Tag: auburn football news

SportingNews releases preseason CFB top-25: Where is Georgia football?

Where is Georgia football in SportingNews’ preseason college football top-25 rankings?

This week, SportingNews released its preseason college football top-25 for the 2020 season.

Whether or not there will even be a 2020 season is uncertain right now. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit actually said that he would be “shocked” if we had an NFL or college season at the rate things are going in regards to the coronavirus pandemic.

With no spring practices or scrimmages, it makes it that much tougher to assemble these preseason rankings.

Related: USA TODAY releases preseason CFB top 25: Where is Georgia?

But those who are still taking it upon themselves to create a top-25 are doing us all a favor, making the offseason slightly more entertaining.

In SportingNews’ preseason top-25, created by Bill Bender, the site had the Georgia Bulldogs ranked fourth in America.

Bender’s top-five is as follows:

  1. Clemson
  2. Ohio State
  3. Alabama
  4. Georgia
  5. LSU

Notable mentions include: #10 Florida, #11 Auburn, #17 Texas A&M and #23 Kentucky.

On Georgia, Bender wrote:

Jake Fromm is gone, as well as the vast majority of Georgia’s offensive line. The Bulldogs did pick up graduate transfer quarterback Jamie Newman from Wake Forest, and he will work with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Georgia also hired Alabama strength coach Scott Cochran. Kirby Smart has built with a string of top-five recruiting classes. Zamir White and James Cook will keep the ground game going, and George Pickens could emerge as the best receiver in the FBS. Rising redshirt-sophomore linebacker Azeez Ojulari could make the jump to All-American. The road trip to Alabama on Sept. 19 is the next chance to win the big game.

Georgia will look to cap its season with a fourth consecutive trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. That will not be as easy as in years past – not that it was ever easy. Before November, Georgia visits Alabama, hosts Auburn and will play a Florida team in Jacksonville that’s received a ton of offseason hype.

We’ll know just how far this Bulldog squad is capable of going by November 1.

ESPN’s Booger McFarland names elite SEC coaches

ESPN’s Booger McFarland talks which SEC coaches are in elite status. Did Georgia football HC Kirby Smart make the cut?

While on the Paul Finebaum show, ESPN analyst Booger McFarland was asked about the job that Dan Mullen is doing at Florida.

In response, he said that Mullen deserves to be considered as one of the league’s elite coaches and then went on to name other SEC coaches who he’d put in that top-tier.

McFarland included Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Ed Orgeron and Mullen as the coaches who are at the top of the conference at the moment.

“I think if I had to rank the top four right now,” McFarland said, “I would go Saban, and in some order, you can sway me in this order — it would be Saban, it would be Kirby, it would be Ed and it will be Dan Mullen, and I think there’s a line of delineation right there and then there’s a second-tier.”

Sorry Gus Malzahn and Auburn, Booger does not think you’ve done enough to be included in that top-tier of coaches. Three 8-5 seasons, one 7-6 year and one at 9-4 just will not cut it.

Also left off the list is former national championship winning coach Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M) and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, who has recently turned the Wildcats program into a headache for some of the league’s top contenders.

4-star OLB from Alabama includes UGA in top-10

4-star OLB Ian Jackson from Alabama included Georgia football in his top-ten schools.

On Thursday, 4-star outside linebacker Ian Jackson released his top-ten schools.

In no specific order, Nebraska, Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Tennessee, Louisville and Texas A&M were the schools that he announced as his finalists.

From Prattville, Alabama, Jackson ranks as the nation’s No. 309 overall player, No. 25 ranked OLB and the 10th ranked player in the state.

Kirby Smart knows he has his work cut-out for him with both home-state universities Alabama and Auburn being listed in his most recent post.

Prattville, which is smack-dab in the middle of Alabama, is only a one hour drive to Auburn and a 90 minute commute to Tuscaloosa. In comparison to Athens, it’s a 3.5 hour drive.

During his junior season for Prattville, Jackson tallied 91 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and six sacks.

 

 

USA TODAY Sports releases preseason CFB top-25: Where is Georgia football?

Where did Georgia football ranks in USA TODAY’s preseason CFB top-25?

Kirby Smart and the Georgia football program will once again head into the next season with hopes of bringing the national championship back home to Athens, Georgia.

Via elite recruiting of both high school prospects and collegiate transfer students, the Dawgs have positioned themselves well to be in this position every year.

Even with the departure of a Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift, Lawrence Cager, practically its entire offensive line, a few defensive leaders and one of the greatest kickers in school history, Georgia still should find itself sitting in the top-five come next fall.

With coronavirus causing so much uncertainty in the world of sports, whether or not there will even be a 2020 college football season is a mystery right now. However, that did not stop USA TODAY Sports from releasing its post-spring preseason top-25 for the 2020 season.

