AJ Furman was elated about the news he learned on Wednesday.
He was preparing himself for an NCAA hearing next week to determine whether he would be able to gain a release from his athletic scholarship at the University of Georgia. As it turns out, that hearing will not be necessary.
Turman happened to come across a report Wednesday that Georgia had finally agreed to his release and now he is free to see out his future options.
"I'm real happy right now," Turman said. "I didn't know what I was going to do. I thought I was going to have the NCAA hearing, but now I can actually contact schools. I'm very excited."
Turman, a third-year running back out of Orlando Boone High, was seeking his release after failing to see playing time in his previous three seasons. He had entered the 2015 campaign with high hopes after an impressive spring game in which he had 126 yards and two touchdowns, but that promise failed to materialize in the regular season.
"In my heart, I felt like I was going to play a lot last season," Turman said, "but when it came down to it, they didn't play me. I don't why. That will always be a mystery to me."
Turman said he had been working on his release for the past two months.
"They wouldn't release me," he said. "Coach Kirby [Smart] would not release me and if that was the case, i'd have to pay for school wherever I went next year. I don't know what happened, but I read that I got my release yesterday.
"I got my permission to contact last week. They said I could contact any school but UF and Miami."
Turman said he was told he could only contact Florida schools, with the exception of those mentioned above. Florida is an SEC rival, while Miami is where former Georgia head coach Mark Richt is now the head coach.
So FSU, UCF, FAU, FIU and USF will be his initial targets. UCF is limited on what it can do with its scholarship numbers and the Knights aren't likely to use a scholarship on a player who will have to sit out a year, but that remains to be seen.
Turman just knows that he's happy with his release being granted.
"I guess for me here at Georgia, the perfect storm hit at the right time," Turman said. "A lot of things happened that normally don't happen, like my injuries, the new coaches ... I just believe for me to be successful in my future plans is just to move on and go to another school for a better opportunity."
Turman, who sat out his sophomore year after tearing a ligament and chipping a bone in his foot that required two surgeries, will be seeking three years of eligibility wherever he lands. He is planning to file papers with the NCAA for a medical hardship for his second year. He redshirted his first season.
Turman, who ran for 4,867 yards on 710 carries, and scored 55 touchdowns during his career at Boone High, said he has no regrets on choosing to begin his college career in Athens.
"I love Georgia. It's a great fan base," he said. "Outside of football, everything has always worked out for me here at Georgia. I was All-SEC academic, I love the school, the area, the town and we have the greatest fans.
"I feel sad leaving, but it's my time to do it."
Turman still has his sights set on the NFL.
"I want to go where I have the best opportunity to play because I believe that I'm a premiere running back and at my size, I'm 225 right now, about 6-1, and at might size and weight and with my size I'm looking to go to the next level," he said.