Tag: georgia bulldogs news

Twitter reacts as SEC cancels G-Day, all SEC spring scrimmages

The SEC announced that it will be cancelling all spring scrimmages, including Georgia football’s G-Day

Amid concerns regarding COVID-19, the Southeastern Conference has canceled play for all remaining winter and spring sports.

This includes out-of conference contests, SEC championship tournaments, and each school’s spring football scrimmage. No football program will host a pro day for its NFL prospects.

For college football fans, they kept their fingers crossed in hopes that spring games would be played as scheduled. However, we all knew that was a long shot.

At the end of the day, it’s just a scrimmage. But for the players, fans and coaches, oftentimes it’s much more than that.

For some fans, spring games are the only Georgia games they can attend in person, given the free admission into the event.

For the coaches, the spring scrimmage is not terribly instrumental in determining depth charts as they have multiple scrimmages throughout the offseason. But what they will be missing out on is an opportunity to get big-time recruits on campus and show them a good time. On the bright side, it’s an even playing field across the conference seeing as how all spring games have been called off.

And for a large number of the players, this was going to be their final G-Day, an event that many of them look forward to. It’s also a chance for the freshmen to begin making a name for themselves among the DawgNation. That will have to wait until fall.

With the SEC confirming what we had all suspected for the last week, Georgia fans took to Twitter to express their sadness over the situation.

 

SEC cancels all remaining competitions, includes spring football games

Conference commissioner Greg Sankey made the necessary decision. It just makes everything else seem even worse somehow.

Amid concerns regarding COVID-19, the Southeastern Conference has canceled play for all remaining winter and spring sports.

This includes out-of conference contests, SEC championship tournaments, and each school’s spring football scrimmage. No football program will host a pro day for its NFL prospects.

Conference commissioner Greg Sankey made the necessary decision. It just makes everything else seem even worse somehow.

“This is a difficult day for all of us, and I am especially disappointed for our student athletes. The health and well-being of our entire conference community is an ongoing priority for the SEC as we continue to monitor developments and information about the COVID-19 virus.”

As per the SEC’s official statement:

“Team and individual practices, meetings and other organized gatherings, whether required or voluntary, remain suspended through at least April 15.”

For more into how the global health pandemic affects the world of college sports:

Georgia football produces positive video amid coronavirus pandemic

Finebaum: NCAA president Emmert’s handling of cancellations “inexcusable”

Coronavirus forces NCAA to make big decisions regarding eligibility, recruiting

SEC cancels its men’s basketball tournament due to coronavirus

NCAA grants spring season athletes an extra year of eligibility

Will Georgia football cancel G-Day due to coronavirus?

Georgia football Pro Day postponed amid coronavirus outbreak

Athens-Clarke County announces local state of emergency

The proposed curfew was briefly revised to be 7:00 p.m. but has since been approved to be imposed at the original 9:00 p.m. limit.

The University of Georgia community is panicking following three confirmed COVID-19 cases in Athens-Clarke County. County officials drafted emergency plans for a city-wide 9:00 p.m. curfew.

The proposed curfew was briefly revised to be 7:00 p.m. but has since been approved to be imposed at the original 9:00 p.m. limit.

None of the five bordering counties (Barrow, Jackson, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe) has a confirmed case.

Following the NCAA’s ordered cancellation of all winter and spring sports, Clarke county residents like myself now have more pressing concerns than whether or not G-Day is still on in a few weeks.

To paint a picture of what it’s like in Athens, a town with a population density of 1,038 people per square mile:

I’ve seen neither paper towels nor toilet paper on store shelves in six days. I can’t remember the last time I encountered disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer. I saw about three loaves of sliced bread and maybe half a dozen baguettes at my local grocery last night. I drove to four stores before I found a dozen eggs.

My friends who work in UGA offices haven’t been able to work for about two weeks. They’re concerned, rightfully so, about how they will pay their bills this month.

My bank is now drive-through only and hasn’t guaranteed if they’ll stay open this week.

Almost all restaurants, if not closed, are drive-through or takeout only.

Heads turn in any public space in which a cough or sneeze is overheard.

The University of Georgia has yet to provide an update on when campus activities will resume. Nobody can predict a timeline of when all of this will blow over, but the lack of update remains disheartening.

