Tag: LSU football news

SEC media days: Day one – Greg Sankey, Florida Gators, LSU, and South Carolina

Here’s what Auburn fans can look for on the first day of SEC media days.

It is finally here. The unofficial start to the college football season is here as SEC media days kick off in Hoover.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey will start the week by discussing the latest things happening throughout the conference. He usually chimes in on tweaks coming to the technology used around the game that ranges from player safety to changes in officiating procedure.

The Florida Gators will be represented by head coach Dan Mullen, senior defensive linemen Zach Carter, and senior linebacker Ventrell Miller.

The LSU Tigers will be lead by head coach Ed Orgeron, senior offensive tackle Austin Deculus, and junior defensive back Derek Stingley Jr.

The South Carolina Gamecocks will be showcasing new head coach Shane Beamer, senior defensive end Kingsley Enagbare, and senior tight end Nick Muse.

Auburn will play two of these teams this year. Here are some potential questions that may be brought up that pertain to Auburn.

Pro Football Focus ranks all 130 CFB teams: Where is Georgia?

Ranking all 130 college football teams. Where does Georgia football rank in the preseason CFB rankings?

Pro Football Focus recently ranked all 130 college football teams for the upcoming 2021 season.

Georgia checked in at No. 4 in the rankings, and PFF gave UGA a 7 percent chance of winning the national title and a 24 percent chance of leaving Atlanta as SEC champs.

Per PFF, Georgia’s highest-graded returning player is quarterback J.T. Daniels at 88.3.

A few SEC teams worth noting include Alabama (1), Texas A&M (6), Florida (7), LSU (10), Auburn (15) and Tennessee (45).

Click here for the full list and see below for PFF’s top-five.

Georgia football among top schools for 4-star Shazz Preston

The Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers are among the top schools for four-star wide receiver recruit Shazz Preston

The Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers are among the top schools for four-star wide receiver recruit Shazz Preston. Preston is a member of the class of 2022 and plays high school football for Saint James in Louisiana.

Shazz Preston is ranked the No. 8 wide receiver prospect in his class, the No. 65 prospect overall and the fourth-best player in Louisiana.

On film, Preston displays good body control, is a solid route runner and frequently puts himself in a position to gain yards after the catch. Preston does a solid job of tracking the football and wins jump balls quite often for a 6-foot, 190-pound wide receiver.

The four-star wide receiver prospect plays on a great high school team. St. James won a 3A state championship in 2019. St. James advanced to the quarterfinals in 2020 before losing to Church Point.

Shazz Preston puts Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Miami, Texas, USC and Mississippi State in his top seven schools.

The LSU Tigers are considered the favorites in Preston’s recruitment, but don’t count out Kirby Smart and Georgia, who have snagged some elite prospects from Louisiana in recent seasons.

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Georgia football play of the day – Georgia vs LSU (2018)

Watch the Georgia football play of the day here!

It’s Tuesday, September 8 and today’s play of the day comes from Georgia versus LSU in their 2018 matchup in Death Valley.

No. 5 Georgia faced one of the most difficult tasks in college football – No. 11 LSU at home.

Watch how Georgia running back Elijah Holyfield opened the game here:

Holyfield looked like a monster for the Bulldogs, but after missing two early touchdown opportunities, Georgia was forced to play comeback ball, which kept the ball in the air and out of the hands of Holyfield.

LSU held on to win 36-16, serving as a spark that would propel the Bulldogs to an SEC title and national title run.

 

Texas Tech limits home games to 25% capacity, will require face coverings. Will Georgia follow?

Texas Tech becomes the 4th school to reportedly plan to limit stadium capacity. Could UGA eventually release a similar plan for Sanford?

Per college football insider Brett McMurphy, Texas Tech University will limit its football stadium’s capacity to maximum of 25%, as well as institute a face covering requirement to both fans and staff at all home football games.

Texas, Ohio State and LSU have all reportedly planned to limit the capacity of their iconic football stadiums due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, now Texas Tech follows suit.

Sad thoughts, of course, to Ohio State with the Big Ten’s plan to postpone until spring.

But the real question is, with four major Power Five school’s already releasing a plan to limit stadium capacity – how long before more SEC schools, or specifically the University of Georgia follows with a similar plan?

UGA plans to have face-to-face classes starting Aug 20 – until late November when classes move online – and in early July, UGA listed a limited capacity ‘option‘ in a plan release by a UGA athletics group: Plans for a Phased Return to Full Operations.

Things said, I could definitely see Georgia doing something with Stanford Stadium this year that is similar to the schools who have college towns similar to Athens.

Athens is definitely one of those historic places at risk with so many small business in one place and, without students or fans, I suspect it wouldn’t be the city DawgNation knows and loves before long.

College Football News ranks SEC head coaches: Where’s Kirby Smart?

College Football News ranked the top SEC head coaches. Where is Georgia football’s Kirby Smart?

Pete Fiutak of College Football News recently released a list ranking the SEC head coaches heading into the 2020 season.

Checking in at No. 3 on the list is Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who trails only Nick Saban (1) and Ed Orgeron (2).

