Mark Richt – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Analysts react to Clemson’s upset loss at Notre Dame

These analysts had plenty to say after fourth-ranked Clemson was blown away at Notre Dame on Saturday night. On ACC Network’s ACC Huddle show, Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel, Mark Richt and Eddie Royal offered a lot of thoughts on the Tigers’ upset 35-14 …

These analysts had plenty to say after fourth-ranked Clemson was blown away at Notre Dame on Saturday night.

On ACC Network’s ACC Huddle show, Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel, Mark Richt and Eddie Royal offered a lot of thoughts on the Tigers’ upset 35-14 loss to the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.

“The lack of juice from the offense – offense and defense, Clemson in general,” said Royal, the former Virginia Tech standout and longtime NFL wide receiver. “It was a statement game for them. Everybody’s watching this game, you’ve got a chance to represent the ACC, represent Clemson the right way, and they just came out flat.”

Notre Dame (6-3) set the tone early on Clemson’s first possession, forcing the Tigers to punt and then blocking that punt, which Prince Kollie returned 17 yards for a touchdown to give the Irish a 7-0 lead less than six minutes into the game.

Clemson (8-1), which saw its nation-leading 14-game winning streak get snapped, could never recover after that. The Tigers trailed 14-0 at halftime before eventually falling behind 28-0 in the fourth quarter and ultimately losing by 21 points.

Manuel, the former Florida State and NFL quarterback, wonders if the Tigers showed immaturity in their lack of response after the early special teams punch from Notre Dame.

“When you hear Coach Swinney talk about this team, he brings up immaturity a lot, and I’m curious if that’s something that had to do with their performance today,” he said. “Not to say they’re immature in the sense of they’re not grown men and all that kind of stuff, but just in the sense of when you have that punt get blocked early in the game and they score a touchdown, they weren’t able to come back from that. Like you said, Eddie, they lost their juice. They were almost stunned like wait, this team is actually jumping out on us, how do we react.”

Offensively, Clemson was only able to muster a season-low 281 yards of offense and had just 71 at halftime. Notre Dame scored 14 points off two turnovers – one interception apiece thrown by Cade Klubnik and DJ Uiagalelei, including Uiagalelei’s 96-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, the Tigers allowed a season-high 263 rushing yards, while Clemson rushed for just 90 itself.

“Total domination on both sides – offensive line, defensive line, dominated,” said Richt, the former Miami and Georgia head coach. “And the thing about Clemson, they had two explosive plays – they had one 22-yard pass and one 21-yard run, and that was DJ running it. They got no shot.”

Both Audric Estime (18 carries, 104 yards, one touchdown) and Logan Diggs (17 carries, 114 yards) surpassed the century mark in rushing for the Irish as they averaged 5.6 yards per tote as a team.

“It was (dominant),” Manuel said. “We talked about it coming into the game, can Clemson stop the run? We thought they could personnel-wise, and they couldn’t. You have two rushers going over a hundred yards. I’m sure the home-field advantage for Notre Dame helped them in that benefit. But look, this was a Notre Dame team that was still ranked top five at the beginning of the season, and people can say, ‘Oh, they’re not a good team.’ Sometimes you have to find your ebb and you have to find your flow, and they’ve certainly found that now with their new coach, Marcus Freeman. So, they’re off to a great start.”

Clemson came into the game ranked seventh nationally in run defense, allowing less than 90 yards per game on the ground. But Saturday marked the second time this season that the Tigers have given up more than 200 yards on the ground in a game, with the other occasion being at Florida State back on Oct. 15 when the Seminoles ran for 206 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry.

“That big offensive line from Notre Dame said, ‘You see all those press clippings? Light them on fire. This is what we do at Notre Dame.’ They blew those guys over,” said Mac Lain, the former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman. “And I think it’s a little bit of the case of you think you’re a little better than you are, you’re not working your tail off like you’re supposed to be. This is supposed to be one of the best defensive lines ever in college football – not just Clemson. They’ve been embarrassed now by Florida State running for over 200 yards and by these guys running for 260.”

Mac Lain added that “this has not been the Clemson defense we’ve seen of years past” and mentioned the Tigers’ lackluster defensive showing against Furman in September when the FCS opponent outgained Dabo Swinney’s team in total yards (384 to 376).

