Tag: auburn football news

Georgia great, Detroit Lions RB D’Andre Swift tabbed as instant impact rookie

Former Georgia football RB D’Andre Swift, now with the Detroit Lions, tabbed as an instant-impact NFL rookie.

USA TODAY has released its list of the 20 NFL rookies who could make instant impacts in the 2020 NFL season. Among those listed is former Georgia star D’Andre Swift, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in this year’s NFL Draft.

Swift checked in at No. 7 on the list.

Via USA TODAY :

“Detroit Lions RB D’Andre Swift (second round / 35th overall): Since Barry Sanders retired in 1999, this team has enjoyed four 1,000-yard rushing seasons from three players, none since 2013. Swift totaled nearly 2,300 yards on the ground over his final two season at Georgia and has the tools to supplant oft-injured Kerryon Johnson, perhaps on an every-down basis.”

Also on the list was former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, who went undrafted and was signed by the Colts. He checked in at No. 20.

We touched on that here. 

It looks as if Swift landed in a good spot in Detroit. He has former Georgia passer Matthew Stafford under center, one of the most prolific passers in the NFL, and will be competing for the starting job with former Auburn Tiger Kerryon Johnson, who is entering his third year and has had a hard time staying healthy.

Last week, Stafford, Swift, and former Bulldog, Lions tight end Isaac Nauta were seen working out together. Rumors surfaced that Swift was the favorite to win the starting running back job over Johnson, but the former Auburn back was quick to fire back at the critics who assumed he wasn’t staying in shape.

As the NFL begins to reopen its team facilities, we should get a better look at both Johnson and Swift as teams begin to practice for the 2020 season. Regardless on who is tabbed as the starter come September, Swift will see plenty of touches, especially through the air from that infamous Stafford side-arm.

Ranking SEC head coaches heading into 2020 CFB season

We ranked all the SEC head coaches, from Georgia football’s Kirby Smart, to Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, to Florida’s Dan Mullen.

The SEC is loaded with head coaching talent as we head into the 2020 college football season.

You have your usuals – Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Gus Malzahn, Ed Orgeron, etc.

But then you have your familiar, or in some cases not-so-familiar, yet new faces: Lane Kiffin, Mike Leach, Sam Pittman, Eli Drinkwitz.

Ranking the SEC head coaches heading into the 2020 season is as hard as it’s ever been, and that’s because of all these new hirings. But it’s also because Jeremy Pruitt waited until October to start winning games in Tennessee last year. It’s because Ed Orgeron took a loaded roster and won a national title. Because Gus Malzahn and Auburn always have the talent but can’t seem to win the big ones. Or because, despite a 4-8 season, Will Muschamp was able to knock off Kirby Smart and Georgia.

Related: 2020 Georgia schedule with game-by-game score predictions

With all of this taken into consideration, here’s our SEC head coaching power rankings for the 2020 college football season:

14. Sam Pittman, Arkansas

I would have loved to get Pittman into a higher spot on this list, but what is there to go off of? His last head coaching job came in 1992 and 1993 when he led Hutchinson Community College to an 11–9–1 record over two seasons.

I am 100% rooting for Pittman to succeed in his first season as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. It won’t be easy, and this is a team that will likely finish with at least five losses for the first few years, but that’s not necessarily a terrible thing as long as they play hard.

Arkansas may not field the most talented teams in the SEC, but if there’s one thing I’m certain of it’s that the former UGA O-Line coach will make sure his guys fight harder than anybody.

13. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri

Drinkwitz gets the No. 13 spot because of what he was able to do at App State last year. In his first season as a head coach, he led the Mountaineers to a 12-1 record and a Sun Belt championship.

But that’s not the SEC. It’s going to be a rocky road ahead for Drinkwitz, as Mizzou will definitely not be one of the more talented teams in the league for a few years.

12. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt

I often find myself rooting for Vanderbilt and Mason.

He took over at Vandy when James Franklin left for Penn State, and though it’s been tough at times, you get the feeling that Commodore fans actually look forward to their seasons.

11. Will Muschamp, South Carolina

If Muschamp had not beaten Georgia last year, he maybe would not even be on this list at all.

