Tag: SEC football

Georgia football offers scholarship to 2022 4-star CB

Monday, the Bulldogs offered a scholarship to 2022 top-100, 4-star CB Jaylon Guilbeau from Port Arthur, Texas.

Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs staff are staying busy on the recruiting trail by offering another scholarship in the class of 2022.

On Monday, 4-star cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau from Port Arthur, Texas announced that he had received an offer from Georgia on Twitter.

Related: Georgia offers 2022 4-star safety Bryce Anderson 

The Memorial High School prospect holds offers from Alabama and LSU among 10 others.

247Sports has Guilbeau ranked as the No. 57 prospect in the 2022 class and the No. 9 cornerback.

247Sports wrote:

“Two-sport athlete who runs track (400 meters). Consistently stays low in backpedal. Willing to mix it up at the line of scrimmage. Disruptive at the catch point, thanks in part to length. Shows encouraging competitiveness when the ball is in the air.”

Guilbeau joins Bryce Anderson and Austin Jordan as the most recent Bulldog offers in the class of 2022.

Kirby and staff must have found an area they like, as all three prospects are speedy defensive backs from Texas.

Georgia football recruiting: Bulldogs offers 2022 4-star safety

Monday, Georgia football offered a scholarship to speedy 2022 4-star safety Bryce Anderson from Beaumont, Texas.

On Monday, 2022 4-star safety Bryce Anderson took to Twitter to announce a scholarship offer from Georgia.

247Sports has the Beaumont, Texas prospect ranked as the No. 4 safety and the 14th best recruit in Texas in the 2022 recruiting class.

On a national scale, he is considered the 92nd ranked player in America.

At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Anderson now holds offers from Georgia, LSU, Florida and Alabama among 21 others.

On Anderson, 247Sports wrote:

“Speed manifests on the field. Has played both ways as dual-threat QB and DB, but long-term fit is in the secondary. Could provide versatility thanks to athleticism, instincts, and awareness. Capable in man coverage, but also terrific covering territory as a deep safety.”

In addition to football, Anderson also runs track at West Brook High School where he ran a 10.92 100 and 22.03 200 as a freshman.

Related: Georgia offers 2022 4-star CB Jaylon Guilbeau

Right now, LSU looks like the team to beat for Anderson. All seven of 247’s crystal ball predictions are in favor of the Tigers.

Anderson joins a string of recruits that have recently received offers from the Bulldogs. It seems that Kirby Smart and the Georgia staff are targeting speed in 2022.

 

Georgia football offers top-100 player in class of 2022

Monday, 2022 top-100 player and 4-star corner back Austin Jordan tweeted about receiving a scholarship offer from Georgia football.

On Monday, Austin Jordan, a 2022 4-star corner back from Denton, Texas, took to Twitter to announce a scholarship offer from Georgia.

247Sports has Jordan ranked as the No. 13 corner and No. 83 prospect overall in the 2022 recruiting class.

He holds offers from Ohio State, Texas and Oklahoma among 14 others.

247Sports wrote:

“Good size for a corner prospect with great frame potential. Terrific athlete with great top-end speed verified in a track setting (10.98 100 as a freshman). Flashes impressive turn-and-run ability vs. vertical game. Aware in zone coverage with physical tools to excel in man. Can improve ball skills. Plays a bit high at times. Tackling consistency can improve. Among the top DB’s in Texas for 2022. Projects to high-major level with long-term NFL Draft potential.”

Jordan is a two-sport star at Ryan High School where he plays football and runs track. As a freshman, he ran a 10.98 100 meter and 22.08 200 meter which easily makes him one of the fastest players in the 2022 class.

Although it is still very early in the 2022 recruiting cycle, Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs know that you can’t teach speed, so look for Austin Jordan to be a major target in the year to come.

Georgia football makes top-six for 2021 4-star WR

Georgia football made the top-six for 2021 4-star WR Chris Hilton

On Sunday, Chris Hilton, a 4-star wide receiver from Zachary, Louisiana, named his top six schools.

Georgia, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame and Texas A&M made the cut.

The 6-foot, 169 pound prospect is ranked as the No. 5 receiver in the 2021 class and the No. 51 ranked prospect overall. (via 247Sports)

Hilton told 247Sports:

“You could say whichever school I feel like I’m more comfortable at, can play at, and get my education is how I’ll get it down to one.”

Although the Bulldogs have good depth at the receiver position for at least the next two seasons, Kirby Smart knows that you can never have too many explosive playmakers in today’s game.

