Category: Lifestyle

Mecole Hardman’s agent Lil Wayne has big plans for Super Bowl rings

Mecole Hardman’s agent, renowned for several ventures outside of sports management, is confident the rookie will hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie Mecole Hardman is the only Georgia Bulldog playing in Super Bowl LIV. He extends the school’s 19-year streak of Super Bowl representation one year after four former players represented the University of Georgia in the big game.

Hardman’s agent, renowned for several ventures outside of sports management, is confident the rookie will hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Rapper Lil Wayne was the featured guest on an episode of the podcast Drink Champs; the interview was posted one night before the Super Bowl. Around 45 minutes into the interview, he was requested to give a prediction of the game.

“I’m got the Chiefs…because I’ve got a player on that team,”

Podcast hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN ask if he’s referring to a fantasy team.

“No, I have an agency.”

Young Money Entertainment was founded in 2005 primarily as a record label, but has recently branched into athlete representation, similarly to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.

Following the podcast audience’s laughter, Lil Wayne further explained:

“Mecole Hardman. Number 17. He’s a Dawg and he’s a rookie, so I’d love to see him get a Super Bowl ring.”

N.O.R.E. proceeds to ask if Lil Wayne gets a ring if the the Chiefs win.

“Yeah. And I might make his ring look better than the [rest of] the team’s.”

Let it be known: The multi-platinum recording artist decrees that if his client earns a Super Bowl ring, he will to to pay out of pocket to further bedazzle a diamond-encrusted accessory already exceeding a worth of $40,000.

 

Surprise! Auburn football fans are mad… again

Auburn football fans react to Bo Jackson being ranked behind Herschel Walker

Monday, ESPN named its Top 11 college football players of all time at the national championship game in New Orleans.

The rankings list originally started at 150, given it’s the 150th anniversary of the sport, but narrowed down to the best of the best in the end.

Georgia’s Herschel Walker was named the No. 2 player of all time, behind only Syracuse’s Jim Brown. Sure, one can agree that Brown had one of the best professional careers of all time, but many Bulldog fans were skeptical of him being ahead of Walker in the college football list.

If you thought Georgia fans were mad, boy do we have a treat for you. The little brother ‘cow college’ that is Auburn took saltiness to a new level last night. Sure, we’ll probably get a couple ‘1980’ or ‘win a natty’ jabs in the comments, but that’s typical from a fan of the WarTigerPlainsmen.

We get it, we need to win a natty. You’ve already told us 37 times this morning alone. Did you remember to eat breakfast and put on your shoes before heading out the door?

Take a look at some of these responses from Auburn fans on Twitter, who were livid Bo Jackson was ranked behind Walker in ESPN’s list. Get over it and focus on your Top 5 basketball team that we are 100% jealous of.

Hate to break it to you, but professional baseball stats don’t count for college football.

Ok, before we go here. Bo Jackson was one of the best to ever do it in college football and even as an athlete overall. We’re just having some fun here as you can see.

 

Recruiting analyst hilariously mocks troll on Twitter

A college football recruiting analyst hilariously mocked the infamous Twitter troll Ray UGA on Wednesday

Just about every Georgia fan on Twitter has probably heard of the infamous gift that keeps on giving by now.

Andrew Ray, the uber-confident “Twitter insider” has been popping up on the timelines for about a month, putting out hilariously foolish content on Georgia football.

Whether the guy thinks he’s a legitimate recruiting insider or he’s just trying to mess with people, he’s good at getting under people’s skin with the following tagline.

‘Go Dawgs, Go SEC, Rise Above Hate.’

Now, an actual reporter has decided to take a stab at the skit himself, with a twist on the tagline.

Mike Farell of Rivals.com recently began posting short videos on the latest football news for Twitter, quietly sneaking in a ‘Go Rivals, Go Rivals.com’ at the end.

Of course, if you couldn’t already tell, Farrell is taking a jab at Ray for his clownery on the inter webs. No one seems to know how and when this whole thing started, but as long as you don’t take it serious, it’s actually quite enjoyable.

Let Ray have his 15 seconds of fame. He clearly loves this newfound attention and we don’t see the videos stopping anytime soon.

The only thing we advise is to avoid talking negatively about players and their families in the videos. Otherwise, they’re pretty funny.

Keep rising above hate or else hate will rise above you… and remember, Go Dawgs! Go SEC!

