Tag: Georgia Football

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.

Georgia football LB selected for FWAA Freshman All-American Team

Georgia football had a linebacker named to the FWAA Freshman All-American Team

No doubt Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have been pulling in major talent from across the country and the Peach State during the past four years. Redshirt freshman Azeez Ojulari from Marietta, GA became the latest Dawg recognized for his talent and hard work as he was named to the FWAA Freshman All-American Team.

The 6’3″, 240-pound Ojulari had a breakout season for Georgia. The outside linebacker recorded 34 QB pressures, 36 tackles and 5.5 sacks this season. He had five tackles in the Sugar Bowl victory including a third-quarter QB sack and forcced fumble. Ojulari started 13 of 14 games for the SEC’s total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense leader.

Ojulari earned the respect of his teammates by becoming the first freshman player in the Kirby Smart era to be named a team captain. He is the 13th Bulldog to be selected for the team in the award’s 19 years.

Following the trend of colleges recruiting nationally, 18 of the 32 freshman honored played high school football out-of-state from their respective college. Georgia State offensive lineman Travis Glover from Vienna, GA, a former non-rated prep, was the only other Peach State prep to make the team. Following is a list of all the award winners:

2019 FWAA Freshman All-American Team

Quarterbacks

Sam Howell – North Carolina, 6-2  225  Indian Trail, NC

Kedon Slovis – USC, 6-2  200  Scottsdale, AZ

Running backs

Javian Hawkins – Louisville, 5-9  182  Titusville, FL

Sincere McCormick – Texas-San Antonio, 5-9  200  Converse, TX

Receivers

David Bell – Purdue, 6-2  210  Indianapolis, IN

C.J. Johnson – East Carolina, 6-2  229  Greenville, NC

Dante Wright – Colorado State, 5-10  165  Navarre, FL

Offensive Linemen

Evan Neal – Alabama, 6-7  360  Okeechobee, FL

O’Cyrus Torrence – Louisiana, 6-5  342  Greensburg, LA

Ikem Ekwonu – NC State, 6-4  308  Charlotte, NC

Sean Rhyan – UCLA, 6-4  323  Ladera Ranch, CA

Nick Rosi – Toledo, 6-4  290  Powell, OH

Travis Glover – Georgia State, 6-6  330  Vienna, GA

Defensive Linemen

Gregory Rousseau – Miami, 6-6  251  Coconut Creek, FL

George Karlaftis – Purdue, 6-4  265  West Lafayette, IN

Solomon Byrd – Wyoming, 6-4  243  Palmdale, CA

Kayvon Thibodeaux – Oregon, 6-5  242  South Central Los Angeles, CA

Linebackers

Devin Richardson – New Mexico State, 6-3  233  Klein, TX

Omar Speights – Oregon State, 6-1  233  Philadelphia, PA

Azeez Ojulari – Georgia, 6-3, 240 Marietta, GA

Shane Lee – Alabama, 6-0  246  Burtonsville, MD

Defensive Backs

Ar’Darius Washington – TCU, 5-8  175  Shreveport, LA

Derek Stingley Jr. – LSU, 6-1  190  Baton Rouge, LA

Kyle Hamilton – Notre Dame, 6-4  210  Atlanta, GA

Verone McKinley III – Oregon, 5-10  192  Carrollton, TX

Ahmad Gardner – Cincinnati, 6-2  185  Detroit, MI

Tykee Smith – West Virginia, 5-10  184  Philadelphia, PA

Punter

Austin McNamara – Texas Tech, 6-4  175  Gilbert, AZ

Kicker

Gabe Brkic – Oklahoma, 6-2  175  Chardon, OH

Kick returner

Joshua Youngblood – Kansas State, 5-10  180  Tampa, FL

Punt returner

Kyle Philips – UCLA, 5-11  181  San Marcos, CA

All-Purpose

Kenneth Gainwell – Memphis, 5-11  183  Yazoo City, MS

Player of the Year

Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis

Could more quarterback news be on the way for Georgia football?

Could more transfer quarterback news be on the way for Georgia football?

Friday, news broke that the Georgia football program would be replacing junior quarterback Jake Fromm with Jamie Newman from Wake Forest.