Paul Myerberg went ahead and compiled his rankings, with Georgia sitting at No. 3 in America.

Here is the top-five:

1. Clemson

2. Ohio State

3. Georgia

4. Oregon

5. Alabama

A few notable mentions include: #7 Florida, #9 LSU, #12 Auburn, #13 Texas A&M.

On Georgia, Myerberg wrote:

Georgia takes a big step forward in the post-spring rankings after cementing its quarterback position with Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman. If replacing Jake Fromm’s experience and reliability may be difficult, Newman’s arm and athleticism should provide a different look to an offense run by a new coordinator in Todd Monken.

Georgia will look to cap off its season with a fourth consecutive trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. That won’t be as easy as in years past – not that it was ever easy. All before November, Georgia visits Alabama, hosts Auburn and will play a Florida team in Jacksonville that’s received a ton of offseason hype.

We’ll know how elite this Bulldog squad is by November 1st.

Report: 5-star Georgia football commit no longer visiting Auburn this weekend

P5-star Georgia football OT commit Broderick Jones will no longer be visiting Auburn this weekend. The Tigers were UGA’s biggest threat.

5-star offensive tackle Broderick Jones, one of Georgia’s highest ranked commitments in the class of 2020, has had Bulldog fans on the edge of their seats the past few weeks.

Jones, a 6-5, 300 pounder out of Lithonia, Georgia, ranks as the nation’s No. 11 overall prospect and has been committed to Georgia since April of 2018.

Despite his longtime commitment, he was not comfortable signing with Georgia during the early. Former UGA offensive line coach Sam Pittman’s departure for Arkansas likely had something to do with Jones keeping his recruitment open.

Auburn has been Georgia’s biggest threat to flip the 5-star tackle. Jones has planned to take a visit there this weekend, but per a report from Keith Niebuhr of 247, he will no longer make that visit.

That does not make him joining the Bulldogs official, but it does put Georgia fans’ minds at ease knowing he will not visit Auburn just a few days before National Signing Day.

Jones was in Athens this past weekend, along with a plethora of elite recruits.

Following his visit, he posted on Twitter about what a great time he had and how he is still committed to the Dawgs.

Georgia football commit bumped from 4-star to 5-star by 247Sports

Georgia football had a commit boosted from 4 to 5-stars by 247Sports.

On Tuesday, 247Sports put in its final rankings for the nation’s top 32 prospects, boosting a Georgia commit from 41st overall to 30th.

In the 247 rankings, Jones is officially a 5-star prospect and is the No. 3 offensive tackle in America and No. 4 prospect in Georgia.

Jones, a 6-5, 300 pounder out of Lithonia, Georgia has been committed to Georgia since April of 2018.

Despite his longtime commitment, he was not comfortable signing with Georgia during the early. Former UGA offensive line coach Sam Pittman’s departure for Arkansas likely had something to do with Jones keeping his recruitment open.

Jones was in Athens this past weekend, along with a plethora of elite recruits.

Following his visit, he posted on Twitter about what a great time he had and how he is still committed to the Dawgs.

He plans on visiting Auburn next weekend, Georgia’s biggest threat.

Five-star UGA football target re-confirms his commitment

Five-star Georgia Bulldogs football commit Broderick Jones has re-confirmed his commitment to UGA. Jones has visited the Auburn Tigers.

Five-star Georgia Bulldogs football commit Broderick Jones has re-confirmed his commitment to UGA. Jones has visited the Auburn Tigers, Illinois, and Arkansas in recent weeks.

This past weekend Jones visited Athens. The trip prompted him to re-confirm his commitment to Georgia via Twitter:

Jones is Georgia’s most important remaining target in the class of 2020. Jones played high school football in Lithonia, Georgia and is 6-5. He is rated as a top five offensive tackle in his class according to nearly every recruiting website.

Jones would be an important addition for Kirby Smart and his staff, who lost a boatload of offensive line talent to the NFL and to a transfer. UGA’s offensive line has gotten some more good injury news in recent weeks as well. Jones has the potential to start as a freshman.

The Dawgs have lost four of their previous five starting offensive lineman from the 2019 season: LT Andrew Thomas (NFL), LG Solomon Kindley, RG Cade Mays (transfer to Tennessee), and RT Isaiah Wilson (NFL). UGA need all the help they can get at offensive line with the line only returning starting center Trey Hill.

Ben Cleveland, Justin Shaffer, Trey Hill, and Jamaree Salyer are expected to start next season, but would will hold down the fifth spot? Jones will make a run at the left tackle job if he ends up in Athens.