IT JUST MEANS MORE.

Herschel Walker delivers powerful speech at College Football Awards

Georgia football great Herschel Walker wins NCFAA Contributions Award and delivers a powerful speech at this years College Football Awards

Herschel Walker, the Georgia Bulldogs all-time leading rusher, was honored this past Thursday at the annual College Football Awards.

Walker was awarded the NCFAA Contributions Award for his service and contributions to different communities and people in need.

Walker was brought up on stage with the highest praise and was interviewed by ESPN’s Rece Davis.  During the interview, Walker gave a moving speech that captured the entire crowd.

WATCH:

Herschel discussed problems in life that stretch far beyond football.

He touched on the stigma surrounding mental health and how important it is to reach out for help when in need.  He opened up about issues he’s dealt with his whole life, even while winning Heisman Trophies and a National Championship, and how he’s dealt with those issues over time.

Herschel also highlighted the importance of giving back to our military because without them, he wouldn’t have ever been able to accomplish what he has and be as successful as he’s been.

A truly moving speech and honorable award for the Dawgs legend.

5-star Georgia basketball freshman Anthony Edwards joins Twitter

Five-star Georgia basketball freshman Anthony Edwards joins Twitter

Anthony Edwards, the five-star Georgia basketball shooting guard, has joined Twitter.

After lighting it up in the second half against Michigan State in Maui, the  ‘Ant Man’ gained national attention and put the Bulldog basketball program in headlines across the country.

Now, the Dawgs find themselves sitting at 6-2, with a trip to Arizona State coming on Sunday.

Make sure to give Edwards a follow as he attempts to lead Georgia to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2014-15 season.

Go Dawgs!

WATCH: SEC Shorts absolutely destroys Alabama in latest video skit

SEC Shorts team destroys Alabama football in latest hilarious video skit

SEC Shorts, the hilarious video production team, put together one more regular season video after this year’s Iron Bowl.

If you weren’t already familiar with the group, SEC Shorts creates a video each weekend, mocking a losing team in the conference.

This Monday, it was Alabama’s turn to be featured on the show, after a crucial loss to Auburn.

 

This might be the best SEC Shorts video we’ve ever seen. Given what happened to Georgia in 2017, it makes Auburn’s epic victory over Alabama that much sweeter.

A big game against LSU in Atlanta looms, but each fanbase can agree on one thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go Dawgs!

Georgia-Georgia Tech: The second biggest football game in the state Saturday

Why Georgia-Georgia Tech isn’t even the biggest game in the state on Saturday

Saturday, toe meets leather when the Georgia Bulldogs square off against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Though the two longtime rivals have a storied history on both sides of the contest, we’re here to tell you why it’s the second biggest game in the Peach State Saturday.

(Yes, this post is supposed to be sarcastic, just like this tweet)

(Funny, huh?)

Georgia (10-1), heads into Atlanta as a 28.5-point favorite over a rebuilding Yellow Jacket squad that only has three victories on the season. Georgia Tech (3-9), will likely just be playing for pride on Saturday with a bowl far out of the equation and only the ability to play spoiler at stake.

Here’s why this game isn’t even the biggest in Georgia tomorrow. Take the following information as you will.

Georgia State (7-4) and Georgia Southern (6-5) are playing in a battle of bowl-eligible Sun Belt teams in Statesboro. Of course, this game has no implications on the College Football Playoff, but neither does the one in Atlanta if you convince yourself Georgia cannot possibly lose.

(Yes, South Carolina did beat Georgia this year, but have you seen Tech play?)

The North Avenue Trade School’s only wins are over USF, Miami and NC State. Don’t pull the bowl eligible card on me with Miami, the ‘Canes are terrible right now.

 

As you know, anything can happen in a rivalry game, until you realize you’re playing a junior varsity high school team. The contest in Statesboro is even more heated than Clean Old-Fashioned Hate this season, once you come to terms with the current factors of the game.

The two in-state Sun Belt foes have comparable teams in just about every sport and even play in the same division. Georgia State and Georgia Southern fans have been battling it out on the inter webs all year, debating who’s better.

 

 

As for Georgia-Georgia Tech, it’s one team’s Super Bowl and the other team’s annual cupcake before the SEC Championship.

Overall, of course Georgia-Georgia Tech carries more weight than a Sun Belt rivalry for college football, but this season, the biggest Peach State football game on 11/30 is in Statesboro.