The graduate transfer entered his name in the NCAA’s transfer portal after the Demon Deacon’s bowl game against Michigan State and has already made his way to Athens.

However, it appears the Dawgs are not done in re-stocking the quarterback cabinet for next season. Sure, there’s four-star 2020 quarterback Carson Beck and the soon-to-be cleared former four-star in Dwan Mathis, but what about transfers?

Georgia already landed former Nevada freshman Austin Kirksey in the portal in December as a preferred walk-on and added Newman last Friday. Now, it appears that former three-star Chase Brice will leave Clemson to possibly join the Bulldogs.

Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports

Brice has long been the backup option for the Tigers behind the highly coveted Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence, but is best remembered for leading Clemson to a come-from-behind win over Syracuse in 2018, when the five-star Lawrence left the game due to injury.

In his collegiate career, Brice has a 60.3% completion rate, along with 1,023 yards passing and 9 touchdowns on 136 attempts. UGA Wire reported last Friday that even with the pickup of Newman, the Bulldogs were still a favorite to bring in the quarterback from up I-85 in South Carolina.

To make things more interesting, Brice recently announced he had changed his profile picture to a photo of him in a Quincy Carter jersey when he was younger.

Though nothing is official in Athens at the moment, UGA Wire can report there is a strong likelihood Brice becomes a Bulldog.

Unless something significantly changes, we expect Brice to suit up in red and black next season.

Make sure to follow along with us as we bring you the latest updates on the Clemson quarterback’s interesting future.

Surprise! Auburn football fans are mad… again

Auburn football fans react to Bo Jackson being ranked behind Herschel Walker

Monday, ESPN named its Top 11 college football players of all time at the national championship game in New Orleans.

The rankings list originally started at 150, given it’s the 150th anniversary of the sport, but narrowed down to the best of the best in the end.

Georgia’s Herschel Walker was named the No. 2 player of all time, behind only Syracuse’s Jim Brown. Sure, one can agree that Brown had one of the best professional careers of all time, but many Bulldog fans were skeptical of him being ahead of Walker in the college football list.

If you thought Georgia fans were mad, boy do we have a treat for you. The little brother ‘cow college’ that is Auburn took saltiness to a new level last night. Sure, we’ll probably get a couple ‘1980’ or ‘win a natty’ jabs in the comments, but that’s typical from a fan of the WarTigerPlainsmen.

We get it, we need to win a natty. You’ve already told us 37 times this morning alone. Did you remember to eat breakfast and put on your shoes before heading out the door?

Take a look at some of these responses from Auburn fans on Twitter, who were livid Bo Jackson was ranked behind Walker in ESPN’s list. Get over it and focus on your Top 5 basketball team that we are 100% jealous of.

Hate to break it to you, but professional baseball stats don’t count for college football.

Ok, before we go here. Bo Jackson was one of the best to ever do it in college football and even as an athlete overall. We’re just having some fun here as you can see.

 

Georgia football picks up yet another grad-transfer

Georgia football program picks up yet another grad-transfer in former Florida State tight end Tre’ McKitty

The Georgia football program picked up another much-needed graduate transfer on Monday in tight end Tre’ McKitty out of Florida State.

A 6’4″, 235-pound graduate-transfer, McKitty entered his name in the infamous transfer portal last week, before ultimately deciding to head to Athens and join the Bulldogs.

This is the second transfer portal pick up for Georgia this offseason, with former Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman announcing he too was joining the Dawgs last Saturday.

Now, Georgia has yet another offensive weapon for 2020, to help replace the departing Eli Wolf and Charlie Woerner at tight end. Look for McKitty to step in and make an immediate impact, alongside five-star freshman Darnell Washington.

Whether it’s Newman, Carson Beck, Stetson Bennett or Dwan Mathis under center next season, the Dawgs will certainly have a lot more firepower to work with downfield.

Dear New England Patriots and Patriot Nation….it’s not Tom Brady, it was the the absence of Georgia great David Andrews

It’s not Tom Brady that was the problem with the New England Patriots, it was the absence of UGA football great David Andrews

For most NFL teams, after securing a 12-4 record, having the 2nd highest point differential in the league, winning their division for an unprecedent 11th consecutive season and advancing to the playoffs for the 17th time in 21 years, that would constitue a very successful year.

