Mark Richt thanked Vince Dooley before and after his press conference on Monday morning at UGA. It was a classy exit that exemplified his era leading the football program.

He also shared a snippet of a conversation he had with 5-star recruit Jacob Eason on Sunday evening. The main emphasis? He advised the 5-star recruit and cornerstone of UGA’s 2016 recruiting class to wait and see how things play out.

“I said just to be patient and see who the next guy is (at Georgia),” Richt said. “You might get really excited about that. The rest of the guys might get really excited about that. I’m not saying don’t check out other options and all that kind of stuff. To be proactive or whatever. Don’t jump the gun. You chose Georgia for a reason and it was more than just me or (UGA offensive coordinator Brian) Schottenheimer or whatever it may be.”

Richt said he would encourage all of UGA’s current commitments to do the same thing.

“They are a great group of guys and there’s a chance for them to come in and be one of the best classes in the United States of America,” Richt said. “I said it might be a blessing to be on the front end of a coach other than Year 16. It may be a blessing to you. That’s what I told him last night.”

Jeff Sentell covers UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges.

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