Engaged Athletes at Georgia Transferring Together to Mississippi State

Two former Georgia athletes made several important life decisions in an extraordinarily short time frame recently.

Ryland Goede was, until recently, a tight end for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Goede was a four-star recruit out of high school several years ago, seeing mostly reserve action for the Bulldogs.

Despite his fairly impressive recruiting ranking, he never caught a pass during his time in Athens. So it's not surprising that he'd be announcing a transfer to Mississippi State.

But though Goede was never successful on the field, he apparently found much more success off the field.

When announcing his decision to transfer, Goede announced that another Georgia athlete would be joining him.

His fiancee, volleyball setter Alexa Fortnin.

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 03: Georgia tight end Ryland Goede (88) warms up prior to the start of the SEC Championship football game between the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs on December 3rd, 2022 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Georgia Finally Loses

Obviously Goede was not an integral part of the Bulldogs football plans going forward. He's already a junior, and never caught up a pass with the team.

But it's still notable that he's taking another one of Georgia's athletes with him.

In fact, Fortnin was essentially a full-time player, making her loss potentially more upsetting for UGA athletics.

This story actually marks a win for the transfer portal.

Fortnin and Goede were able to change schools together at the same time, without substantial penalties. That gives him a chance to potentially see the field more often, while a newly engaged couple can stay together without resorting to long distance.

And as we all know, that's the real reason that the NCAA changed transfer rules; to protect young love.