However, the New England Patriots aren’t the normal NFL team….they’re not even the normal sports dynasty. With Tom Brady at quarterback, the Patriots have won six Super Bowls and advanced to the playoffs for 17 of the 19 years Brady has started.

The 2019 season didn’t end as the Patriots had envisioned, losing the regular season finale to the Miami Dolphins (thus losing a first round playoff bye) and being bounced from the playoffs at home, 20-13 by the Tennessee Titans. The offense struggled during the year, especially during the second half when the Patriots averaged only 18.3 points per game.

Of course the focal point of New England’s offensive woes has been the future Hall of Famer, Brady. Arguably the greatest signal caller the game has seen, the 42-year old Brady threw for 4,057 yards and completed 60.8 percent of his passes, with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Those are extremely productive numbers, but rather pedestrian for the greatest clutch player the NFL has ever seen. The Boston and national press is almost screaming for the former Michigan Wolverine to retire.

But they have it all wrong…it’s not the gerontological-defying Brady, it wasn’t the retirement of all-pro tight end Rob Gronkowski or the lack of quality receivers…..it was the absence of former Georgia center David Andrews.

The Patriots placed the 27-year old Andrews on injured reserve in August 2019 and he missed the entire season. One of the team’s six captains in 2018, Andrews was hospitalized due to blood clots in his lungs. He returned for the preseason in street clothes and remained a spectator for the remainder of the season.

Andrews was a three-year starter and All-SEC center for the Bulldogs and became a finalist for the Rimington Trophy. The former three-star recruit from Norcross, Georgia had not missed a game in his three seasons as a starter and led Georgia to several offensive records, including season scoring records. The importance of Andrews to the Georgia offense was demonstrated during the 2014 Florida game. The No. 9 Bulldogs were heavily favored over the unranked Gators. With UGA leading 7-0 in the first quarter, Andrews suffered a severe sprained ankle and was forced to leave the game. The Georgia offense lost its momentum and the Dawgs fell to Florida 38-20. The following week, Andrews returned against Kentucky and helped lead Georgia to a 63-31 victory.

An offensive line is like a well-oiled machine with the sum of the parts greater than the individual units. Andrews was the bond that drove those great offensive lines at Georgia and was the key component to the New England line. This past season, the New England offense missed the former undrafted free agent’s leadership in the locker room as much as his on-field presence.

Andrews has anchored the Patriots’ offensive line since being installed as the full-time starter in 2016, starting 57 of a possible 59 games over the last three seasons. Without Andrews, the Patriots fell to 7th in the league in points per game, to 26.3, their lowest average output since Andrews came on board. With much the same running backs, the Pats’ rushing attack slowed to 1,703 yards (3.8 yards per carry) in 2019 vs 2,037 yards (4.3 yards per carry) in 2018. After averaging 4.5 yards per carry in 2018, lead back Sony Michel’s average carry dipped 17.8 percent to 3.7 yards. Back up James White saw his average fall 13.6 percent to 3.9 yards per carry.

In the passing game, Brady’s completion percentage dropped five percentage points to 60.8 percent. His passer rating fell 88.0 from 97.7 in 2018. Of course all of this can not be attributed to Andrews missing the season, but his absence from the team was definitely felt.

The announcement the Patriots made prior to the regualr season opening will tell you everything you need to know about David Andrews. Five days after being placed on season-ending injured reserve, by a vote of his teammates, Andrews was selected as one of the Patriots’ seven team captains for the 2019 season, retaining a title he’s held since 2017. Despite not being able to play a down during the season, the respect from his teammates speaks volumes of his character and the importance of Andrews to the team.

“He’s got a wealth of experience and knowledge,” left guard Joe Thuney said. “He knows the offense inside and out, so you can always pick his brain to see what he thinks in certain situations. He’s just a really smart guy, and he’s great to have regardless. Obviously, he’s injured, but it’s just great to have him,” told NESN during the season.

Despite not being in a position to help the team on the field, Andrews traveled with the team and spent significant time on the sidelines and in the meeting rooms. He attended every practice and worked with the offensive coaches. During the season, head coach Bill Belichick acknowledged his presence on the team. Belicheck commented that Andrews’ off-the-field leadership has been outstanding.

