CBS's Bryan Fischer is reporting that Georgia RB Caleb King is academically ineligible for this fall. That's certainly not the kind of news you want to hear about on a Friday afternoon. Or any day, for that matter.
With this development, both of UGA's top two rushers from last year are gone. Washaun Ealey led the team with 811 yards on 157 carries, but he left the team in May to seek a situation where he could be the unquestioned top running back. King was second on the team with 430 yards on 80 carries, but now he's on ice for not getting the job done in the classroom.
The real news here is not that highly touted freshman Isaiah Crowell will likely be the opening day starter. He's always had a good chance at that. The big story is that behind him, Georgia has only microback Carlton Thomas, redshirt freshman Ken Malcome (a four-star back on both Rivals and Scout), and walk-ons.
That makes the position very tenuous. Crowell has the size to be an every down back, but Thomas does not. Thomas also hasn't really impressed much in his limited work so far. Malcome hasn't really been talked about much since he got to school, and at the least wasn't ready to contribute last year despite the carousel the position had. To make matters worse, the offensive line is itself pretty thin and relatively untested.
It's all the more a good thing that Aaron Murray is one of the conference's best quarterbacks. They're going to need him badly this season.