Why am I writing this post in the middle of the night before heading to Bobby Dodd in a few hours? Because if the Tech game actually mattered this year, I’d already be out there tailgating.

Sure, Georgia Tech could technically win the game, but there’s a better chance the Braves win a playoff series or the Falcons’ offensive line lets Matt Ryan get a pass off in the 4th Quarter. As for that other game, it’s anyone’s guess who comes out on top, which makes it actually interesting.

I can almost guarantee you that 15 minutes into the Georgia game Saturday, you’ll start looking at your remote and consider flipping to Ohio State-Michigan for a play or two. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 67-41-5 and the contest hasn’t been close since 2017.

This season, with the talent gap still growing, Geoff Collins took over an option-centered Yellow Jacket offense and tried to run a pro-style scheme. Sure, this might win Tech an ACC Coastal division title in a few years, but it’s not going to give them a chance this weekend.

Georgia State leads the all-time series with Georgia Southern three games to two. The rivalry is so heated that the schools fought over who the real “GSU” was, until Georgia Southern finally agreed to be called “GS” on telecasts.

And did I mention each school has been to as many bowl games as Georgia Tech in the last two seasons? Ouch.

Of course I have a hatred for Tech that lies deep inside of me, but let’s face it, there’s really no need to show it that much. Why? Because Tech is irrelevant and only exists for the sole purpose of annoying Georgia. Ok, not really, but that’s what I like to believe.

Also, these so-called geniuses decided it would be a good idea to combine the two largest interstates in Georgia and merge them through downtown with I-20 in Atlanta. For that, I am forever bitter as I have to suffer the consequences five days a week and even this Saturday.

Seriously, who’s idea was that? Moron.

What’s my point here? Well, I’m glad you asked.

I’ll be in Bobby Dodd Stadium draped in red and black, watching the Bulldogs beat down on the bees in a little while.

But yes, I do believe the game in Statesboro will be much more entertaining, once those Georgia touchdowns begin to raise the electricity bill for the Grant Field scoreboard this month.

Go Dawgs! Wreck Tech!

And oh yeah, can we please drop Tech from the schedule for Georgia State next season? I think it might strengthen our resume a bit.

Just a thought.

#UGA24: Future Dawgs post amazing reaction videos to Twitter after being accepted into Georgia

Students who were accepted Early Action via Georgia admissions posted amazing reaction videos to Twitter after becoming members of #UGA24.

On Friday, high school students who applied early action to the University of Georgia were made aware if they were going to be future Bulldogs.

For those who received the good news, this was more than just another college acceptance letter; it was a dream come true.

Students who were not accepted, don’t give up. Work hard and good things will come. Remember, all roads lead to Athens.

This year, Georgia received 16,585 early action applications and made 7,025 offers of admissions.

Kylie Dunlap was one of those fortunate enough to be admitted. A senior at Cherokee High School in Canton, Georgia, Kylie’s excitement poured through the phone screens of everyone who watched her reaction video on Twitter. The joy that not only overtook Kylie, but her parents as well, was contagious.

This video of Kylie and her family prompted me to search for some more clips of soon-to-be Dawgs receiving the best news possible.

And they did not disappoint.

Here’s Kylie’s priceless reaction.

Congratulations, #UGA24. You said your prayers, you worked your tails off, you loved your parents and you shouted ‘Go Dawgs’ every Saturday since you can remember.

You earned this.

Did I miss any? Send me an email (jvitale1@usatoday.com) or a direct message to the @UGAFootballLive Twitter account with a link to the tweet or Instagram post. 

 

Photographer injured during Georgia football game shares pic she took just before hit

UGA student photographer Chamberlain Smith was knocked unconscious during freak accident this Saturday. See the pic she got moments before.

It was a scary moment this Saturday in Auburn, Alabama as Georgia running back Brian Herrien was pushed out of bounds, running into UGA photographer Chamberlain Smith and causing her to go unconscious.

There was about a 10 minute delay on the game as the whole stadium sat in silence praying for Smith’s wellbeing.

Obviously the incident was a freak accident with no one at blame.

Herrien, the Dawgs senior running back, showed his support and how concerned he was for Smith.

Herrien truly did show compassion in not wanting to go back to his sideline.  He cared more about Smith than he did the game.  Some things are bigger than football.