“There’s like these little crumbs along the way if you’re really paying attention,” he said. “The Furman game, Coach Swinney lit into his defense, saying that it was an embarrassing effort, that defensive line, calling some guys out. And I think that’s just the deal, man. Where you’ve been told you’re so good, you’re so good, you’re so good, and then results like this start happening.”

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Analysts weigh in on Clemson’s QB situation after Syracuse game

Following fifth-ranked Clemson’s 27-21 win over then-No. 14 Syracuse on Saturday at Death Valley, several ACC analysts weighed in on the Tigers’ quarterback situation during The ACC Huddle on ACC Network. Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel, Mark Richt and …

Following fifth-ranked Clemson’s 27-21 win over then-No. 14 Syracuse on Saturday at Death Valley, several ACC analysts weighed in on the Tigers’ quarterback situation during The ACC Huddle on ACC Network.

Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel, Mark Richt and Eddie Royal all gave their thoughts on Clemson’s quarterback switch in the second half.

Dabo Swinney, of course, made the decision to remove struggling starter DJ Uiagalelei late in the third quarter and replace him with true freshman Cade Klubnik, who provided a spark for the Tigers’ offense in their comeback victory over the Orange.

Despite benching Uiagalelei, Swinney backed him following the game, saying he remains the Tigers’ starter and the team’s leader.

“The biggest and the toughest football decision that a head coach has to make is do you change your quarterback or not?” said Richt, the former Miami and Georgia head coach. “Now, he’s in the middle of the game saying, who’s going to give me my best shot at winning at this moment? … So, he did it. Now after the game and he’s looking down the future of the season, who gives us the best shot at continuing to win? DJ, and he made that decision. So, I don’t disagree with what he did.”

Prior to being replaced by Klubnik on Clemson’s fourth drive of the third quarter, Uiagalelei had just thrown his second interception of the game on the Tigers’ previous possession. He also turned the ball over on a fumble that was returned 90 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Klubnik, the former five-star prospect from Austin, Texas, went just 2-of-4 passing for 19 yards in relief of Uiagalelei but helped ignite Clemson’s offense while doing his part to rally the team from an 11-point deficit in the come-from-behind win.

Mac Lain, the former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman, was asked if he was surprised the Tigers opted to sit Uiagalelei down in favor of Klubnik.

“I wasn’t just because of the situation, because there were five turnovers where half of them were his fault, where he just wasn’t controlling the game,” Mac Lain said. “You’ve got to do something. That’s for your season. You have to make a decision, what’s the best thing that we can do to win this, and they felt like that was a quarterback change. I think at the end of the day when you win the game, it’s a great decision. If Cade would’ve came in and turned the ball over or would’ve done something to put that in jeopardy, then you’re like man, why’d you do that. Or on the reverse side, if he comes in and lights it up for 200 and a couple of touchdowns, you’re like OK, maybe that’s the guy.

“But I think he managed the game enough. There was enough spark, there was enough energy and excitement to where everybody else rallied around him to where that decision was made. I love that Coach Swinney brought it up and he said, ‘DJ’s our guy.’ He just had to take a seat and take a breather, and that’s why the change was made.”

Contrary to Mac Lain, Royal — the former Virginia Tech standout and longtime NFL wide receiver — was “shocked” by Uiagalelei getting pulled from the game.

“I was shocked because we all talked about why DJ was playing well was his confidence, and when you get sat down, you get benched essentially and then you see the next guy come in and have success and win the game, that’s going to hurt your confidence,” Royal said. “So going into next week or whenever it is, after the bye week, it’s like we talked about – you’ve got to almost be perfect because you’re looking over your shoulder. So, confidence is everything for DJ, and that’s going to take a hit.”

“If I’m DJ, I’m boiling inside because I want to be out there helping my team win instead of sitting on the sideline,” Royal added. “Like, you’ve got to understand what he’s feeling as well. So, Dabo’s going to have to have some talks with DJ, a little sit-down and talk about what happened.”

Manuel, the former Florida State and NFL quarterback, was surprised that Uiagalelei got taken out as well and said he would have left the junior signal-caller in.

“If I’m Coach Swinney in that situation, that’s my starting quarterback, so I probably would’ve kept trying to make some plays, maybe make some adjustments offensively with plays that we’re calling, try to audible a little bit, run the ball more with Will Shipley,” he said. “Because again, Cade Klubnik didn’t do anything different that DJ wouldn’t have done. So to me, I would’ve still kept DJ in the game, but that’s just me.”

