Add Ja’Marley Riddle to the ever-growing list of Georgia football players arrested under the program’s stewardship of head coach Kirby Smart.
Riddle, 19, was arrested on May 8 on felony charges for possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor speeding charge, a police report obtained by WGIG 98.7 FM showed.
The arrest occurred after an undercover Glynn County Police officer observed the Georgia cornerback traveling nearly 100 miles per hour and weaving in and out of traffic and radioed for a marked unit to stop the vehicle, according to the police report.
Riddle faces felony charges of purchase, possession, manufacture, distribution or sale of marijuana, and sale of a schedule I or II controlled substance.
East Carolina Pirates defensive back Ja’Marley Riddle (2) defends in the secondary during the game between the East Carolina Pirates and the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday, November 29, 2925 at Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, FL. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images A Georgia spokesperson told ESPN that the university is “aware of the charges” and that it is looking into the matter, but would not comment any further.
The transfer from East Carolina is alleged to have been traveling at 95 miles per hour at the time of the traffic stop. An officer on the scene noted that Riddle was “extremely nervous” and “shaking” when he handed him his license.
“I could smell the overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle,” the report stated. “Because of his nervous behavior, I asked him to step out of the vehicle while we continued the traffic stop.”
The police report noted Riddle was “kind and polite throughout the entire investigation.”
Ja’Marley Riddle of the East Carolina Pirates reacts after a missed catch by Justin Joly of the NC State Wolfpack during the second half at Carter-Finley Stadium on August 28, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Getty Images Riddle denied there had been any marijuana inside the car and granted officers permission to look through the vehicle.
Officers did eventually discover a “large heat-sealed bag” in a backpack in the backseat of the car that contained “multicolored packaging, some with a leafy substance stating marijuana, and some containing vapes stating THC.”
Riddle is entering his third collegiate football season in 2026 after playing his first two at East Carolina, where he recorded 133 tackles, 10 passes defensed and six interceptions.
The move to Georgia is a big step toward a powerhouse football program.
But the program has made headlines for the number of players that it has seen find themselves in legal trouble.
Including Riddle, there have been at least 26 instances where a member of the Georgia football program has been arrested since 2023, according to a list compiled by The Sporting News.
Most infamously, Jalen Carter’s speed racing arrest in 2023 saw him booked on charges of street racing and reckless driving following a fatal crash that resulted in the deaths of Georgia staff member Chandler LeCroy and offensive lineman Devin Willock.
