It's not all that uncommon for a coach to visit a jail for recruiting purposes. Many times, one or both parents are locked up. But that doesn't mean that they don't want to be involved in the recruiting process. But Mark Richt went to jail for a very different reason on Wednesday night.
As the AJC explains, linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons' grandfather Woodrow owns a bail bondsman's service in Valdosta. Josh is an employee and a licensed bail bond agents. Wednesday night, Clemons had to go to work:
"I told Coach Richt ‘Josh has to go to jail and get somebody out. You can go with him or stay here until he gets back," said Clemons, who added that Richt initially decided to stay.
"My kids are at the age where they have to work and do something. They’ve got to start learning about the real world. And with being bond agents, they can pick up the ‘fear’ of going to jail … Josh understood he had to go do this. I own the business and one day Josh will own part of it, so he knows the responsibilities that come with it. And it definitely beats working at Walmart or a hamburger joint."
This is where it gets more interesting: "My daughter called because she happened to leave her ID in the van at church," said Clemons. The ID was needed to post bond for the clients. "Coach Richt and Coach Bobo went to jail with my wife to take the ID to them. Coach Richt wanted one more time to talk with Josh before they hit the road. They talked at jail for about 20 or 30 minutes I guess."
Harvey-Clemons is considering Georgia, Florida and Florida State. Wednesday night was likely the last time Harvey-Clemons and Richt will see one another facet-to-face before National Signing Day (February 1).
For more on Georgia recruiting, head to Dawg Sports. For more on Florida recruiting, head to Alligator Army. For more on Florida State recruiting, head to Tomahawk Nation.