Marquis “Mudcat” Elmore has always been a bit of a strange story. He was a blue-chip recruit, bounced from linebacker to defensive end to defensive tackle, and has endured several injuries throughout his career at Georgia. He was never able to contribute much, and for that reason many put the “bust” label on him and he became a punchline of sorts as fans wondered when he might break through and live up to his billing.

Steve Patterson has a good story up ($) on UGA’s offseason program, and it includes a few final thoughts from Elmore on his career.

I have no regrets. I had a great time here, and it was the only place I ever wanted to be. I know that I came in ranked highly, but I had to have surgery, and that is just the way my career went. I was not the first, and I am not going to be the last. I am done with football. I am going to get my degree and go to work. I want to be a coach.

After all of that, he didn’t lose focus, and he’s on his way in life. He’s not bitter, doesn’t place blame, and leaves with his head on straight. Even if the Georgia football program didn’t turn him into an NFL star, it sure seems in this case to have produced a man pointed in the right direction.