Thankfully Smith was alright, being diagnosed with a mild concussion.  Not only did Smith get out of there okay, she got one hell of a picture of the man who took her out.

Nothing but love here in Athens and thankfully Smith is alright.

Talk of the Barn: UGA Wire conducts Q+A with pair of Auburn students

UGA Wire interviews pair of Auburn students on Saturday’s upcoming game with Georgia

Georgia will renew a storied rivalry Saturday against Auburn on the Plains.

Before the Bulldogs and Tigers kick off, we wanted to give you a different perspective on the game. You’ve heard what the Georgia and Auburn media have to say and you probably know how your fellow Dawg fans feel heading into this contest.

But what about the Barners?

Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

(Barners are Auburn fans, by the way)

We talked to a pair of Auburn students, who you might remember from last winter’s basketball articles, on the big game.

Down on ‘the Plains’ we have Miles Espy who is a graduate student at Auburn University and a longtime Tiger athletics season ticket holder, while Frank Parker is an undergraduate student who also attends a number of athletic events at the Barn.

After a successful segment on the hardwood with these two last February, we decided to bring them back. Below, you will find all the information you need from two surprisingly confident Auburn fans heading into Saturday.

Let’s get to it.

We’ve heard a lot about Auburn’s daunting defensive front, including the almost irreplaceable Derrick Brown. Aside from the defense, what can we expect to be Auburn’s biggest strength on Saturday, specifically on offense?

Parker: “I think the biggest strength of Auburn offensively will be the depth at running back. The true freshman DJ Williams has proven himself to be a #1 back with his ability to run between the tackles and catch passes out of the backfield and when you pair that with Whitlow’s return from injury and the always sneaky Shaun Shivers we have a very talented and deep backfield that will give the Dawgs fits.”

Espy: “Auburn’s defense gets a lot of the credit as they should, but Auburn’s offense does have some things going for it. I would say a player to look out for when Auburn is on offense is Anthony Schwartz. A question Georgia fans need to ask themselves is ‘what does Gus Malzahn like to do on offense in big games?’ He loves to run a lot of gadget plays and trick plays. Anthony Schwartz has been on the receiving end of a lot of these classic Gus Malzahn trick plays. He runs on Auburn’s track team, is training for the summer Olympics in 2020, and has run the 100-meter dash in 10.07 seconds. Look for the Tigers to get him the ball in creative ways on Saturday.”

 

The Tigers have beaten Georgia and Alabama six times this decade, but only one of those wins came on the road (2010 Alabama). Following up on that, what is it that makes Auburn’s home field advantage so special? Not counting the 2010 championship season, almost every major Auburn win this decade has come at home or a neutral-site venue. How does Auburn make a stadium so similar in size to Georgia’s that much tougher to play at?

Parker: “Auburn’s home field advantage is unlike any other in the country. You can tell that the players really feed off the fans and when the student section is rocking and the fans are into it I don’t think any team can come in there and confidently say that they are going to beat this Auburn team.”

Espy: “I’ve attended several Auburn home games throughout the year, and I’ve seen Auburn play at Sanford Stadium four times, including our thrilling 31-30 victory in 2005. The biggest difference is the student sections. Sanford Stadium gets plenty loud, and their students love football just like Auburn students. However, Sanford Stadium has their students scattered throughout the stadium, whereas Jordan-Hare Stadium keeps all the students in one defined area. I believe this, as well as having the largest jumbo-tron in college football, makes Auburn a more intimidating place than Georgia.”

 

This Auburn team opened the season with a come-from-behind win over a very good Oregon team. After that, the Tigers dropped their two biggest games of the season to date, though they were on the road. The offense has its struggles, but the defense has proven it can keep them in big-time matchups for the majority of the game. With an extra week to prepare for the Bulldogs and a little home-cooking, will we see a difference in the Auburn offense on Saturday? Can Auburn figure out how to put 6’s on the board rather than 3’s? 

Parker: “I think we will see Auburn get back to basics this week. Gus is determined to run the ball against this vaunted Dawgs defense and if Bo Nix can minimize mistakes and not have any turnovers Auburn has a great chance to win this game. The bye week certainly helps, considering Gus Malzahn is 8-0 after bye weeks since he has been at Auburn and he is outscoring opponents 282-180 after bye weeks. That extra week really helps round out the game plan.”