Manuel wonders how what went down on Saturday with Uiagalelei and Klubnik will impact the dynamic in the locker room moving forward.

“The locker room – my other thing is what are the teammates now saying as well?” he said. “Again, I’m not saying the decision was wrong. He (Swinney) can make whatever decision he wants. He’s a champion. But at the end of the day now, the thought process in there as a teammate, well who’s our guy?”

Uiagalelei came into Saturday’s game having thrown just two interceptions over the first seven games this season. Overall, after eight games, the former five-star prospect has completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 1,803 yards and 17 touchdowns with four interceptions, to go with 350 rushing yards and four more scores on the ground.

Klubnik has played in five games this season, completing 9 of 19 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Clemson will have an open date next weekend before returning to action on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Notre Dame – where Uiagalelei started as a true freshman in 2020 and threw for a career-high 439 yards with two passing touchdowns while also adding a rushing touchdown.

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Analysts weigh in on Uiagalelei, Tigers’ win over Wake Forest

Following Clemson’s double-overtime win over Wake Forest in Saturday’s top-25 matchup in Winston-Salem, a few ACC analysts weighed in on DJ Uiagalelei’s stellar performance and gave their takeaways from the Tigers’ thrilling 51-45 victory. On “The …

On “The ACC Huddle” on ACC Network, former Miami and Georgia head coach and current ACCN analyst Mark Richt was asked what he learned about Uiagalelei during his incredible afternoon against the Demon Deacons.

Clemson’s junior quarterback completed 26-of-41 passes for a season-high 371 passing yards and a career-high five touchdown passes while racking up 423 yards of total offense (371 passing, 52 rushing) to lead the Tigers to their 14th victory in a row over Wake Forest.

“He looked like the DJ U everybody got excited about when he lit up Notre Dame a couple years ago,” Richt said, referring to Uiagalelei’s epic game against the Irish as a true freshman in 2020, when he went 29-of-44 passing for 439 yards and threw two touchdown passes to go with a rushing score.

“That’s what he looked like, and it’s just so awesome to see him play the way he played. … It’s just great that Dabo and the rest of the staff stuck with him, and now it’s paying off.”

Against Wake Forest, Uiagalelei became the first Clemson player to throw for 300 or more yards, rush for 50 or more yards and throw at least three touchdowns in a game since Deshaun Watson accomplished the feat against Louisville on Oct. 1, 2016.

ACCN analyst EJ Manuel was impressed by the way Uiagalelei went toe-to-toe with Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman and helped the Tigers’ offense repeatedly punch back in response to the points put up by the Demon Deacons’ high-powered attack.

Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) and running back Will Shipley (1) during the third quarter at Truist Field in Winston-Salem Saturday, September 24, 2022. Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider

“DJ played like ‘Big Cinco’ (Saturday). No ‘Little Cinco’,” said Manuel, the former Florida State and NFL quarterback. “He’s playing like a big dog, man. But you’ve got to do it when you play against a Sam Hartman at quarterback. You know Sam can light up the scoreboard, whether he’s throwing the ball, running the ball, making plays. But DJ was answering every single time, and there were moments when they could’ve packed up and said hey, Wake got us – you know, we’re on the road, it’s a hostile environment. But he kept delivering.”

ACCN analyst Eddie Royal, the former Virginia Tech standout and longtime NFL wide receiver, pointed out that Uiagalelei got more help Saturday from his receivers.

Four different players (Joseph Ngata, 84; Jake Briningstool, 72; Beaux Collins, 60; Antonio Williams, 51) gained 50-plus receiving yards against Wake Forest, marking Clemson’s first game with four different 50-yard receivers since 2018 against South Carolina (Tee Higgins, 142; Hunter Renfrow, 80; Justyn Ross, 58; Derion Kendrick, 51).

“The receivers stepped up,” Royal said. “DJ had been playing similar to this all year long, it’s just the receivers weren’t making the plays. They stepped up big for him and made the plays, so it’s good to see.”

Richt gave a shoutout to Clemson sophomore running back Will Shipley, who rushed 20 times for 104 yards with a touchdown against the Demon Deacons.

Shipley has now rushed for 100 yards in consecutive games for the second time in his career and has now rushed for a touchdown in seven straight games, dating to last season. Shipley (1,091) surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards with a career-long 53-yard rush in the first quarter and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run on an impressive second effort in the fourth quarter.

