Tag: coronavirus America

Florida head coach Dan Mullen Hopeful 2020 football season will happen

Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen stays hopeful that the 2020 college football season will go on as planned.

Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen isn’t making predictions for the 2020 college football season, but he gave his thoughts on how it could play out.

“If you look four months ago we were in a very different place in this country than where we are right now,” Mullen said in a video conference on Monday.

“To say where we’ll be in four months is hard to do. But I’m certainly hopeful, I’m sure as everybody is out there.”

Mullen tried and stay positive, keeping hope that the season will ensue.

“Hopeful that we find a vaccine and a cure.” said Mullen. “Hopeful that people are working hard to limit the spread of everything going on. Hopeful that people are trying as best they can to follow the regulations and making the most out of each day that’s going on. And hopeful we get back to whatever our new normal is going to be, and that includes having a football season this fall.”

Mullen said that most college coaches will want eight weeks of practice before games start, six could also be manageable.  Anything less than six weeks will be nearly impossible for coaches.

This means issues concerning COVID-19 will need to calm by the first two weeks in July to be on schedule for the 2020 college football season.

USA TODAY identifies two Bulldogs who could be NFL Draft steals

USA TODAY has released a list of 11 players who could be major steals for NFL teams approaching the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday April 23rd.

USA TODAY released a list of eleven players who could be steals in the 2020 NFL Draft.  The draft is set to take place Thursday, April 23rd to Saturday, April 25th and will happen remotely for the first time in its history.

The list has one player per position that some teams could easily overlook, while others could be getting a major steal.

The list that had just eleven players featured two Georgia players on it.

The first of the Dawgs players listed as a steal is at the safety position with former Georgia standout JR Reed.

Reed had a spectacular career playing in Athens, tallying up 199 tackles, 5 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 touchdowns. Reed stands at 6-1, 195 lbs giving him a good sized NFL frame.  The son of 12-year NFL player Jake Reed spoke to Draft Wire about what NFL teams will get if they draft him.

“They’re gonna get a leader, on and off the field. They’re gonna get a versatile safety that can play multiple positions. I can come down in the box, I can play in the middle of the field and I can cover the tight end or anybody really.” said Reed.  “They’re gonna get a franchise safety. The term franchise gets thrown around a lot with the quarterbacks. Just like the franchise quarterback is supposed to be around for a long time, I’m a franchise safety that’s gonna be around for a long time.”

The second of the Dawgs players listed as a steal is at the kicker position with Rodrigo Blankenship.

Blankenship finished his career at Georgia hitting 80/97 field goal attempts (82.5%) and scoring 440 points for the Dawgs.  Believe it or not, Hot Rod is the highest-scoring player in Georgia football history and will be a perfect fit to be an NFL team’s franchise kicker for years to come.  Kickers really are undervalued in the NFL these days and Blankenship could be a huge steal for some teams in need of a decent kicker.

It is pretty impressive that two out of eleven of the players listed to be steals in the 2020 draft are Georgia players.  Miami was another school to feature two players as steals on the list.

It may be a couple of rounds in, but whoever takes JR Reed or Rodrigo Blankenship are going to have some serious talent in their hands.

Jeb Blazevich gives his Georgia football pick-up basketball starting 5

Former Georgia tight end Jeb Blazevich gives his edition of the Georgia football pick-up basketball starting five.

Former Georgia tight end Jeb Blazevich gave us his edition of the Georgia football pick-up basketball starting five.

We asked Blazevich via Instagram who his five Dawgs would be in a pick-up hoops game and he gave us a slightly tweaked answer.

“I’d for sure have to say Jay Rome and Lorenzo Carter and after that I’d have no clue”

Blazevich didn’t give us a full starting five, but said Jay Rome and Lorenzo Carter are the best hoopers he’s seen during his time in Athens.

Blazevich also had a comment that I’m sure football players love, and basketball players not so much.

“I know talk around the student athletes was that our football players could beat the basketball team (in basketball).”

There have always been talks of Georgia football players being very good basketball players, and that would be a matchup that I think would sellout the Steg in 10 minutes.

Related: Our starting five (Here) — Isaiah Wilson’s starting five (Here) —Mecole Hardman’s starting five (Here) — Dannell Ellerbe’s starting five (Here) — Tavarres King’s starting five (Here)

Tavarres King gives his Georgia football pick-up basketball starting 5

Former UGA wide receiver Tavarres King gives his version of the Georgia football pick-up basketball starting five.