Speaking of Andrews and injured fullback James Develin, Belechick said, “They’ve been very helpful to me just as another kind of perspective on where we are from what they see. They see things. They’re very mature. I wish they were both out there on the field, but they’ve done all they can do and contribute a lot on a daily basis and I’m personally very appreciative of what they do for the team and what they’ve done for me personally.”

The outlook for returning for the 2020 season appears to be positive for Andrews and the team. Speaking at a Patriots Charitable Foundation event in Providence, RI on Monday, Andrews offered an optimistic perspective on what lies ahead for him: “I should have a bunch of doctors’ appointments here in February, and get all that cleared up and be good to go next year.”

“Hopefully that goes well and then we kind of see from there. Pretty optimistic and just hope everything comes back good here the next month,” Andrews told ESPN’s Mike Reiss after his remarks at the charity event. “I’m not ready to be done playing football. If there’s any chance I can go play football, that’s what I’m going to do.”

No doubt Andrews was missed. Since joining the Patriots in 2015, he has been a leader within New England’s locker room…. and true leaders are invaluable to a team. For Tom Brady and all of Patriot Nation, hopefully Andrews is cleared to play in 2020 and continue his brilliant career.

Watch: Former Georgia great Mecole Hardman sets up Chiefs for score

Mecole Hardman sets the Kansas City Chiefs up for the score

Former Georgia great Mecole Hardman got the Kansas City Chiefs going Sunday, after falling behind 24-0 to the Houston Texans.

The rookie speedster nearly took one to the house, with Kansas City scoring just two plays after Hardman’s much-needed spark.

Now, the Chiefs will look to rally with about 40 minutes to go at Arrowhead, with hopes of reaching the AFC Championship Game.

Make sure to follow along with the UGA Wire as we bring you the latest updates on Dawgs in the NFL.

Watch: UGA transfer Jamie Newman highlights at Wake Forest

The Georgia Bulldogs have landed the top transfer QB in the country: Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman. Watch his impressive 2019 highlights.

The Georgia Bulldogs have landed the top transfer quarterback in the country: Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman. UGA lost Justin Fields and Jacob Eason during the Kirby Smart era, so it is about time the Dawgs landed a talented transfer QB of their own.

Newman scored 32 total touchdowns last season and is a talented deep ball thrower. Newman had talented receivers at Wake Forest, but it’s not the same as Georgia’s deep, talented offensive attack.

Newman made his transfer announcement official via Twitter:

Let’s take a look back at Newman’s 2019 season at Wake Forest. Newman helped the Demon Deacons go 8-5 en route to an appearance in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.

Highlight video is per Stadium:

Newman’s deep passing certainly stands out. He also has the wheels to be forced to be accounted for in the run game. Teams can no longer discount the QB when UGA runs the football. Newman had pretty solid protection on most of his accurate deep throws.

His receivers were certainly no slouches. Sage Surratt is extremely talented and had over 1,000 yards receiving on the season. Georgia’s offensive line will be key in 2020, following the loss of starters, UGA will be cut out for itself trying to block the elite defensive lines of the SEC.

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Georgia football lands uber-talented transfer quarterback

UGA football lands uber-talented transfer quarterback Jamie Newman

The Georgia football program has been plugging holes left behind by this year’s team for the past month or so and that trend doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon.

After a plethora of moves including junior quarterback Jake Fromm’s decision to enter the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bulldogs will land graduate transfer quarterback Jamie Newman out of Wake Forest, sources have told UGA Wire.

Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

The rumors had been quickly swirling ever since Fromm’s announcement on Tuesday, but all of the Cade Mays transfer drama quickly drowned out the noise.

What a wild 48 hours it’s been for Georgia football. Thankfully, it looks like all the craziness is starting to sort itself out. The Dawgs will have Newman, along with four-stars Carson Beck and Dwan Mathis in their quarterback room. In addition, the Bulldogs also have the veteran Stetson Bennett and Nevada transfer Austin Kirksey.

Oh and rumor has it, Clemson backup Chase Brice might even be on his way to the Classic City. What a quarterback competition this would be.

Make sure to follow along with the UGA Wire for the latest updates on all things happening in Athens. We will be sure to update you on this whole development when we find out more.

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.