“I’ve got to give props to Shipley, too,” Richt said. “Shipley took care of business. He did break out on a deep run. Little surprised he got caught. But then in the end zone area, he busted through some tacklers and made a touchdown run.”

Up next for fifth-ranked Clemson (4-0, 2-0 ACC) is a top-10 clash with No. 10 NC State this Saturday at Death Valley (7:30 p.m., ABC).

Royal was asked if he saw anything in the Wake Forest game that made him question whether the Tigers are a College Football Playoff-caliber team, or if Saturday’s game furthered his belief that they can make it into the four-team playoff field.

“It furthered my belief because everybody was worried about the quarterback position, and DJ stepped up (Saturday),” Royal said. “And like you said, Shipley stepped up as well, so they were balanced. DJ didn’t have to do it all. Shipley did enough as well. They’ve got three running backs that can get it done as well. … So, this is a complete offense, and we know that defense is gonna step up.”

“I felt like if DJ played like that, no one can be close to Clemson,” Richt added. “But Wake proved me wrong, too.”

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Analysts weigh in on Uiagalelei’s performance vs. Furman

Following Clemson’s 35-12 win over Furman on Saturday at Death Valley, a few ACC analysts weighed in on what they saw from DJ Uiagalelei. During “The ACC Huddle” on ACC Network, analysts Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel and Mark Richt gave their takeaways …

Following Clemson’s 35-12 win over Furman on Saturday at Death Valley, a few ACC analysts weighed in on what they saw from DJ Uiagalelei.

During “The ACC Huddle” on ACC Network, analysts Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel and Mark Richt gave their takeaways from Uiagalelei’s performance against the Paladins.

The junior quarterback threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s contest while completing 21 of 27 passes for a completion percentage of 77.8 percent — the highest completion percentage Uiagalelei has posted when attempting at least 25 passes.

“DJ was very efficient,” said Mac Lain, the former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman. “Very proud of what we saw from him, moving the ball, moving the pocket, being excellent out there. And that was one of the biggest things is OK, we’ve got to see him do better. Well, how can we see him do better? Move that pocket, show that he’s mobile and drop some dimes. … People have to help him. I thought last game (against Georgia Tech), there were some things that he could’ve done better. This game, it was on full display. It’s really been a two-year process. Those receivers, they’ve got to help him out down the field.”

Manuel, the former Florida State and NFL quarterback, agreed with Mac Lain about Uiagalelei needing more help from his receivers in order for the Tigers to accomplish what they want to as a team this season.

“DJ had a very clean day,” Manuel said. “He was accurate in the intermediate and the short throws. For the routine throws, make them look easy, and that’s what DJ did well (Saturday) – also functioning within the offense.

“At some point, he’s going to have to sit down with his receivers and not necessarily say hey man, you guys aren’t catching the ball, but say look, we both have to do our job if we want to go win a national championship. We’re not just talking about winning the ACC, but we’re trying to go further than that. So, you’ve got to have that accountability amongst yourself as a quarterback and the guys around you.”

On Saturday, Uiagalelei surpassed 210 passing yards for the second straight game, something he did only twice all of last season. His one real mistake came in the third quarter when he was intercepted, a tipped ball into a tight window that head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter said was a poor decision on the quarterback’s part.

In the season opener against Georgia Tech, Uiagalelei settled in after a slow start and ended up going 19-of-32 passing for 210 yards and a passing touchdown with a rushing score to boot.

Through two games this season, Uiagalelei has completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns with one interception following a season in 2021 during which he completed just 55.6 percent of his passes – the second-lowest mark among ACC starters – with more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (nine).

“I think if (Saturday) was the first game of the year and we saw DJ do what he did, if he had done that last week, I think we all would’ve said he’s made improvements, he’s well on his way to doing what he needs to do to help them be champions,” said Richt, the former Miami and Georgia head coach. “But because the last week was a little shaky, this week was better. Hopefully it’ll continue.”

Mac Lain added that what Uiagalelei did against Furman was especially encouraging considering Clemson possessed the ball for just 25:15 of game time compared to the Paladins’ 34:45 time of possession.

