Tag: Florida Gators Football

Gators’ Twitter reacts to Florida’s rough National Signing Day

The Florida Gators had a disappointing National Signing Day under Dan Mullen.

The Florida Gators had a disappointing National Signing Day. Dan Mullen and company secured a talented class, but they’ll be left wondering what it could’ve been.

The Gators missed out on four-star recruits RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Safety Avantae Williams, and others. Williams’ decision to go to Miami was considered the “surprise of the the day” by Chad Simmons.

Florida is considered one of the SEC’s signing day losers. The Georgia Bulldogs, who have the nation’s top class, are considered winners:

The Gators did have some good news on the day:

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Texas AM officially announces hiring of former Georgia OC James Coley

Texas A&M officially announced the hiring of former Georgia football OC James Coley.

On Tuesday, Texas A&M officially announced that the Aggies have hired former Georgia offensive coordinator James Coley.

Coley will join Jimbo Fisher’s staff in College Station as the program’s tight ends coach.

“I have known James since our days at LSU and Florida State,” Fisher said. “He is an outstanding coach and top notch recruiter, but an even better person. His creativity and coaching are great additions to our staff at Texas A&M.”

During his tenure in Athens, Coley graduated from a position coach to a co-offensive coordinator with Jim Chaney to a full-time offensive coordinator. He was demoted following a lackluster 2019 season during which the Dawgs’ defense stole the show.

Prior to the Bulldogs’ Sugar Bowl win against Baylor earlier this month, Coley admitted some of his shortcomings as OC:

“You know what? I’ve got to do a better job. I’m looking at myself hard, criticizing myself, and busting my tail to get those things better.”

Georgia brought in Todd Monken from the Cleveland Browns to be the program’s new offensive coordinator.

From TAMU:

Coley served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Miami (Fla.) from 2013-15.ย  Prior to joining the Hurricane staff, he worked with Fisher as offensive coordinator and tight ends coach (2010-12) and tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator (2008-09) at Florida State.

At FSU, Coley worked with Fisher to mentor three first round draft picks in quarterbacks Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel, and Jameis Winston.ย  The Seminole offenses were high-powered, averaging 31.4 points per game in 2010, 30.6 in 2011, and 39.3 in 2012.

Former Georgia football OC James Coley set to join SEC foe

UGA now looks to hire a replacement QB coach to instruct Wake Forest graduate transfer Jamie Newman and freshman enrollee Carson Beck.ย 

After former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Todd Monken was hired to perform the same role at the University of Georgia, former Bulldogs’ OC James Coley’s future was up in the air.

Is Coley now a co-offensive coordinator? Will he go back to coaching quarterbacks? Will he coach receivers?

It would appear none of these hypotheticals will come to fruition. James Coley will be the next tight ends coach at Texas A&M.

Bulldog faithful were introduced to Coley during Kirby Smart’s inaugural season as Top Dawg; Coley was hired as wide receivers’ coach in 2016 following Mark Richt’s removal in late 2015.

During his tenure in Athens, Coley graduated from a position coach to a co-offensive coordinator with Jim Chaney to a full-time offensive coordinator. He was demoted following a lackluster 2019 season during which the Dawgs’ defense stole the show.

Prior to the Bulldogs’ Sugar Bowl win against Baylor earlier this month, Coley admitted some of his shortcomings as OC:

“You know what? I’ve got to do a better job. I’m looking at myself hard, criticizing myself, and busting my tail to get those things better.”

So what will Georgia football’s offense look like next year? Without its beloved offensive line coach Pittman and its mildly maligned offensive coordinator Coley, it’s difficult to predict anything aside from “eh, maybe just a little different.”

In terms of points per game against conference opponents, hopefully it’s a lot different.

Georgia will now look to hire a replacement quarterbacks coach to instruct Wake Forest graduate transfer Jamie Newman and freshman enrollee Carson Beck.

2020 Notre Dame Opponent Lands Florida QB Transfer

Former Florida quarterback and grad-transfer Feleipe Franks announced Monday he would be transferring to Arkansas for his fifth year.

At first glance the Notre Dame home opener isn’t against a stunning opponent as the Arkansas Razorbacks make their first trip to Notre Dame Stadium.ย  However, when the two programs meet for the first time in each other’s history the Razorbacks will do so with more intrigue than perhaps previously thought.

Arkansas is coming off an embarrassing 2-10 season in which they fired Chad Morris with just two games remaining.ย  Barry Lunney, Jr. coached the final two games of 2019 in an interim role before the school announced Georgia’s offensive line coach Sam Pittman to be their head coach in early-December.

Pittman doesn’t appear to be wasting any time upping the talent at Arkansas as he has found his quarterback for 2020.

Former Florida quarterback and grad-transfer Feleipe Franks announced Monday he would be transferring to Arkansas for his fifth year.

