missed Georgia's first and last games of the 2013 season, both of them narrow losses. He broke enough of them to have gotten himself booted from the team not two full years into his collegiate career. We've seen this before — Isaiah Crowell and Nick Marshall most recently — but not just at Georgia. We'll see it again, and not just at Georgia.

That said, Harvey-Clemons was one of the biggest defensive talents Mark Richt ever signed. He's big enough to play linebacker, fast enough to be deployed at safety. When he was allowed to play, he was a difference-maker. He had 15 tackles and two pass breakups against LSU on a day when nobody else seemed capable of defending at all. He made a game-changing interception against Georgia Tech in his last game as a Bulldog.

He also bumped Tray Matthews off the underthrown pass that became the Prayer At Jordan-Hare. It was probably Matthews' ball to play, but Harvey-Clemons is one of those who doesn't defer. He barges in. When he was allowed to play, he played so hard he was always on the cusp of a penalty for unnecessary roughness or horse-collar tackles. He played, as they say, on the edge.

The Georgia program made do without a fourth season of Herschel Walker, and it will make do without Years 3 and 4 from Harvey-Clemons.

Bradley notes that Josh could be playing on Sundays, just not on Saturdays between the hedges.

[jbcarol]

Moving on without Harvey-Clemons

He was a five-star recruit out of Lowndes High who CBSSports.com lists as the No. 2 strong safety prospect for the 2016 NFL draft. If he had a good junior season for Georgia, it would not have been a surprise to see him enter the draft next January.

He played the "star" position in Georgia's defense, but what he wasn't was a star player quite yet...

Former Georgia tight end Arthur Lynch tweeted: "Just to be clear, those who decide not to do it the RIGHT way do not deserve to don the Red & Black. It is a privilege, not a right."

–Don't forget Georgia was already going to play without Harvey-Clemons for the first three games of next season. That includes against Clemson and South Carolina...

–Where will Harvey-Clemons eventually end up? The first reaction by most was to crack about Auburn, which has former Bulldog Nick Marshall, who helped the Tigers to the BCS title game.

Would Harvey-Clemons reunite with Louisville and Todd Grantham, who saw big things for him in his "star" hybrid position? Harvey-Clemons mentioned Grantham as the big pull for why he came to Georgia when he signed.

Louisville.

[jbcarol]

The University of Louisville football program, where second, third and fourth chances happen, will reportedly add another troubled transfer from the SEC. This time it's Josh Harvey-Clemons, a five-star defensive back released from Georgia earlier this year.

Harvey-Clemons was let go for violating teams rules, presumed to be multiple failed drug tests. The Dawgs suspended him for the first three games of next season before asking him to pack his bags and hit the road for good in February.

Harvey-Clemons' grandfather: "Louisville made him an offer and he's planning on attending. He'll redshirt this year and have two years of eligibility."

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/football-2/louisville-adds-another-sec-transfer-with-off-the-field-troubles-rinse-repeat

[jbcarol]

Barrett Sallee ‏@BarrettSallee ·3 hrs
Mark your calendars. Josh Harvey-Clemons' first game at Louisville will be against Auburn. Think Grantham will tell him to "knock it down?"

[Rzbakfromwaybak]

Barrett Sallee ‏@BarrettSallee ·3 hrs

Mark your calendars. Josh Harvey-Clemons' first game at Louisville will be against Auburn. Think Grantham will tell him to "knock it down?"

Not sure this guy will play against Auburn.  Article said he would have to sit out a year before he was eligible.  With this guys track record, might be a problem staying out of trouble for that long.

[jbcarol]

Jody Demling ‏@jdemling  16h
Former Georgia safety Josh Harvey-Clemons tells Cardinal Authority that he will enroll at Louisville in June. He's officially a Card.

Former five-star prospect and Georgia safety Josh Harvey-Clemons confirmed to Cardinal Authority that he will enroll at the University of Louisville in June. Harvey-Clemons, who was dismissed from the Bulldogs team in February, was the third-leading tackler last season.

Jody Demling ‏@jdemling  15h
It's likely when Louisville opens 2015 against Auburn that Josh Harvey-Clemons and James Sample are starting safeties. Both top 30 out of HS