“You see the 35 points, you’re like wow, this is really uninspired football. When you look at the play count and you look at the time of possession, they just didn’t have the ball a lot,” Mac Lain said. “And so what I think was also a positive about DJ is he didn’t get anxious, he didn’t feel like I’ve got to force it, I’ve got to force it. He stayed within the offense and was very efficient.”

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Analyst says Simpson poised to take ACC ‘by storm’ this season

These ACC analysts are very high on Clemson junior linebacker Trenton Simpson entering the 2022 season. In fact, ACC Network analysts Eric Mac Lain and Mark Richt went so far as to say during The ACC Huddle: Season Preview on ACCN recently that they …

These ACC analysts are very high on Clemson junior linebacker Trenton Simpson entering the 2022 season.

In fact, ACC Network analysts Eric Mac Lain and Mark Richt went so far as to say during The ACC Huddle: Season Preview on ACCN recently that they believe Simpson will win the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award this season.

“Man, so many great candidates,” Mac Lain said. “You look at all those linebackers over at NC State, then you look at some DBs that have really made some noise. I’m going linebacker, in South Carolina – Clemson. I think Trenton Simpson is going to absolutely take this league by storm. He’s moving back into the box, where I think he can be right up on that line of scrimmage, he can be very aggressive. He’s going to make some noise for the Tigers, I think enough to be the Defensive Player of the Year.”

Richt agreed with Mac Lain about the Defensive Player of the Year prediction for Simpson, who is transitioning inside the box for his junior season after tallying 78 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and six sacks as a sophomore in 2021.

“I’ve been on Clemson’s campus, I’m convinced they’ll have the best defense in the league without a doubt,” Richt said. “I believe they have the best team in the league without a doubt, and they’re going to have the best middle linebacker, Trenton Simpson. I’m going to agree with E-Mac on that one.”

Simpson, widely projected as a first-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft, enters 2022 credited with 110 tackles (18.5 for loss), 10.0 sacks, three pass breakups and a forced fumble in 827 snaps over 25 games (15 starts) in his first two years as a Tiger.

One of the most athletic players on Clemson’s roster and a former five-star prospect, Simpson was an All-ACC selection by PFF (second team) and Phil Steele (third team) last season.

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Analysts predict ACC title game matchup, one doesn’t pick Tigers to make it

During The ACC Huddle: Season Preview show on ACC Network recently, a few ACCN analysts gave their predictions for which teams will represent the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions in the ACC Championship Game this season. Former Clemson and All-ACC …

During The ACC Huddle: Season Preview show on ACC Network recently, a few ACCN analysts gave their predictions for which teams will represent the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions in the ACC Championship Game this season.

Former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain picked Clemson and Pittsburgh as the ACC Championship Game matchup, with the Tigers winning the conference crown, while former Miami and Georgia head coach Mark Richt picked Clemson and Miami to play in the conference title game.

Former Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel did not pick Clemson to make it to the conference title game, however. Instead, he went with NC State to win the Atlantic and play Pittsburgh.

Here’s what Mac Lain, Manuel and Richt had to say regarding their ACC Championship Game matchup predictions and who will win the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions in 2022:

Mac Lain: “I think it’s return of the king. I think Clemson’s back. So, I think they’re going to be representing the Atlantic. I think they win it, but I think Pittsburgh’s going to make it tough. I think Pittsburgh is going to be representing back-to-back divisional champions, the last-ever Coastal. So, I’ve got Clemson and Pitt. I’ve got Clemson winning it.”

Manuel: “Yeah, I’m going Pitt from the Coastal. I think no matter which quarterback they decide to have (Kedon Slovis has since been named Pitt’s starting QB), that defense is going to be stout. They’re going to have enough playmakers around there, a three-headed monster at running back. The Atlantic side, I’m going NC State. I think (quarterback) Devin Leary’s going to do it. I think he’s going to have an excellent season. That defense is also primed and ready to go, too.”

Richt: “Two coaches I love – Narduzzi (Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi) and Doeren (NC State’s Dave Doeren). I’m doing this to help motivate their teams. I’m picking Clemson and Miami. I’m just giving them something to get mad about. They always want a chip on their shoulder, they want to be hunting instead of being the hunted. So here’s your fodder, coaches. Use it the way you want, baby.”

