Clemson football: Derion Kendrick to UGA seems like a revenge move

The Clemson football program suffered its second lost starter from a year ago this spring when DB Derion Kendrick was dismissed from the program. This was following the decision from LB Mike Jones Jr. to transfer to LSU.

Kendrick, who played in just nine games during the 2020 season due to off-the-field conduct, never reached his potential while at Clemson and there was a hope from fans heading into this offseason that he could fix some of those problems and develop into an All-American caliber defensive back. Unfortunately, that never got to unfold.

Kendrick was dismissed and later arrested on an unlawful gun charge and there were some analysts at the time that believed he would not get another opportunity at the Power-5 level right away.

However, recent reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution paint a different picture.

According to the report, there is “growing optimism” that Kendrick’s charges will be dropped and that he will transfer to play with the Georgia Bulldogs for the 2021 season.

Some Clemson football fans think Kendrick going over to Georgia is a ‘revenge move’ and that’s certainly a possibility

There’s nothing wrong with at least putting this out there as a potential factor that is playing into Kendrick’s decision. We’re not saying that there’s bad blood between Kendrick and the Clemson football coaching staff and we know for a fact that he is still friends with many of the players on the roster.

That being said, anyone who has been a competitor on a certain team and then moved to a different team- especially if that decision was not their own- wants a chance to gain some revenge.

If Kendrick chose any other SEC school- other than South Carolina, which would make a lot more sense if he wanted to stay close to home- he likely would never see Clemson on the schedule. We’re not saying that Kendrick is making that decision simply based off wanting to play his former school, but we all know that he is at least aware of the 2021 season-opener and there’s something about having “the last laugh.”

While ‘revenge’ might have played a little role in his decision, it’s also easy to see what factors would make Kendrick choose Georgia that have nothing to do with Clemson.

He wants to play for a contender and he likely wants to prove that he can compete against some of the best talent in the nation. After the 2020 season that saw his stock plummet, the best thing he could do would be to have success against SEC wide receivers, who all the time give boosts to defensive backs even when it’s not warranted.

In addition, the Bulldogs have some question marks in the defensive backfield and Kendrick likely sees an opportunity for himself to come in and compete for a starting position. Lastly, Georgia has some momentum going in the transfer market and what it’s putting together on the recruiting trail.