For other inquiries into how the global health pandemic affects the world of college sports:

Georgia football produces positive video amid coronavirus pandemic

Finebaum: NCAA president Emmert’s handling of cancellations “inexcusable”

Coronavirus forces NCAA to make big decisions regarding eligibility, recruiting

SEC cancels its men’s basketball tournament due to coronavirus

NCAA grants spring season athletes an extra year of eligibility

Will Georgia football cancel G-Day due to coronavirus?

Georgia football Pro Day postponed amid coronavirus outbreak

Georgia football produces positive video amid coronavirus pandemic

Georgia football and head coach Kirby Smart released a video message urging the local community to stay cautious regarding COVID-19. 

Amid health concerns not limited locally Georgia football and head coach Kirby Smart released a video message urging the local community to stay cautious regarding COVID-19.

Smart and his family traveled outside the country recently and were required to self-quarantine. UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity confirmed that a 14-day quarantine applies to all employees of the school’s athletic department who traveled outside of the United States for recent weeks.

Smart further urged the University of Georgia community to take health precaution seriously in a video message.

Athens-Clarke County has three confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of March 16.

County officials originally drafted plans for an Athens-wide 9:00 p.m. curfew. Earlier this evening, the proposed curfew was revised to 7:00 p.m. and has yet to be approved.

For other inquiries into how the global health pandemic affects the world of college sports:

Finebaum: NCAA president Emmert’s handling of cancellations “inexcusable”

Coronavirus forces NCAA to make big decisions regarding eligibility, recruiting

SEC cancels its men’s basketball tournament due to coronavirus

NCAA grants spring season athletes an extra year of eligibility

Will Georgia football cancel G-Day due to coronavirus?

Georgia football Pro Day postponed amid coronavirus outbreak

Report: Rams discussing trading RB Todd Gurley

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley may be on the trade block this off-season. Will the former Georgia Bulldog be traded?

Todd Gurley is one the best running backs in the National Football League when he’s 100% healthy. Unfortunately for the Georgia Bulldog great, that pesky knee of Gurley’s has caused him issues, hindering his production and limiting his workload. In 2019, Gurley had career-lows in rushing yards (857) and attempts (223).

Gurley is two years into a contract with the Los Angeles Rams that included a $21 million signing bonus and $45 million in guarantees. With reduced production and a substantial contract, it is not shocking that Todd Gurley is frequently brought up in NFL trade talks according to Michael Silver:

A year after making the Super Bowl, Los Angeles floundered to a 9-7 record. Head coach Sean McVay and the Rams are looking to improve, but they must get creative since they have limited draft capital and around $20 million dollars in cap room.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Gurley, if cut right now, would count $20.15 million in dead money. So that’s no an option for L.A..

Los Angeles may have trouble finding a destination for Gurley. Stranger things have happened. Just ask Texans fans. Anything can happen in the NFL off-season (evidence below):

Running backs are still worth something to Houston coach/general manager Bill O’Brien.

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Georgia football makes top-five for 4-star WR

Georgia football made the top-five for 4-star WR Marcus Burke

Marcus Burke, a 4-star wide receiver out of Jacksonville, Florida, has released his top-five schools.

Burke, a junior at Trinity Christian Academy in the class of 2021, included Georgia, Florida, Miami, Georgia Tech and Penn State in his top-five.

Right now, 247Sports sees Burke winding up in Gainesville, with all three of the Crystal Ball predictions favoring the Gators.

Burke ranks as the nation’s No. 301 overall player, No. 52 ranked wide receiver and as the 46th player in the state of Florida.

Last week, Burke visited Florida for junior day and the next day named the Gators as his leader.

Burke, at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, was offered by Georgia back in September.

Right now, Georgia has the nation’s 17th ranked recruiting class for the 2021 cycle.

Headlining Georgia’s class is 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff out of Bogart, Georgia. Vandagriff ranks as the No. 12 overall player in the country.

Aside from Vandagriff, Kirby Smart has secured commitments from 4-star athlete David Daniel and 3-star defensive tackle Marlin Dean.

For the time being, recruiting is suspended nationwide as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. That includes both on and off campus recruiting.

As far as recruiting goes, it’s not time to hit the panic button based on Georgia’s No. 17 ranking. Smart has secured the nation’s No. 1 class three years in a row and is on a quest to make it four. This year, though, it’ll just take a bit longer to climb up the rankings than in years past.

College football attendance down again in 2019. What’s the problem?

FBS attendance decreased again in 2019, continuing a now six-year trend.

FBS attendance decreased again in 2019, continuing a now six-year trend. The top division of college football experienced its lowest ticket sales since 1996, according to CBS Sports.