The 2022 ACC Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Analysts discuss their expectations for Clemson entering 2022

After capturing six straight ACC Championships from 2015-20, Clemson saw that streak get snapped in 2021 when Coastal Division champion Pittsburgh claimed the conference crown with a victory over Atlantic Division winner Wake Forest. Heading into …

Heading into 2022, many expect Dabo Swinney’s Tigers to get back to the ACC Championship Game, win the conference once again and return to the College Football Playoff after missing the playoff last year for only the second time since the playoff began in 2014.

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FIP), Clemson has a 75 percent chance to win the Atlantic Division and a 59 percent chance to win the ACC in 2022, with a 57.4 percent chance to make the playoff.

During ACC Network’s ACC Football Road Trip show at Clemson that aired Wednesday, former Georgia and Miami head coach and current ACCN analyst Mark Richt was asked about his expectations for the Tigers going into the season.

“You see the high-percentage number, and I get it,” Richt said. “Now, there are two other teams that have played well lately – Wake Forest, obviously, NC State. NC State beat them a year ago… So, it’s not going to be cut and dry with everybody across the board… I’ve been saying it all along – if the QB position plays well, it’s a wrap.”

Former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain, now an ACCN analyst, also gave his expectations for the Tigers, who started last season 4-3 before reeling off six straight wins to finish 10-3 and reach at least 10 wins for the 11th consecutive campaign.

“I think it really is kind of the return of the king, if you will, this season with Clemson being back,” Mac Lain said. “But it’s certainly going to be a tall task. You think right here, on this field (at Death Valley), October 1^st – what a big day that’s going to be as NC State comes to town, and we know how much they want to get that illustrious ACC title.

“But it’s going to have to go through these guys (the Tigers), and they’re going to be back. That defense is going to be tremendous. As coach has said many, many times, this whole thing is centered around the quarterback position.”

Swinney has reiterated that junior D.J. Uiagalelei is Clemson’s starting quarterback heading into the Labor Day opener against Georgia Tech. While offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter acknowledged this week that “there is definite competition” between Uiagalelei and freshman Cade Klubnik, Streeter said Uiagalelei is “the guy right now.”

Kickoff for the Tigers’ season opener against the Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is set for Monday, Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Two Georgia football greats on ballot for 2023 CFB Hall of Fame class

Two DGDs on the ballot for 2023 CFB HOF class

The Georgia Bulldogs are already well-represented in Atlanta’s College Football Hall of Fame, and soon there may be two more Dawgs added to the club.

Georgia had two former greats included on the ballot for the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame class —former head coach Mark Richt and former running back Garrison Hearst.

Hearst was one of 80 former FBS players included on this year’s ballot, while Richt was one of nine coaches. Also included on the ballot is former Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson.

Hearst was on the ballot as well for the 2022 class. Former Georgia defensive back Champ Bailey was inducted as part of that class.

This year’s class will be announced early in 2023

Mark Richt:

In 2001, Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley took a shot on Florida State quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Mark Richt to become the new head coach in Athens. Richt, a former Miami quarterback, had been at Florida State for 15 years, taking one year off to coach at East Carolina in the late 1980s. Brought back by legendary Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden, Richt guided the FSU offense to the top of college football. Richt coached six FSU quarterbacks to the NFL, including Heisman winners Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke.

In 2001, Richt’s first season at Georgia, the Bulldogs were only able to win 8 games, yet it was obvious things were trending upward in Athens. Richt’s first season at Georgia featured a win over a top-five Volunteers team on the road (Hobnail Boot).

In 2002 under Richt, Georgia began its ascension towards becoming a consistent college football powerhouse. The Bulldogs finished the year 13-1, which included an SEC Championship win over Arkansas and a win over his former Seminoles in the Sugar Bowl.

In 2005, Georgia won yet another SEC Championship. With star quarterback D.J. Shockley under center, the Bulldogs delivered a beatdown over LSU in Atlanta. Richt had won two SEC titles in his first five years at Georgia.

Richt came close to returning to the top of the SEC on a couple more occasions as well. In 2011, Georgia rebounded from an 0-2 start to finish the regular season with 10 straight wins. The Dawgs jumped out to a great first half vs LSU in the SEC Championship but were unable to finish the drill in the second half. The following year, Richt produced maybe his best team while at Georgia. The 2012 Bulldogs featured Aaron Murray, Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, Tavarres King, Arthur Lynch, Jarvis Jones, Alec Ogletree, Shawn Williams, Bacarri Rambo, etc. However, the Dawgs fell just short to Alabama in the SEC Championship, a game that had Georgia won, the Bulldogs would have likely cruised to a national title win over an overrated Notre Dame.

