Late Thursday night, Georgia Cornerback Daniel Harris was arrested by Athens-Clarke County Police. According to the incident report, Harris was booked in the Athens-Clarke jail at 10:40 P.M. on five misdemeanor charges which included alleged reckless driving, failure to wear a seatbelt, and operation of an unregistered vehicle. Harris was released at 11:47 P.M. after posting a $50 bail. 

Multiple sources have reported that Harris was driving 106 mph, more than 40 mph over the posted speed limit, on wet roads. 

Harris has played significant minutes this season as a backup to starters Daylen Everette and Julian Humphries. Should Harris be suspended, freshman and former 247Sports top high school prospect Ellis Robinson IV is the most likely to see more time on the field. 

The multitude of driving violations within the Georgia football team have been widely reported, the most notable of which was the January, 2023 accident that led to the death of Devin Willock. However, in the year-and-a-half span since the accident, there have been at least 24 driving related charges involving Georgia players. Kirby Smart suspended running back Trevor Etienne for the first game of the 2024 season after he pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge, though the DUI charge from the same incident was dropped. 

The question now left to be answered is how Kirby Smart and the Georgia Athletic Program respond. Following the Clemson game, Smart was asked about the culture of the program. He said, “I wish you could talk to our players. I wish you could live in there and see our guys day to day, and see Thomas Settles (team chaplain) and Bryant Gantt (legal assistant), all the people that stand up in front of our team and talk about connection and share their experiences…” 

There is no question, however, that the culture is not perfect, and action will be taken to curtail the alarming number of driving related incidents. Coach Smart has maintained a staunch position that he will not discuss player discipline outside of the clubhouse, citing the protection of the players’ privacy, so it will likely be gameday before we know whether Harris will dress out for the game against Kentucky.