Jake Ganus
Former UAB player Jake Ganus will start football at UGA this fall. Photo courtesy of UAB.
When Jake Ganus was a senior at Chelsea High School, the quarterback/linebacker was rated the 49th-best prospect in the state of Alabama by Scout.com.
Not bad, but definitely not SEC material.
Three standout seasons at UAB, however, including leading the Blazers defense this season with 70 tackles — 16.5 for loss and six sacks — culminating in second-team Conference USA honors garnered the linebacker some attention when UAB President Ray Watts killed the UAB football program after the season.
In fact, the former Chelsea Hornets star was contacted by more than 40 schools and picked up 18 firm offers. He settled on the University of Georgia, where he has already enrolled and will play this fall per NCAA rules that allow a student-athlete to play immediately when his former school shutters its program. He will have one season of eligibility remaining.
Ganus agreed that it is a bittersweet time.
“It definitely is a great opportunity,” Ganus said. “It’s pretty hard to explain just how excited I am. My three years at UAB, I fell in love with it. UAB will always be a part of me.
“Growing up as a kid, you always dream about playing in front of big crowds, but I knew coming out of high school, that was not going to be my reality. Now I get to play in the SEC.
“Georgia, when I came on my official visit, I just knew it was where I wanted to be. I think UAB has prepared me for this by playing against SEC schools — the talent, speed, the physicality. Of course, now it’s going to be every week. It’s a big challenge for me but I’m looking forward to it.”
Georgia graduates its two inside linebackers and Ganus believes those spots are wide open for playing time.
Ganus led the Blazers in tackles the past two seasons, racking up 93 in his sophomore season. For his UAB career, he was credited with 226 tackles. This season, he even got to relive his days on the other side of the ball when he scored a touchdown against Louisiana Tech on a 56-yard fumble return.
He said he’s especially looking forward to playing Alabama in Athens in October and at Auburn in November.
Ganus, 21, was born in Alpharetta, Ga. His family moved to Chelsea when he was 14. So in a sense, he’s going home, but he says if somebody asks him where he’s from, “I’m from Chelsea.”