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5-star OT commit Broderick Jones sends positive tweet about Georgia

After visiting the Georgia Bulldogs over the weekend, 5-star OT commit Broderick Jones tweeted that he is ‘still committed’ to UGA football

Georgia football’s 2020 recruiting class ranks No. 3 in the nation and features five 5-star players.

Four of those 5-stars utilized the early signing period to make things official. However, offensive tackle Broderick Jones decided to wait it out and will sign during the regular signing period which begins on February 5th.

Jones, a 6-5, 300 pounder out of Lithonia, Georgia, ranks as the nation’s No. 14 overall prospect and has been committed to Georgia since April of 2018.

Despite his longtime commitment, he was not comfortable signing with Georgia during the early. Former UGA offensive line coach Sam Pittman’s departure for Arkansas likely had something to do with Jones keeping his recruitment open.

Jones was in Athens this past weekend, along with a plethora of elite recruits.

Following his visit, he posted on Twitter about what a great time he had and how he is still committed to the Dawgs.

Auburn is Georgia’s biggest threat right now when it comes to Jones’ recruitment. He plans on visiting the Tigers next weekend.

On January 17th, Jones visited Arkansas and Pittman.

Georgia football highest SEC team in PFF’s 2020 Top-25; Florida Gators low

Georgia football checked in very high in PFF’s preseason college football rankings while the Florida Gators were low.

Georgia football will once again be one of the highest ranked teams in college football heading into the 2020 season.

There were some big question marks surrounding the 2020 Bulldogs, however, a big one was cleared up when Georgia was able to reel in Wake Forest graduate transfer quarterback Jamie Newman to replace Jake Fromm in Athens.

And that’s a big reason why Georgia checked in at No. 3 in PFF’s “Way-too-early” Top-25 rankings, the highest of any SEC school.

The two teams ahead of the Dawgs, according to PFF, are Ohio State at No. 1 and Clemson at No. 2.

Other SEC schools inside the rankings include: Alabama (5), LSU (6), Florida (19), Auburn (20).

Florida fans reading this cannot be happy with that low ranking, seeing as how the Gators have cracked a lot of top-10s in the past few weeks.

For Georgia, PFF loves the addition of Newman, saying:

And they were fortunate enough to land the biggest graduate transfer of this offseason in Jamie Newman. During Newman’s 2019 season at Wake Forest, he displayed traits that Jake Fromm couldn’t touch — such as tight-window accuracy and effective deep passing — while displaying far superior athleticism. His tight-window passing grade and deep-passing grade (20-plus yards) both were second to only Joe Burrow this season. That’s pretty good company. Getting him out of Wake Forest’s up-tempo, RPO system will allow Newman to do what he does best — beat defenses with his arm instead of his legs.

Georgia also returns almost everyone from what was college football’s most ferocious defense last season. Additionally, George Pickens is due for a big sophomore season at wide receiver along with Zamir White at running back.

There’s still some concern at the offensive line position. The five starters that Georgia fields on day one will be elite, but it’s the depth that concerns me the most. Georgia lost four of its five starters to the NFL Draft or to transfer.

Interesting development on Georgia 5-star commit Broderick Jones

Something to keep in mind with Georgia football OT commit Broderick Jones

Five-star offensive tackle Broderick Jones, the 2nd ranked offensive tackle and 19th ranked player in the 2020 recruiting class, has been committed to Georgia since April 2018. He didn’t sign with the Bulldogs during the December early signing period, but officially has not wavered from his commitment.

The Auburn Tigers have recently been in hot pursuit of the Lithonia High (GA) standout. Jones has visited Auburn on several occasions this fall. This week, Auburn’s secondary recruiter of Jones and position coach, J.B. Grimes, has resigned his position as offensive line coach. Grimes was at Auburn from 2013 – 2015 and then again from 2018 – 2019.

With National Signing Day less than a month away, Grimes’ departure adds more uncertainties to the equation for Jones. From DawgNation’s point of view, it’s a favorable development.

Georgia experienced the same situation when offensive line coach Sam Pittman left for the head job at Arkansas. The Dawgs lost the commitment of Joshua Braun and no doubt his departure effected Jones’ decision to delay his signing. However, Matt Luke stepped into the void and has done a fantastic job with helping Georgia sign its offensive linemen commits and bring a lot of energy to the offensive line room.

Most of the national recruiting services still have the 6’5″, 277-pound Jones firmly in the Georgia camp and the UGA staff remains confident. With the early departure of starting tackles Isaiah Wilson and Andrew Thomas and the graduation of backup tackle D’Marcus Hayes, there will be plenty of opportunity for Jones to see the field in 2020.

Georgia signed four offensive tackles during the recent early signing period. The Dawgs currently have 19 signees, 1 transfer and 2 commits for the 2020 class. The class ranks 3rd in the nation.