Franks started 13 games for Florida in 2018 and helped lead the Gators to a massive turnaround, going 10-3 and winning the Peach Bowl over Michigan.ย  He threw for 2457 yards that season with 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions while adding seven more scores on the ground.

Franks broke his ankle in Florida’s third game of 2019 and missed the remainder of the season.

Arkansas will be the third SEC opponent to visit Notre Dame Stadium the last four seasons, joining Georgia in ’17 and Vanderbilt in ’18.

Joel Klatt leaves Georgia out of his way-too-early top ten

Joel Klatt puts Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and Florida all ahead of Georgia in his 2020 preseason college football rankings.

The Georgia Bulldogs have been snubbed once again. This time, Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt has snubbed the Georgia Bulldogs from his way-too-early college football top ten for the 2020 season.

Klatt put Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and Florida, who all lost to UGA in 2019, ahead of the Bulldogs:

Klatt’s top ten is as follows:

1. Clemson

2. Ohio St

3. Alabama

4. Florida

5. Oklahoma

6. Penn State

7. LSU

8. Oregon

9. Notre Dame

10. Texas A&M

It bears mentioning that the same UGA defense who gave up a combined 47 points to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Florida Gators, and the Texas A&M Aggies and is returning almost all of their starters. Georgia’s defense gave up the least points in the country in 2019. Base on the elite defense alone, the Dawgs deserve to be in the top ten.

Georgia’s offense is more questionable, but the Bulldogs will have better receivers in 2020 (George Pickens will be a monster) and have the usual elite stable of running backs. Can Wake Forest transfer QB Jamie Newman step up at UGA? Will Georgia’s offensive line hold up against the elite defensive lines of the SEC?

Those two questions will go a long way for determining the success of Georgia’s 2020 season. UGA is bringing in another elite recruiting class as well.

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Where’s Georgia football in ESPN’s way-too-early CFB top-25?

Where did ESPN put Georgia football in the way too early CFB rankings for 2020?

Coming off another season that saw Georgia play for the SEC Championship Game, win 10+ games and come oh so close to making a return trip to the College Football Playoff, there are reasons for both optimism and skepticism in 2020.

In Mark Schlabach’s ‘Way Too Early CFB Top-25’ for 2020, he placed the Dawgs at No. 6 in the country. A pretty safe location for a team that has both serious question marks and returning talent.

From Schlabach:

Outlook: Georgia fans who weren’t happy with the team’s offense in 2019 will get their wish with a complete face-lift. Fromm, a three-year starter and most accurate passer in school history, is off to the NFL draft, along with three starting offensive linemen. Sophomore Cade Mays decided to transfer to Tennessee. Georgia scoured the graduate transfer market for a starting quarterback, and Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman has enrolled in classes at Georgia and will participate in spring practice. Changes are expected on Kirby Smart’s offensive staff as well. Keep an eye on former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Georgia’s defense carried the load in 2019 and should be stout again, especially with safety Richard LeCounte, linebacker Monty Rice and cornerback Eric Stokes electing to return. The Bulldogs open the season against Virginia in Atlanta and play at Alabama on Sept. 19 and against Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, on Oct. 31.

Georgia rivals and opponents also ranked:

Clemson (1), Alabama (3), LSU (4), Florida (7), Auburn (12), Tennessee (25).

I think No. 6 is a fine spot to be right now for Kirby Smart and Georgia.

For starters, the Dawgs are losing so much talent on an offense that left plenty to be desired in 2019.

Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift, Lawrence Cager: Gone.

Four starting offensive linemen (Andrew Thomas, Isaiah Wilson, Cade Mays, Solomon Kindley): Gone.

All-American kicker Rodrigo Blankenship: Gone.

On defense, the Dawgs lose safety J.R. Reed, who many considered the heart and soul of Georgia’s incredible defense in 2019.

That sounds bad, yes. But there’s still a lot of reasons why the Dawgs should be back in Atlanta playing in its fourth consecutive SEC title game.

Practically the whole defense returns. That’s the same defense that was the nation’s best in 2019.

And despite all the losses on offense, the Dawgs have plenty of returning and incoming talent.

For starters, Georgia recently landed Wake Forest graduate transfer quarterback Jamie Newman. If you have not seen his tape from last season, check it out. The dude is a baller.

At running back, Georgia will reload as it always does and has Zamir White and James Cook returning. Not to mention the addition of 5-star back Kendall Milton.

Our receivers will be fine. George Pickens is destined for a massive sophomore season and we have four 4-star wide receivers.

And the offensive line. That is what hurts the most. We had depth last season, which is what made them so great. Next season, there will be elite talent, but the depth will not be close to what it was this year. Fingers crossed that everyone stays healthy.

