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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
Georgia‘s repeated driving-related issues continued Thursday night when cornerback Daniel Harris was arrested and charged with reckless driving for going 106 miles per hour (41 mph over the speed limit) on a wet road, according to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department incident report.
The No. 1 Bulldogs play at Kentucky on Saturday. ESPN has reached out to Georgia officials for comment on Harris’ arrest and whether he was on the trip with the team.
Police say Harris, a sophomore who played in the first two games this season, was traveling at a high rate of speed around 8 p.m. on Thursday on Georgia 10 outer at the College Station Road entrance ramp. His 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee passed two other vehicles during the rain, and the arresting officer checked the speed on the department issued Dragon Eye Lidar device, and it indicated a speed of 106 mph, the incident report stated.
Harris was pulled over by police and booked into the Clarke County Jail at 10:40 p.m. and released at 11:49 p.m. on a $50 bond. Harris’ vehicle had a temporary tag that expired on Aug. 4, 2024. His vehicle registration expired on March 8, 2024. He had no proof of insurance and affixed materials on his vehicle that reduced visibility of his windows/windshield, all according to the incident report. He was also charged with driving without wearing a seatbelt.
Harris’ arrest comes on the heels of running back Trevor Etienne being suspended for the opener against Clemson. Etienne was arrested in March and charged with DUI. In a plea agreement in July, prosecutors dropped the DUI charge, and Etienne pleaded no contest to reckless driving and guilty to charges of underage possession of alcohol, failure to maintain lane and a window-tint violation.
Georgia’s football program has been plagued by a recurring string of driving-related problems involving players in and around Athens, including an incident in January 2023 where recruiting staff member Chandler LeCroy and player Devin Willock were killed while racing a car driven by star defensive lineman Jalen Carter. Both cars were traveling at more than 100 miles an hour, and police said alcohol was involved in the crash.
Since that fatal crash, Georgia has had at least 20 arrests or citations involving players for driving-related violations, including DUI, speeding and reckless driving. Victoria Bowles, a former recruiting staffer who survived the fatal crash last year, settled her lawsuit against the school’s athletic association earlier this month. Georgia also faces a lawsuit from the Willock family, who has brought claims against the athletic association and others.
Coach Kirby Smart said prior to this season that he’s taken several steps to curb the persistent driving issues, including taking away players’ NIL money and forcing them to take driving classes. He said Georgia has also brought in guest speakers to talk to the team.
In July at the SEC media days, Smart told ESPN: “We’re still talking about it because we’ve had issues. The most important thing is the safety, the health and safety of our players and our community. We have to do a better job.”