Former Georgia wide receiver Tavarres King replied to us via Twitter, giving us his edition of the Georgia football pick-up basketball starting five.

For some background on what we’re doing…

To help get you through quarantine, we thought of a fun and creative way to entertainer our readers.

We started by compiling our own pick-up basketball team made up of current Georgia football players. But why stop there? We then reached out to a few former Bulldogs and asked them to assemble their own teams.

We let them draft players who played at Georgia from the time they started their careers to present day. So for Tavarres King, he was able to choose Georgia players from 2008-2020.

Related: Our starting five (Here) — Isaiah Wilson’s starting five (Here) —Mecole Hardman’s starting five (Here) — Dannell Ellerbe’s starting five (Here)

King had an amazing career at UGA, catching 135 passes for 2,602 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was picked up by a number of NFL teams including the New York Giants, where he had his best year in 2017.

Here’s what TK sent us:

Pick No. 1: PG Tavarres King (6-2 wide receiver)

TK: “Duh. I’m a surgeon with the rock.”

Pick No. 2: SG Brandon Boykin (5-10, cornerback)

TK: “Jumpin’ out the Gym!”

Pick No. 3: SF A.J. Green (6-4, wide receiver)

TK: “AJ is a Real Hooper”

Pick No. 4: PF Marlon Brown (6-5, wide receiver)

TK: “Marlon is a Real Hooper”

Pick No. 4: C Fred Gibson (6-4, wide receiver)

TK: “Freddie G could Hoop as well obviously!”

This team has a blend of size, speed and hops. The first A.J. Green selection we’ve seen yet, and I would pay big money to watch these five take on a different SEC school’s team.

TK: “Tried to go all WR squad but Boykin my son so he can play on my team. 🤣 I like that squad though!  Other Hoopers: Justin Houston, Clint Boling, Rambo.”

King went with a four receiver team, adding cornerback Brandon Boykin because he clearly has crazy hops. Believe it or not, Freddy Gibson actually had a short stint in the NBA D League (now the G League) with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds and the Austin Toros.

How does TK’s lineup match up against ours?

Related: 

Our starting five (Here)

Isaiah Wilson’s starting five (Here)

Mecole Hardman’s starting five (Here)

Dannell Ellerbe’s starting five (Here)

Dannell Ellerbe gives his Georgia football pick-up basketball starting 5

Former Georgia linebacker Dannelle Ellerbe gives his edition of the Georgia football pickup basketball starting five.

Former Georgia and NFL linebacker Dannell Ellerbe gave his response for who he thinks would be the best five Georgia football players in a pick-up basketball game.

Ellerbe was a 2nd team All-SEC caliber linebacker during his time in Athens.  He’s had a great career in the NFL playing for the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles.

For some background on what we’re doing…

To help get you through quarantine, we thought of a fun and creative way to entertainer our readers.

We started by compiling our own pick-up basketball team made up of current Georgia football players. But why stop there? We then reached out to a few former Bulldogs and asked them to assemble their own teams.

Related: Our starting five (Here) — Isaiah Wilson’s starting five (Here) –Mecole Hardman’s starting five (Here)

We let them draft players who played at Georgia from the time they started their careers to present day. So for Ellerbe, he was able to choose Georgia players from 2004-2020.

We asked Ellerbe to pick five Georgia football players from his time at UGA to present (2004-current) to make up a basketball team.

Here is Ellerbe’s starting five:

Point Guard: D.J. Shockley (6-1, quarterback)

Shooting Guard: Tony Taylor (6-0, linebacker)

Small Forward: Antonio Sims (6-1, safety)

Power Forward: Quentin Moses (6-5, defensive end)

Center: Leonard Pope (6-8, tight end)

Ellerbe’s squad is old-school, and may include a few names that are unfamiliar to some of our younger readers.

We all know who D.J. Shockley is. Shock at point guard was a solid pick. He has the size, athleticism and playmaking skills to run the point. Can’t ask for much more than a dual-threat, SEC Championship Game MVP quarterback to be running point guard.

At shooting guard, Ellerbe went with former Georgia linebacker Tony Taylor, who was named MVP of the 2006 Georgia Bulldogs after leading the team in tackles. At 6-foot and 235 pounds, Taylor has the strength and athleticism to be a strong guard.

