Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
Mark Richt's job at Georgia next season is about to get a lot harder.
Multiple reports say quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno will announce at a 3 p.m. news conference Wednesday that they plan to forego their senior seasons and enter the NFL draft.
Stafford apparently wrestled with his decision and talked to several people, including the Manning family. Both Peyton and Eli stayed in school all four years and were both No. 1 picks.
With Stafford and Moreno gone, the Bulldogs will fall back into the pack as far as hype and won't face near the expectations they did this season. They were preseason No. 1 in the polls, but battled injuries and never came close to playing to that level.
Joe Cox, who will be a senior, is the favorite to replace Stafford at quarterback. Cox has at least played some and knows what it's like to face SEC defenses. The Bulldogs also like Logan Gray, who's athletic enough that he returned some punts this season. Gray will be a third-year sophomore next season.
The two incoming freshmen at quarterback are Aaron Murray of Tampa, Fla., and Zach Mettenberger of Watkinsville, Ga. Murray was the top-rated quarterback in the state of Florida last year and can run and pass. Mettenberger is closer to being the pure pocket passer of the two. Both players are midterm enrollees and will be able to go through spring practice.
Winning Moreno's tailback job will be a battle between Richard Samuel and Caleb King. But as the Bulldogs have shown in the past, they will play multiple players back there. Samuel passed King this season on the depth chart, but both players are immensely talented.
Chris Low joined ESPN.com in 2007 after 10 years with The (Nashville) Tennessean covering the University of Tennessee and SEC. The Rock Hill, S.C., native lives with his wife in Knoxville and has three sons.