But he won and that probably saved his job. He coaches up a good defense, but South Carolina will need to crank up its recruiting efforts if it wants to start contending in the SEC East. Another season with no bowl game may put an end to Muschamp’s head coaching career with the Gamecocks.

10. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

Kiffin is a good football coach, there’s no denying that. No. 10 is pretty low for an offensive genius like him. But this conference is simply loaded.

Kiffin did a great job at Florida Atlantic, but I still need to see him win consistently at a Power 5 school.

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Athlon Sports releases 2020 CFB rankings: Projects Florida ahead of Georgia

Athlon Sports released its 2020 college football top-25 and projected the Florida Gators to finish above the Georgia Bulldogs.

Athlon Sports recently released its list of the top-25 college football teams going into the 2020 football season, saying the list specifically represents where they think these teams will finish the season.

From Athlon:

This is not a preseason ranking of teams going into the season. Instead, this ranking takes into account where we project teams to finish after the national championship in January

The SEC is represented six times. Alabama is at No. 2 behind projected national champion Clemson. LSU is at No. 8, Texas A&M No. 11 and Auburn at No. 13.

Most notably, Georgia, the three-time SEC East defending champion, is ranked at No. 7, behind Florida at No. 6.

Athlon Sports stated its reason for putting the Gators ahead of the Bulldogs, even though Florida hasn’t won in Jacksonville in three years, is because of the SEC crossover games and staff continuity.

“Georgia has an edge in overall roster talent,” Athlon Sports wrote. “But the Gators have a small advantage in crossover play (at home versus LSU compared to at Alabama for the Bulldogs) and coach Dan Mullen’s team has more continuity in staff and scheme.”

I suppose Athlon Sports has a point, a Joe Burrow-less LSU at home won’t be as tough as Alabama in Tuscaloosa. However, the SEC East runs through Jacksonville and Georgia has held the keys for the last three years.

And as far as continuity goes, the Bulldogs came into the 2019 season with a new offensive coordinator and still took care of business in Jacksonville.

Georgia and Florida meet this year on Halloween from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida.

Here is Athlon Sports’ projected top-10 teams in college football for 2020:

Athlon Sports’ 2020 Projected top-10

#1 Clemson

#2 Alabama

#3 Ohio State

#4 Oklahoma

#5 Penn State

#6 Florida

#7 Georgia

#8 LSU

#9 Notre Dame

#10 Oregon

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Former Georgia baseball commit flips to play QB for Clemson Tigers

Bubba Chandler, who was recently committed to Georgia baseball, has announced his commitment to Clemson, where he’ll play QB and baseball.

On Wednesday, Clemson football added a commitment from quarterback Bubba Chandler, who until recently was committed to play baseball at Georgia.

Clemson offered Chandler on May 7. On May 11, he announced he’d be reopening his recruitment and that he wanted to play both baseball and football in college.

Chandler announced his decision to play both sports for Clemson via Twitter on May 20.

Out of North Oconee High School in Bogart, Georgia, Chandler is a right-handed pitcher and shortstop. He originally committed to play baseball at UGA in June. With Georgia not being able to offer him a football scholarship, he’s decided to attend Clemson, where he can pursue both sports.

Chandler originally did not expect to receive interest from Clemson, a school that he’s never actually taken a recruiting visit to. But when Clemson quarterback target Christian Veilleux committed to Penn State a few weeks ago, it left the Tigers looking for a signal-caller in their 2021 class. So Clemson took a swing at a two-for-one deal and it paid off.

He did, however, visit Clemson in 2018 when his friend on the football team got him to tickets to see a game in Death Valley.

“[The Clemson coaches] just watched my film, a lot of my Twitter videos, and I talked with the coaches pretty much every day on the phone,” Chandler told ESPN. “Then, of course, our high school head coach knows [Clemson safeties coach] Mickey Conn pretty well. Clemson’s coaches asked our head coach about me, my character, and I guess they liked what they heard.”

Chandler has been playing both sports for nearly his entire life, and will continue that at Clemson.

“They’re going to develop me into the best player I can be in both sports,” Chandler said. “They have a chance to compete for a national championship every year. I’ve always wanted to play football in college, and what better place to play football than at Clemson?”

As for Georgia, the Bulldogs already have another quarterback committed in the 2021 class who also happens to be from Bogart. That’s 5-star dual-threat Brock Vandagriff.