For the three spot, Ellerbe went with Antonio Sims, who played safety for the Dawgs in 2005 and 2006 before transferring. A rover, Sims would have great instincts and a nose for the basketball on the court. Lockdown defender who could surprise you with his athleticism on offense.

For the big men, Ellerbe showed some love to two of the greatest to ever do it at Georgia, Quentin Moses and Leonard Pope. Both of these men were monsters in Athens and can play bully ball down low.

I especially love the Pope selection.

Related: 

Our starting five (Here)

Isaiah Wilson’s starting five (Here)

Mecole Hardman’s starting five (Here)

Isaiah Wilson gives his Georgia football pick-up basketball starting 5

Isaiah Wilson is the first player to give his Georgia football pick-up basketball starting 5 he would choose if they were to play a game.

After the UGA Wire staff created our own Georgia football pick-up basketball starting five, we wanted to hear football players’ lists of their own five.

We reached out to a number of former Georgia football players via Twitter, text and Instagram and asked who they’d choose as their squad.

Former Georgia offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson was the first to respond and give his own starting five.

Here is Isaiah’s starting five:

Point Guard: Jamie Newman (6-4, quarterback)

Shooting Guard: Richard LeCounte (5-11, safety)

Small Forward: George Pickens (6-3, wide receiver)

Power Forward: Bill Norton (6-6, defensive tackle)

Center: Jordan Davis (6-6, defensive tackle)

Wilson went with size in his picks, taking defensive tackles Bill Norton and Jordan Davis (both standing at 6-6) as his front court.

How would that team stack up against the team that we assembled?

Click the link below to see our squad.

[lawrence-related id=25555]

Drafting 5 Georgia football players for a pick-up basketball game

The UGA Wire staff has released a list of the Georgia football players we would take for a starting 5 in a pick-up basketball game.

The UGA Wire staff got creative amongst this brutal sports drought and put together a starting five of Georgia football players that we would take part in a game of pick-up basketball.

We also asked a number of football players via Twitter who they’d take as their starting five as well, and will be releasing those to see how the lineups match up.

The Dawgs have some serious hoopers on the football team and this couldn’t be a better time to showcase their skills.

Here are our picks:

Pick No. 1: Point Guard, Jamie Newman (6-4, quarterback)

We chose Newman with the first overall pick as our point guard. Newman’s strong arm and accuracy on the field will translate to his shooting and passing ability on the court. Newman’s size and ability to see the court and facilitate is why we chose him first at point guard.

Pick No. 2: Shooting Guard, Richard LeCounte (5-11, safety)

We went with LeCounte at the shooting guard position because he has athleticism, vision and grit on defense. Playing defensive back helps LeCounte to see the whole court and facilitate the offense while also helping him play scrappy defense. He’s a slasher, meaning he uses his athleticism to get to the rim and finish with contact.

Here’s a bit of preview of what LeCounte would be doing on our squad.

Pick No. 3: Small Forward, George Pickens (6-3, wide receiver)

Pickens’ freak athletic ability gets him the third pick as a small forward.  If you’ve ever spent any time at the Ramsey Student Center, you’ve most likely seen George Pickens putting in work on the basketball courts. Pickens’ speed, agility and catch ability would make him a scoring and rebounding machine for our squad.

(Skip to 0:43 for Pickens’ dunk)

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Georgia football recruiting: Bulldogs offer New Orleans WR

Georgia football has offered 2022 receiver out of New Orleans, LA. See the latest Bulldog recruiting news here.

Coronavirus can’t stop Kirby Smart and the recruiting train that is Georgia football (keeping socially distant of course).

The Dawgs have offered class of 2022 wide receiver Aaron Anderson out of Edna Karr High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Anderson is going into his junior year of high school and is already making his name heard as one of the highest recruited receiver in his class.  He stands at 5’7″, 182 lbs and shows incredible agility and after-the-catch ability.

WATCH Aaron Anderson high school highlights:

Anderson is currently ranked as the 52nd best receiver in his class and 15th in Louisiana by 247Sports.  He is smaller than the average college receiver, but Anderson’s talent shows a great upside with lots of time left for him to grow.

The Dawgs have also offered the #2 pro-style quarterback Maalik Murphy, the #1 running back Raleek Brown, and the #1 dual-threat quarterback Gunner Stockton, along with a number of other highly rated recruits among the 2022 class.

Georgia currently has no commitments in the 2022 class.