At No. 4 is Dan Mullen and at No. 5 is Gus Malzahn.

As much as I’d love for Smart to be in that No. 2 spot, I do not disagree with Fiutak here.

Smart’s time will come, and within the next five years he may very well occupy that No. 1 spot.

For now, he’s sitting at No. 3 on Fiutak’s list, likely right on the verge of taking over that No. 2 ranking. As long as he keeps winning the SEC East, beating rivals and putting his team in striking distance for the College Football Playoff…he’ll be considered a top-five coach in America.

Orgeron or Smart at No. 2 was likely a somewhat difficult decision. Fiutak went with Coach O since he accomplished something Kirby hasn’t yet, a national championship.

I’ve heard it all – “Anyone could win with that roster.”

Sure, Smart probably would have won it with that roster LSU had last year. But, at the end of the day, he didn’t have that roster. No other way around it.

Also, how can you not love Coach O?

As for Saban, there’s no arguing that one.

Five-star DT Maason Smith releases top schools

Five-star defensive tackle Maason Smith has released his latest list of top schools including: the LSU Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs.

Five-star defensive tackle Maason Smith has released his latest list of top schools. Smith’s list includes Georgia, LSU, Florida, Oregon, Alabama, Miami, Oklahoma, and USC.

Smith is an ultra talented recruit who plays high school football for Terrebonne in Houma, Louisiana. Smith announced his top schools via Twitter on July 4th:

Smith is one of the top remaining uncommitted recruits in the class of 2021. He’s favored to end up staying home with the LSU Tigers.

Kirby Smart and Georgia have been prioritizing recruits in the trenches in recent seasons. Smith would be an elite target to secure, but it is looking unlikely at the moment.

In the class of 2021, Georgia has one commitment at defensive tackle. Dan Lanning and the defense will probably looking for another defensive tackle in the class.

Smith is six-foot-five and weighs 316 pounds. Smith should have a bright college football career.

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247Sports places 2020 CFB contenders into tiers

247Sports placed the top 2020 CFB contenders into tiers, and created a tier specifically for Georgia.

247Sports recently placed their top playoff contenders for the 2020 college football season into tiers.

In tier one, considered the teams with the best shot of reaching the College Football Playoff, was Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State.

It looks like 247 added a tier specifically for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, as UGA is the only team listed in tier 1.5.

From 247:

Tier 1.5: Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia is a weird team to place. The Bulldogs’ talent stacks up player-to-player with Alabama and Ohio State. Its history, three straight seasons with at least 11 wins, does too. But there are a few big-picture reservations with Georgia that the programs above it lack.

247Sports proceeded to discuss experience as a possible weakness on the 2020 UGA roster, noting the introductions of new quarterback Jamie Newman and offensive coordinator Todd Monken, plus the departures of four offensive linemen and Lawrence Cager.

The departure of James Coley, who has been replaced by Monken, is good news for Georgia in the long run, as 247’s Chris Hummer wrote. He mentioned, however, that given the nature of this restricted offseason, it may not yield immediate success. On that one, we’ll just have to wait and see. It can’t get much worse, though.

Oklahoma was alone in tier two.

You’ll have to scroll to tier three to find Florida, which is accompanied by LSU, Notre Dame and Penn State.

SEC football media day will be virtual

The 2020 SEC football media day will be virtual as stated by the SEC. Coaches like Kirby Smart will still attend.

The 2020 SEC football media day will be virtual as stated by the SEC. The virtual media day currently has no set date, but the initial media day was scheduled to be hosted July 13-16th. The event was expected to be hosted in Atlanta.

Here’s what SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey had to say on the adjustment:

Conducting football media days in a virtual format will provide us the opportunity to manage the event in a healthy manner as we continue to be impacted by COVID-19, and will provide flexibility for our programs to adjust their preparation for the 2020 football season according to the preseason calendar that is expected to be expanded due to the cancellation of the spring football season. We look forward to returning to our traditional media days format in 2021.

The virtual event will be similar to the originally scheduled in-person event. Media day will still feature coaches, athletes, and more. Fans should anticipate social justice, COVID-19, and what a 2020 season will look like being the primary subjects of the virtual media day.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart will still likely attend along with upperclassmen.

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4-star OL Dietrick Pennington includes Georgia football in top 5

Saturday, 2021 4-star offensive guard Dietrick Pennington announced his top-5 schools on Twitter. Details here

Saturday, 2021 4-star offensive lineman Dietrick Pennington announced his top-5 schools on Twitter. The list includes Georgia, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and LSU.

Pennington (6-foot-5, 326 pounds) plays football for Evangelical Christian School in Cordova, Tennessee, where he sees playing time at both guard and defensive tackle.

247Sports has Pennington rated as the No. 12 guard, the No. 4 prospect in Tennessee and the No. 212 prospect overall in the 2021 recruiting class.

From 247Sports:

“Wide-bodied lineman, big-jointed with a thick lower half and a bulky upper body. Plays both ways for his high school and has multi-positional and multi-sport background. Natural feet and lateral agility.”

 https://twitter.com/Dietrick80P/status/1266862668717178881