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5-star CB Ga’Quincy McKinstry, a Georgia target, releases top-five

5-star CB Ga’Quincy McKinstry, a big-time Georgia football recruiting target, released his top-five schools on Sunday.

On Sunday, 2021 5-star cornerback Ga’Quincy McKinstry took to Twitter to release his top-five schools.

Out of Pinson Valley High School in Pinson, Alabama, McKinstry tweeted a top-five of Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Clemson.

McKinstry ranks as the nation’s No. 23 overall player and as the No. 2 cornerback in the 2021 recruiting class.

According to 247Sports, Alabama is the favorite to land McKinstry, with LSU and Auburn also right there.

Georgia offered McKinstry in March of 2018.

A two-sport star, McKinstry is also a star on the Pinson Valley basketball team. He has won three state championships during his high school career — two in football and one in basketball.

As a cornerback, he earned Alabama Class 6A first-team all-state honors on defense as a sophomore.

Last season, he had 30 tackles, 12 pass breakups and six interceptions.

In addition to defensive back, he also plays wide receiver and kick returner for the Pinson Valley Indians.

Last season as a receiver, McKinstry finished with 47 catches for 700 yards and 12 touchdowns.

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Georgia Bulldogs on the Lions: Matthew Stafford talks D’Andre Swift addition

Georgia football great Matthew Stafford and D’Andre Swift have teamed up on the Detroit Lions, and the former UGA QB is excited about it.

Matthew Stafford is excited to play with fellow Georgia Bulldog D’Andre Swift on the Detroit Lions this year.

Detroit used its second round pick to take Swift, and Stafford cannot wait to see what he will do in the Lions’ offense.

“As a player goes, he’s a back that can kind of do it all,” Stafford said of Swift in a Zoom call, per detroitlions.com’s Tim Twentyman. “I think he does a good job out of the backfield catching the ball and making big plays. They handed it to him a bunch and he was doing a great job running with it.”

Stafford, who played for Georgia from 2006-08 before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, knows what Swift is capable of. The two have already trained together as members of the same franchise along with another Dawg on the Lions, tight end Isaac Nauta.

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Swift joins a running back room that includes former Auburn ball carrier Kerryon Johnson and Alabama’s Bo Scarbrough. That’s some pretty legit SEC talent in the Lions’ backfield.

“I think it’s huge,” Stafford said of the Lions adding Swift to their backfield. “In the NFL everybody, but especially running backs, get dinged up and beat up here and there throughout a season, and really throughout games. The more guys you can have back there that can carry the rock and do a good job for you the better off you’re going to be.”

Lions: Kerryon Johnson replies to D’Andre Swift hype on Twitter

Georgia football vs Auburn Tigers has found its way to the Detroit Lions. AU’s Kerryon Johnson tired of hearing about UGA’s D’Andre Swift.

The Detroit Lions selected Georgia running back D’Andre Swift with the 35th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Swift will likely get the bulk of the touches at the running back position going forward, even with former Auburn ball carrier Kerryon Johnson, who’s had a solid start to his NFL career, on the roster.

Johnson is a good player, but there’s a reason Swift was taken by Detroit in the second round.

Fans have begun suggesting that Swift is coming for that starting position, but it appears Johnson harbors no animosity toward Swift. He may be growing tired of hearing about it, but at the end of the day they are teammates and it seems he genuinely wants Swift to succeed.

@LionsFanReport, a Lions Twitter fan account, tweeted a photo of Johnson enjoying the beach, coupled with a photo of Swift working with fellow Bulldog and quarterback Matthew Stafford.

The fan account was suggesting that Swift is coming for Johnson’s starting job.

“I assure you it’s scientifically possible to workout and NOT post about it…I’m with the ignorance tho if you wanna get started,” Johnson wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

Johnson made it clear that he looks forward to working with Swift, rather than against him.

“Like imma want him to fail so i can succeed? Lmao that’s not how it works…they just don’t understand,” Johnson followed up on Twitter.

Johnson was looking like one of the NFL’s best young running backs during his first two seasons. However, injuries cut both of his seasons short.

At Auburn, Johnson was a problem for Georgia in the Tigers’ home win over the Bulldogs in 2017. In that Auburn blowout, Johnson took 32 carries for 167 yards and had two catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.