Following the 2015 season, a year that saw Georgia finish with 10 wins, Richt was let go from his post at Georgia. He returned to Miami to assume to the position of head coach at The U. Richt is currently retired from coaching football.

Garrison Hearst:

Hearst meant everything to his 1992 UGA team. More than a third of Georgia’s offensive production came from Hearst, who scored over half of the team’s touchdowns. During his junior year, the Lincolnton native led the nation in touchdowns (21) and in scoring (11.5 points per game).

Hearst broke SEC and school records for most points scored in a single season (126), total touchdowns (21), rushing touchdowns (19) and average yards per carry (6.8).

A consensus All-America, Doak Walker Award recipient and SEC’s player of the year in 1992, he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Hearst finished his college career second on the Georgia records list in rushing yardage (3,232), all-purpose yardage (3,934) and 100-yard rushing games (16), trailing only Herschel Walker. He was the third pick in the 1993 NFL draft, selected by the Arizona Cardinals.

Analyst believes a former Tiger is one of ACC’s biggest sleepers in NFL Draft

On ACC Network this week, a few ACCN analysts weighed in on who they think are the biggest sleepers from the ACC in the 2022 NFL Draft. Former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain sees former Tiger safety Nolan Turner as a big …

On ACC Network this week, a few ACCN analysts weighed in on who they think are the biggest sleepers from the ACC in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain sees former Tiger safety Nolan Turner as a big sleeper.

Mac Lain was part of ACCN’s coverage of Clemson’s Pro Day on March 17, when Turner stole the show with the highest vertical jump among the participants at 37 ½ inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 2 inches that tied for the longest of the day. Additionally, he wowed while running his first 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds before besting that a few minutes later with a 4.46 on his second attempt.

“When you look at Nolan Turner from Clemson… We were there, we saw him up close and personal, the things that he was able to do at Pro Day,” Mac Lain said. “A lot of scouts had him at a 4.3, some in the 4.4s. Jumping out of the gym on vertical and the broad jump. And then his tape — this guy was an All-American his junior year, and the things that he was able to do from the safety position… Obviously a very smart player, a locker-room guy, is a sure tackler. Had a ton of interceptions his sophomore and junior year.”

Turner was named third-team all-ACC by Phil Steele last season, when he finished fourth on the team with 69 tackles despite battling hamstring and toe injuries. He also recorded three pass breakups, two tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in 10 games (all starts).

The Vestavia Hills, Ala., native finished his six-year Clemson career (2016-21) credited with 259 tackles (13.5 for loss), 20 passes broken up, seven interceptions returned 78 yards, 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles over 65 career games (25 starts). He was an AFCA second-team All-American and also earned a second-team nod from USA Today in 2020 after tallying 66 tackles (6.0 for loss), a team-high three interceptions and three pass breakups over 12 games (11 starts).

“I think that he is truly one of those sleepers, one of those diamonds in the rough that at the next level, he’s going to find a great fit and a great home,” Mac Lain said.

Former Georgia and Miami head coach and current ACCN analyst Mark Richt believes Turner could be a great value pick for an NFL team as well.

“The safety position at all levels of ball has to be a great communicator back there on the back end,” he said. “But when you get into the NFL and you get all the shifts and motions and all the checks that they expect you to take care of, you’ve got to have somebody back there that really can understand it and communicate it, and I know Nolan’s that kind of guy. So, he’s going to have great value not only from his skill set, but because of his ability to process information and communicate.”

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Year-by-year salaries of UGA head football coaches since 2012

UGA Wire lists the annual salary progression of Georgia’s head football coaches over the past decade.

College football coaching salaries have skyrocketed in recent years as the sport’s arms race has reached new heights.

Fortunately for the Georgia Bulldogs, they have one of the nation’s top coaches, Kirby Smart, who recently guided UGA to its first national championship since 1980. Smart is 66-15 in six seasons at the helm in Athens. Prior to Smart, Mark Richt guided the Bulldogs to a 145-51 record over 15 seasons.

To get an idea of how rapidly coaching salaries are rising, UGA Wire compiles the annual compensation paid out to Georgia football head coaches over the past decade below.

[Source: USA TODAY college football coaching salary database; figures do not include income from non-university sources, incentive bonuses or the value of perks and benefits.]