COVID-19 canceled Jake Fromm’s Pro Day, so he made his own

Georgia football Jake Fromm makes his own Pro Day workout amid the coronavirus outbreak less than three weeks prior to the 2020 NFL Draft.

The coronavirus pandemic has significantly shaken up the sports world for the foreseeable future and yes, this includes the 2020 NFL Draft. With the whole world in quarantine, NFL prospects will need to find alternate methods to showcase their abilities on the field.

Former Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm held his own personal Pro Day in early March with wide receiver Tyler Simmons and tight end Charlie Woerner.

QB Country posted a short video with some highlights from the day on Twitter:

It’s good to see Fromm working out, trying to do everything he can to up his draft stock and prove he’s an NFL caliber quarterback.

The 2020 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25 in Las Vegas with no fans in attendance.

Kirby Smart talks coronavirus, Georgia football with Paul Finebaum

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart discussed the coronavirus with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum and how it will affect Georgia football in 2020.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum had Georgia head coach Kirby Smart on his show this Thursday to discuss the coronavirus and how it’s affecting Georgia football.

“It’s unique. If you’re not ready to embrace a challenge or getting comfortable with being uncomfortable; we always use that statement around our place, this is the ultimate get comfortable being uncomfortable.” said Smart on the overall experience thus far. “When coaches have to go onto virtual networks like Zoom it’s not always good for guys that aren’t as young as these players. I’ve found that most of our guys are much more compatible with dealing with computers than some of the older guys are. So it’s been an experience, we do staff meetings by Zoom, I know NFL teams we’ve talked are doing the same thing and we’re able to do Zoom meetings with our players.”

Smart expressed his concerns with not having his new quarterback Jamie Newman getting any spring practice reps.  Newman, the Wake Forest transfer was rated as the #3 returning college QB, having 16-1 starting Heisman Trophy odds.

Along with a new QB, the Dawgs will also be showcasing a new offensive coordinator, Todd Monken this season.

“I think if everybody didn’t have it (spring practices), it probably wouldn’t bother me as bad.” Smart told Finebaum.  “It certainly, you know, we’ve got a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback coming in, whoever it’s going to be, and to not get those practices, boy, that’s tough.” But not very many people got a lot of it. On average I think we got three to four practices, or some of the SEC teams got in before they shut everything down. In the grand scheme of things that’s not a lot. I certainly think some young players, some mid-year guys that maybe came in thinking they were going to get a leg up on people, that may not be as big of a leg at all because they weren’t able to have those practices. If you were fortunate enough to have spring practice early, like some programs do, I certainly think that helps. To get 10 more practices in is huge.”

If issues pertaining to the coronavirus start to settle down, and the college football season is good to go, it is going to be an outright race for schools to get their players mentally and physically ready for the 2020 season.

On the matter of recruiting, Smart said:

“I think it definitely depends on when we get back and when kids are able to come to campus. Because you know as of right now we’re working off a May 31 date that anybody can come on a campus. Well, if that date keeps getting pushed back, it’s getting closer and closer to that early signing date. There’s a lot of debate and speculation out there. Should that early signing date apply? The problem with that is if you push that, you’re now pushing back on the next class.”

Finebaum asked Smart when he thinks team activities need to return in order for the season to realistically happen.

“I don’t think anybody should be really thinking about that right now as much as if we could put all our energy into washing our hands and the social distancing, we would do a lot better for ourselves than speculating on some of those things. We just don’t know the answer to so many things right now. The best thing we can do is batten down the hatches so we can have a season.”

Coach Smart’s concerns right now are not when things will return to normal, but more so trying to help contain the virus and do his part in preventing the rapid spread.  This is the best thing we can all do right now if we really want a college football season this year.

Smart finished with some lighthearted comments about his family’s quarantine routine and how he’s using this time to spend quality time with his wife and kids.

“I can tell you this. I’ve figured this out. I’m not getting up at 6:30 again and going down with my wife to the Peloton to ride a bike. That only happened once and that won’t happen again. I made that mistake thinking that I could go down there and compete. I learned real quick that at 44, I’m not near as competitive as I used to be in the workout rooms. I’ve got to find other ways to get my exercise done, but I’ve enjoyed the time around the kids. So many people say it happens so fast that you blink and their gone. We’re actually getting to be present in their lives more than we ever have. I may never get this time again. So just trying to make the most of that.”