The Southeastern Conference will hold its annual football media days next week, July 19-22, at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham – The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama.
On Wednesday, Georgia announced the two players who will join coach Kirby Smart to field questions from the media at the event: quarterback J.T. Daniels and nose tackle Jordan Davis.
Expectations for the Bulldogs continue to grow as we get closer to kickoff versus Clemson in Charlotte. A large reason is Daniels, who went undefeated as the starter last season while putting up big numbers. In speaking with DawgNation, the SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum spoke very highly of Daniels, calling him the league’s best passer.
“I understand the criticism,” Finebaum told DawgNation.com“I had a coach hit me up the other day and ask why am I so high on J.T. Daniels? What else has he done? Who else did he play other than Cincinnati? And that’s fair.
“But we’re talking about someone who I think is one of the best quarterbacks in the country.”
Davis is literally the biggest player returning to Athens for another season. He’ll technically be a junior for the 2021 season. He’s coming off his best game of the 2020 season, the Peach Bowl. Davis recorded a sack, blocked a kick, and had three tackles against Cincinnati. In contrast, Davis had a tough 2020 season. He suffered an elbow injury and missed extended time.
Davis is the anchor of Dan Lanning and Kirby Smart’s defensive front. He came to Athens as a relatively unheralded three- or four-star recruit (depending on the recruiting service). Before coming to UGA, Davis played for a high school powerhouse football program, Mallard Creek in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Look for Georgia to receive a lot of preseason love from the media. The Dawgs are the likely favorite to win the SEC East.
Below you’ll find the full schedule. Kirby Smart will appear on Tuesday, July 20.
Monday, July 19
Florida – Dan Mullen
LSU — Ed Orgeron
South Carolina – Shane Beamer
Tuesday, July 20
Georgia – Kirby Smart
Kentucky – Mark Stoops
Ole Miss — Lane Kiffin
Tennessee — Josh Heupel
Wednesday, July 21
Alabama – Nick Saban
Mississippi State – Mike Leach
Texas A&M – Jimbo Fisher
Vanderbilt – Clark Lea
Thursday, July 22
Arkansas – Sam Pittman
Auburn — Bryan Harsin
Missouri — Eli Drinkwitz