Decade in review: How Georgia football performed against rivals

From the beginning of the 2010 to 2019, the Georgia Bulldogs posted over a .500 winning percentage against each of their rival programs.

We’ve reached the end of college football’s 2019 regular season. From the beginning of the 2010 regulation schedule to the culmination of the current year’s, the Georgia Bulldogs posted a .500 or better winning percentage against each of their rival programs.

The Dawgs won eight and lost two against in-state rival Georgia Tech, earning the past three Governor’s Cups in a row.

They went 8-3 vs. Auburn, including a victory in the 2017 SEC Championship Game, winning the past three meetings consecutively.

They posted a record of six wins and four losses vs. Florida, also winning three meetings in a row.

The Bulldogs went 8-2 in matchups against Tennessee, again with three successive wins.

Georgia’s worst rivalry record of the decade comes against South Carolina. The Bulldogs split 10 games against the Gamecocks, accumulating five wins and five losses.

Former Texas WR Jordan Pouncey announces his transfer

Former Texas wide receiver Jordan Pouncey has announced he will be playing football Florida next season. Pouncey had two career catches.

Former Texas wide receiver Jordan Pouncey and his younger brother Ethan Pouncey have announced they will be playing football at the University of Florida next season. Ethan tweeted out a YouTube video where they said playing together “feels like their dreams have been manifested.”

Jordan is a 6’2, 205-pound wide receiver that committed to playing for the Longhorns in February 2017. He announced he would be leaving Texas in October 2019 so he could get more playing time.

Ethan is a 2020 4* corner that had offers from 21 different schools, including Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, and Texas. His commitment to Florida moved them into the top 10 in the 247 2020 rankings.

You can watch their commitment video here:

Jordan Pouncey had a career two catches for Texas, with both coming this season. One was for against Louisiana Tech for 11 yards, the other against Rice for eight yards.

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SEC football: week 13’s (soft) schedule, TV times

The Georgia Bulldogs versus the Texas A&M Aggies headlines an otherwise soft week 13 schedule for the SEC.

The SEC Championship race is formality at this point. The Georgia Bulldogs wrapped up the SEC East with a 21-14 win over the Auburn Tigers. The LSU Tigers only need a home win against the pitiful Arkansas Razorbacks to wrap up the SEC West. A Georgia-LSU SEC Championship Game will have serious playoff implications. Even in defeat LSU may still advance to the playoff. The same can’t be said for the Georgia Bulldogs.

This week, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa suffered an injury that shocked the college football community. Tua is out for the season and the Crimson Tide need a little help to make the playoff.

Here’s the SEC’s week 13 schedule including TV times (central time) and networks. Note that these times are central. For instance UGA versus Texas A&M will have a 3:30 kickoff on CBS:

Georgia-Texas A&M is the best SEC game of the week. The Aggies put together an impressive 30-6 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks yesterday. Georgia’s College Football Playoff hopes hang in the balance once again. The game will serve as an excellent barometer for the playoff. A&M will have played Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, and LSU by the end of the season.

As for the rest of the SEC, the second best game is probably Missouri-Tennessee. There’s a lot of easy games for teams getting ready for rivalry week.

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Bucs cut former first-rounder Vernon Hargreaves before Saints game

WR Michael Thomas and the New Orleans Saints will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without top CB Vernon Hargreaves, who was released Tuesday.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a big move at cornerback, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter reported that Tampa Bay cut starting cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, their former first-round pick in 2016 out of Florida. Hargreaves had played the third-most defensive snaps of all Buccaneers this season (582), including 46 snaps last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Hargreaves will now go on waivers.

Their pass defense was ranked worst in the league, so some change was inevitable. It’s just strange to outright cut someone who led his position in playing-time at this point in the season, even if Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians benched Hargreaves late in the game for a perceived lack of hustle.

Hargreaves’ release might look as if it’s coming at a strange time, but it makes some sense; at a distant third-place in the NFC South with a 3-6 record, the Buccaneers are shifting their focus towards self-evaluating and figuring out which players will still be here next year. Cutting a former top draft pick sends a clear message that no one is safe, and lacking effort won’t be tolerated.

So what does this mean for the New Orleans Saints? They’re inbound for Tampa Bay, bringing a receiving corps that’s pretty much been a one-man show.ย Michael Thomas has caught 86 passes this year, while the other wide receivers (Ted Ginn Jr. Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris, and Austin Carr) have combined for 30 receptions. New Orleans has had to get creative in its use of pass-catching tight ends, running backs, fullbacks, and quarterback Taysom Hill to try and pick up the slack.

Sunday should be another big game for Thomas. He dropped a season-high 182 receiving yards on Tampa Bay in their last meeting inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, outmuscling every defensive back they tried to assign to him. And he did that with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. Without Hargreaves on the field and with Drew Brees throwing to him, there’s no reason Thomas should slow down any time soon.

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