It’s the eighth time in nine years that fan attendance has dropped.

In the past decade, the sports media landscape has evolved at a breakneck pace. High-definition highlights are posted on social media mere seconds after each play’s conclusion. Top tier collegiate athletic conferences now have their own television networks available their regional cable packages.

TV ratings for college football broadcasts are increasing. So are ticket prices.

If you’re a graduate of the University of Georgia who lives in New York City, you can pay for a premium cable package to include the non-regional SEC Network, or, ya know, go to one of the bars aligned with the UGA Alumni Association.

If you’re a Penn State alumnus who lives in San Diego, you can fork over a little extra money every fall toward the Big Ten Network and catch all the games not shown on FOX Sports affiliates.

Are you a Texas Longhorn in Atlanta? Or in Omaha? Possibly Honolulu?Your team has an entire television channel provided by ESPN. Until last month, you could even download it on a PlayStation.

It turns out that a small viewing fee, not matter the medium, may be more alluring to fans as opposed to a multi-hour flight, expensive admission, expensive lodging, and a second voyage back.

Given so many viewing options, fans seem more willing to host their tailgates (no matter how elaborate) from the comfort of home.

How did the SEC change?

Of the Power Five conferences, the Southeastern Conference experienced the largest decline from 2018 to 2019. Cumulative attendance for all fourteen teams dropped 1.7 percentage points. It was the SEC’s lowest average attendance since 2000.

However, the conference still dwarfed the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12 in overall conference attendance, exceeding runner up Big Ten by 7,658 fans per game.

That might have something to do with college football nearly approaching a religious status in the southeast, but it probably has something to do with the fact that half of the continent’s ten largest (non-racing) sports venues belong the SEC schools.

How did the other four conferences change?

Only one P5 conference saw an increase in attendance. The Big 12 increased by .1% and came in at third in total attendance behind the SEC and Big Ten.

The Big 10, second-best in average attendance, regressed 0.5% from 2018 to 2019, its lowest since 1993.

The ACC dropped 1.2% over the span. It was the conference’s most dismal attendance record in 20 years.

The Pac-12 rides the P5 caboose, dipping .8 in fan presence to achieve its lowest mark since 1978.

What else causes lower attendance?

Time is money, and making a pilgrimage to your team’s Mecca costs both.

First of all, I acknowledge this is anecdotal:

I have friends who attended SEC schools in the central time zone. For folks living on eastern standard time, noon kickoffs are already miserable if over an hour’s worth of travel is necessary.

For all of the SEC West, those early kickoffs are at 11:00 a.m. My friends at Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, and Arkansas did not particularly care for them.

I sat in classes with former Georgia players who mentioned their hatred of those early warm ups. I lived with members of the Redcoat Marching Band who lamented arising at 4:30 on a Saturday morning just to be able to find parking at the intramural fields for pre-game rehearsal.

Now, if you will, imagine being an LSU graduate who lives in Houston, Texas. Alabama is visiting Death Valley, but it’s a 2:30 p.m. local kickoff broadcast nationally as CBS’s SEC Game of the Week. Your journey to Baton Rouge will last four hours without traffic (totally impossible as I-10 is miserable at all hours of all days).

Would you rather?

1. Leave work early on Friday to check into an overpriced and ostensibly overbooked hotel?

2. Leave town before 7:00 a.m. to fight traffic and ensure your arrival before kickoff?

3. Stay at home, watch your alma mater host your most hated rival in high definition, and spend a quarter of the money you saved to secure culinary and alcoholic provisions for your favorite people?

What can be improved?

Our planet’s population has more than tripled since the first live televised American football contests (both college and professional) in 1939.

Proportionately, there are more existing graduates and related fans of these “football schools” than existed prior to the broadcasts. Thus there are far more dedicated fanatics for each home team than any one stadium could possibly accommodate.

An alumni base growing steadily will increase demand over limited stadium seats.

Whether through stadium expansion, discounted hot dog prices, or the permission of much-awaited beer sales, your local state college wants you at their stadium on Saturdays.

There’s enough space for you if you have at least $500 to spend.

Which UGA o-lineman has most to gain this spring?

With so many starting spots available, who will offensive line coach Matt Luke turn to during his inaugural season in Athens?

Following the departure of former offensive line coach Sam Pittman, the new head coach at the University of Arkansas, multiple Bulldogs he recruited to the University of Georgia followed suit.

