Lovasea Carroll Sticking with Georgia another Win for Kirby Smart over Dan Mullen

Rumors were swirling for several days that Lovasea Carroll could be potentially flipping from Georgia to the Florida Gators until Carroll took to Twitter on Sunday to let everyone know that his commitment to Georgia was solidified and his recruitment was completely closed.
However, Carroll did give an indication that the rumors were indeed true.
"I know a lot of rumors been going around saying I might de-commit from Georgia and flip to Florida, all of it is true. I just thought that was a way for me to see the field early, but after looking at it I'm in the best position for my career at UGA. But after a lot of praying and talking with my family, I decided to stay committed to UGA."
It's not often you see a prospect admit that thoughts of flipping were on his mind, but in today's age of college football recruiting, nothing is surprising at this point.
As you also see in his statement, Carroll was thinking about joining the Gators because he saw it as a way to get early playing time, but why is that the case?
Well, Dan Mullen and the Florida coaching staff have continuously struck out with high school running backs since his arrival in Gainesville.
As SI's All Gators lead editor, Zach Goodall says recruiting high school backs has been a major problem for Mullen:
"High school running back recruiting has been an issue for Florida, as the team has yet to sign a running back since all-purpose back Nay-Quan Wright put pen to part in the 2019 class. Looking to get back into IMG Academy and to put an end to that problem, Florida pushed hard for Lovasea Carroll previously and had their hopes up for the announcement that he was teasing following teammate Kamar Wilcoxson's commitment, but nothing came to fruition."
And for those wondering if Kirby Smart and his staff were involved with the saving of Carroll's commitment, a retweet of Carroll's statement came from Smart almost immediately once the tweet was released Sunday afternoon.
As Georgia seems to be adding at least two running backs in each class under Smart, Mullen and his staff continues to strike out with high school backs. It's left Florida continuously dipping into the transfer market for talent at the running back position.
It wasn't just Kirby Smart laughing to the bank with Carroll sticking with Georgia. Georgia commits were having a good time with the decision as well:
Folks thought dey had sum😂 https://t.co/EzzPx0XjeW
— Jonathan Jefferson1️⃣ (@Jon_thadon1) June 22, 2020
Carroll is not the only prospect that Georgia has swept out from under Mullen and his staff either. Brock Vandagriff told Dawgs Daily in December that he really like the Florida staff. Amarius Mims has flirted with Florida as well and it seems Georgia is in the driver seat with the Peach State product.
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Brooks Austin is a former college football player turned journalist and broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter @BrooksAustinBA