But the second time around, in the SEC Championship Game, Johnson was playing through a shoulder injury that he suffered against Alabama the week prior. In Georgia’s 28-7 win, Johnson only had 44 yards. It was Swift, though, who led all rushers with 88 yards that game. A freshman, Swift took a 64 yard sprint to the house in one of the most iconic plays of the Kirby Smart era.

FootballScoop predicts Georgia will be featured in two College GameDay matchups

Georgia football is projected to be featured in two College GameDay matchups this 2020 college football season.

I know, you’d rather be reading about which early-enrollees are turning heads at Georgia workouts. I’d rather be writing about that. Unfortunately, that’s not the world we are living in right now.

Instead, we are in a constant state of speculation, which can actually provide some entertaining stories like the one Zach Barnett of FootballScoop posted this week.

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He wrote a story predicting where ESPN’s College GameDay show will visit during each week of the 2020 college football season.

In his predictions, he had Georgia being involved in two College GameDay matchups.

The first one is a sure-thing…Georgia at Alabama on September 19 in Tuscaloosa.

From FootballScoop:

Speaking of sure things, Georgia at Alabama is perhaps the surest thing of the entire season. A rematch of the 2017 national championship and 2018 SEC title game, this game comes three days shy of the THIRTEEN YEAR anniversary of Georgia’s last trip to Tuscaloosa.

The other one is on Halloween, where Barnett predicts College GameDay will visit Jacksonville for the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Not a bad prediction, as both teams will likely be in the top-ten playing for a spot in the SEC Championship Game.

Florida has finished second to Georgia in the SEC East in each of Dan Mullen’s first two seasons and, with a returning quarterback in Gainesville and a new offense coming in Athens, there’s a belief that the Gators can climb the hump this year. Florida vs. Georgia will be the ultimate trick or treat for Mullen.

Athens, Georgia was also mentioned as a possible destination on October 6. The Bulldogs will be hosting Auburn in The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, but there’s also plenty of other top-tier matchups taking place that weekend.

October 6 matchups include: Texas-Oklahoma, Clemson-Florida State, LSU-Florida, Auburn-Georgia, Minnesota-Wisconsin, Iowa-Ohio State, Rutgers-Purdue.

Oklahoma vs Texas gets GameDay that weekend in his predictions.

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Clemson football coaches coming for Georgia baseball commit

Clemson football coaches are recruiting Georgia baseball commit Bubba Chandler to play QB for the Tigers.

Clemson quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott have been in touch with 2021 Georgia baseball commit Bubba Chandler.

Out of North Oconee High School in Bogart, Georgia, Chandler is a right-handed pitcher and shortstop. He committed to play baseball at UGA last June.

Clemson quarterback target Christian Veilleux committed to Penn State last week, leaving the Tigers looking for a signal caller in their 2021 class.

Though Chandler is committed to play baseball at Georgia, he has been picking up football offers lately from schools like UNC-Charlotte, Western Kentucky and Troy.

He said that the Auburn football program has also been recruiting him heavily.

Clemson is yet to offer Chandler, but the two sport star told TigerNet that if they do offer he would certainly give them a chance. He said he would love to play both sports in college.

Chandler has not yet been able to visit the Clemson campus, but it appears he is excited to do so when the lockdown is lifted.

As for Georgia, the Bulldogs already have another quarterback from Bogart committed in the 2021 class. That’s 5-star dual-threat Brock Vandagriff.

“I love UGA. But I love football as well,” Chandler told Clemson Insider. “I’m going to look over and consider any opportunity, such as Clemson.”

BetMGM releases odds on Georgia football’s key games for 2020

Betting odds released for several of Georgia football’s key games.

Whether for not we will even have a 2020 college football season is a mystery right now, but everyone is keeping their fingers crossed that our favorite sport will return, with fans in the seats, this September.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season, online gambling sites are continuing to releasing odds on future college football games.

If college football is a go this year, BetMGM is where you can turn to find the lines for some of college football’s key 2020 matchups.

BetMGM released lines for six Georgia games, which we have listed below.

Start strategizing now.

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 4:20 p.m. ET. 

Next … September 7 vs Virginia

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