Tackle Isaiah Wilson, a redshirt sophomore, declared early for the NFL Draft. Fellow tackle and projected first round pick Andrew Thomas did as well following his junior season. Relatively surprisingly, guard Solomon Kindley made the same decision despite qualifying for a redshirt senior season.

Cade Mays, the first Georgia Bulldog since Jonas Jennings to play all five OL positions in red and black, transferred to Tennessee to play with his younger brother in Knoxville for their father’s alma mater.

Center Trey Hill and guard/tackle Ben Cleveland are the only holdovers to start on the Bulldogs’ offensive line. Both players are entering their final season of eligibility.

With so many starting spots available, who will offensive line coach Matt Luke turn to during his inaugural season in Athens?

Xavier Truss:

Assuming Ben Cleveland gets early reps at right tackle (if not right guard), the left tackle spot will be wide open and thus attainable for the redshirt freshman Truss. At six-foot-seven and 330 pounds, he’s got the length and mass necessary to protect right-handed grad transfer QB Jamie Newman’s blindside. Combine that with the motor and footwork necessary to facilitate outside run plays and he may just be the Dawgs’ best fit at LT.

Warren Ericson:

Following injuries and the several aforementioned early NFL Draft declarations, Ericson started at right guard in January’s Sugar Bowl win over Baylor. In 2020, the redshirt sophomore may have to rotate behind seniors Cleveland and Justin Shaffer at either of the guard positions, but can put himself in a good position to secure solid substitute reps before Cleveland and Shaffer exhaust their eligibility. Matt Luke clearly sees something in Ericson.

Warren McClendon:

The younger of the OL’s two Warrens, McClendon shares with Ericson ample opportunity to break into the starting lineup. With both tackle spots ripe for the taking, McClendon can compete with Truss at left tackle, but seems more suited for right tackle as his size. The cousin of former Georgia running back Bryan McClendon saw limited action in 2019 but has the skills and build to impose his will upon SEC defenders in 2020.

Justin Shaffer:

Shaffer has patiently waited his turn to start on the Bulldogs’ offensive line, and an untimely injury extended that timeline. He made his first career start against Tennessee and started every play of the game. In his start against South Carolina, a neck injury sidelined Shaffer for the remainder of the regular season. After having fully recovered from his injury, he’s deserved his time to show out in the trenches for the Dawgs and is expected to be a mainstay on Georgia’s 2020 offensive line.

Georgia football in top schools for St. Thomas Aquinas’s Dallas Turner

The Georgia Bulldogs have made the top schools for St. Thomas Aquinas High School outside linebacker Dallas Turner.

The Georgia Bulldogs have made the top ten for Saint Thomas Aquinas High School outside linebacker Dallas Turner. Turner is a four-star player in the class of 2021.

St. Thomas Aquinas is a storied high school football program. They won the state championship in Florida last season partially thanks to 2020 University of Georgia signee Marcus Rosemy.

Dallas Turner is playing against elite-level competition in high school and will likely do the same in college football. Here are Turner’s top ten schools:

Turner puts Michigan, South Carolina, Penn State, Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Ohio State, Miami, Oregon, and Florida in his top ten. Don’t be shocked if Turner heads outside the state of Florida for college. Georgia, Florida, and Alabama are considered the top three schools for Turner at the moment according to 247sports.

Turner is one of three current juniors to make all-state defense as only a junior. It’s even more impressive considering the top level of talent in Florida:

Dawg fans hope Turner will consider being the latest Florida recruit to come north to Athens. He’d be able to practice against Marcus Rosemy again!

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What have we learned from Georgia football alumni at the NFL Combine?

In which we compile all of this week’s posts pertaining to former Bulldogs at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine

For those who can’t focus the ideal amount of attention to Georgia football news, I’ll compile some of this week’s posts pertaining to former Bulldogs at the NFL Scouting Combine:

Brian Herrien provides a recollection of Nick Chubb’s encouragement.

Both of Georgia’s invited tailbacks were faster than Florida’s only invited tailback.

D’Andre Swift proved speedier than his two most famous former teammates.

J.R. Reed can do it all.

Charlie Woerner is a man among boys.

In other news:

The basketball Bulldogs stuck out a nervous victory over Arkansas sealed by an Anthony Edwards dunk.

The baseball Bulldogs embarrassed Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Fewer than twenty hours prior, Scott Stricklin’s Bulldogs edged out the Yellow Jackets by a score of six to five.