Georgia and athletic director Greg McGarity no doubt knew some of the fallout from parting ways with a coach as well-liked as Mark Richt wouldn't be pretty. Leonard Floyd showed why Sunday.
The Bulldogs' star junior linebacker had one brief statement to reporters as he drove away from the Georgia athletic department building Sunday, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
“I’m gone, too, by the way!”
Floyd would go on to expound on his apparent decision to enter next year's NFL Draft on Twitter:
I'm leaving
— L8F4 (@Floyd_XXXking) November 30, 2015
Coach Richt probably was the only one that could of convinced me to stay just a sad day for me as a Dawg
— L8F4 (@Floyd_XXXking) November 30, 2015
Floyd also had something to say about the Bulldogs' defensive success in 2015, apparently in criticism of McGarity's decision:
Come on now pic.twitter.com/M6tsX5IgtT
— L8F4 (@Floyd_XXXking) November 30, 2015
Floyd's decision to go pro wouldn't have been unexpected even if Richt had stayed; Floyd led the Bulldogs in sacks all three seasons he played with the team (posting 4.5 in 2015) and was considered the team's top defensive prospect. (He appears as the No. 16 overall pick in CBS Sports draft expert Rob Rang's latest mock draft.)
But given how Floyd has reacted to Richt's departure, his decision may not be the last for Georgia's juniors.