Espy: “I think so. I’m not saying Auburn will look like LSU on offense, but I think they look better than they did against Florida and LSU. Something you have to remember is while Bo Nix is an incredibly talented QB and has future Heisman potential, he is only a true freshman. I think the crowd noise at The Swamp and Death Valley gave him problems. He has played much better when the crowd is on his side. He has thrown for more than 300 yards in his last two home games, which were against SEC defenses. This should help Auburn get more touchdowns instead of field goals.”

 

Every year Kirby Smart has been at Georgia, the Bulldogs have dropped their annual SEC West road game in the middle of the season. With an embarrassing loss to South Carolina in October, playoff hopes are on life alert unless Georgia wins out. Do you think Auburn can catch Georgia off-guard like in 2017 or will the Dawgs be ready this time, after that terrible defeat to a head coach who works for Georgia?

Parker: “Kirby will definitely have his team ready for Saturday. They can’t afford to drop another game if they want their playoff hopes to remain alive. However, this Auburn team is hungry and would love to play spoiler for its rival. It’s gonna come down to which offense can get it going against these very tough defenses.”

Espy: “Georgia wasn’t caught off guard in 2017, and they definitely will not be caught off guard this year. Auburn is a hostile environment to play in and Auburn had a very good team in 2017 and has a very good team this year. As a matter of fact, I guarantee you UGA has had this game circled on their calendars. Players like Jake Fromm and D’Andre Swift remember getting embarrassed at Jordan-Hare two years ago, and they’d love nothing more than to get a win in their return visit.”

Of course we know who you want to win the game, but answering as neutral as possible, what is your score prediction for Saturday? Will the Dawgs clinch the East and head to Atlanta with playoff hopes still alive or will Auburn play the role of spoiler in Jordan-Hare?

Parker: “My score prediction for this weekend predicts an Auburn victory by a score of 17-13. I think it will be a hard fought, physical game where each of the defenses control the game. However, I believe the extra week off will give Auburn the edge so that they can come out on top.”

Espy: “I definitely see a low scoring game. Auburn’s offense has been slow against big time defenses, and Georgia’s offense has been a disappointment this year. Georgia will win the SEC East, but it will not be clinched this weekend! In a battle of two similar teams when it comes to talent, I’ll take the team with home field advantage. Auburn wins 20-10.”

 

If you could only pick 1 of your 37 mascots to be the official face of Auburn Athletics, which would it be? It’s kind of confusing with all of this Wartigerplainsmen stuff, ya know?

Parker: “I’m not going to entertain this question.”

Espy: “This is such a wonderful question and so beautifully asked. A simple google search would inform you that Auburn’s official mascot is Aubie the tiger. Aubie is a 9-time mascot national champion compared to Hairy Dawg, who has 0.”

(Seems a bit harsh Miles…)

 

Let’s say Georgia and Alabama beat Auburn, who ends up finishing 0-4 against the SEC elites. Is Gus’ job safe? 

Parker: “If Auburn drops both games against UGA and Alabama, I still think Gus’s job is safe. With the highly ranked recruiting class coming in and a young quarterback who has the potential to be a star I don’t see the university letting go of Gus just yet.”

Espy: “I don’t see this happening, but if it does, certainly not. I’ll hate it if Gus is let go. Gus is a very good and underappreciated coach. He’s been more successful against Nick Saban than any other coach in the SEC. However, when your biggest rival has potentially the greatest coach in the history of college football, you’re constantly going to be compared to him.”

How do you expect each of these teams to finish the season? (Guess final record entering bowl season and their bowl or playoff destination.) Ex: Auburn goes 8-4 and makes the Outback Bowl. 

Parker: “I think Auburn ends 9-3 and plays in the Outback bowl against Michigan. I think UGA ends 10-2 and winds up in the Orange bowl vs Wake Forest or the Cotton Bowl vs Memphis.”

Espy: “I see both teams ending with the same record in 10-2. Unfortunately, this will not be enough for Auburn to get in the college football playoffs, and I see the Tigers ending up ranked in the 5th spot. I think Georgia is not far behind in the final rankings in around the 7th. This will be good enough for both teams to go to quality New Years Six bowls and beat a team from a lesser conference. Auburn and Georgia finish 11-2.”

That’s all folks! Make sure to check back with UGA Wire throughout the weekend as we bring you extended coverage of Georgia-Auburn.

Go Dawgs!