Hilton, who runs a 4.45 40 yard dash, would be great addition to a speedy Georgia offense and with 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff heading to Athens in 2021, the Bulldogs hope to get as many playmakers on the outside as possible.

“I like the coaching staff and the academics are really good,” Hilton told Dawg Post, speaking of Georgia.

 

 

Kirby Smart to live tweet Georgia football’s “Virtual G-Day” this Saturday

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart will be live tweeting “virtual G-Day” 2019 UGA vs Notre Dame on Saturday on SEC Network

The annual G-Day game, UGA’s spring football game, was meant to be played this Saturday, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the university came up with something different for fans during quarantine.

According to a statement from the University of Georgia, The SEC Network and Kirby Smart will be teaming up to replay the 2019 Georgia vs. Notre Dame game on Saturday, April 18 at 2 pm presented by Piedmont Healthcare.

In addition to Georgia coach Kirby Smart live-tweeting from his @KirbySmartUGA twitter account, the Bulldog radio team featuring Scott Howard, Eric Zeier and Chuck Dowdle, will be hosting a Facebook Live broadcast of the game with commentary.

Projected 2020 Georgia football depth chart: Offensive line

Taking a look at Georgia football’s offensive line depth chart for 2020 after losing four starters from dominant group in 2019.

In 2019, Georgia had one of the best offensive lines in the country.

The unit ranked fifth in the country in run-blocking and fourth in pass-blocking according to PFF (Pro Football Focus).

Looking ahead to 2020, the Bulldogs will have almost an entirely new starting unit. Cade Mays transferred to Tennessee, Matt Luke replaced Sam Pittman as line-coach and the Dawgs lost All-American Andrew Thomas, Isaiah Wilson and Solomon Kindley to the NFL draft.

So, what will the protection look like in front of new quarterback Jamie Newman next season?

Right Tackle

  1. Jamaree Salyer (Jr.)
  2. Warren McClendon (RFr.)

Salyer is the most experienced option at right tackle for the Dawgs and although his size may be best fitted at guard, Slayer is athletic enough and played well against Baylor in the Sugar Bowl.

Right Guard 

  1. Ben Cleveland (RSr.)
  2. Warren Ericson (RSoph.)

Cleveland has the most experience of any Bulldog lineman and at 6-foot-7 340 pounds may be the strongest player on the entire roster. He missed the Sugar Bowl with academic issues and has had his fair share of problems with injuries, however, his power on the inside is one of the reasons UGA running backs averaged almost 3 yards before contact last season.

Center

  1. Trey Hill (Jr.)
  2. Clay Webb (RFr.)

At center, the key is experience. Hill’s first season at center in 2019 was definitely a learning experience. He struggled with snaps at times but towards the end of the season he showed improvement. Hill’s upside is his pad-level and power inside and as a defensive lineman you don’t want to get caught in a Trey Hill-Ben Cleveland double-team block that is for sure.

Left Guard 

  1. Justin Shaffer (Sr.)
  2. Clay Webb (RFr.)

Left guard is an educated guess. Shaffer played well in two games last year before his season was ended with a neck injury. He is expected to be healthy come fall, but we could possibly see a mix up in the middle positions among Shaffer, Hill, and talented redshirt freshman Clay Webb. Hill could possibly move over to left guard and Webb take over at center but we will know more whenever the Dawgs are cleared to practice.

Left Tackle

  1. Xavier Truss (RFr.)
  2. Warren McClendon (RFr.)
  3. Broderick Jones (Fr.)

The Bulldogs are losing one of the greatest lineman in Georgia history in Andrew Thomas, so the transition is going to be interesting. At 6-foot-7 330 pounds, Truss looks to be the best fit at the position. He saw minimal action in 2019 but he seems to move well and definitely will be hard to move off the spot.

Coaches still have many decisions to make on who will get the starting spots in Atlanta vs. Virginia, but keep an eye out for position battles when practice resumes and the Bulldogs start to find their identity for the 2020 season.

Are Jamie Newman and George Pickens the next Matt Stafford and AJ Green for UGA?

Comparing Georgia football’s Jamie Newman and George Pickens to former UGA stars Matthew Stafford and A.J. Green.

Among all the doubt and speculations surrounding the 2020 college football season, there are still some exciting things Georgia football fans have to look forward to.

One of those things is the Jamie Newman to George Pickens connection.

Last season, Pickens put college football on notice as a true freshman…

In 2019, Pickens caught 49 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns, which included a dominating performance in the Sugar Bowl against Baylor where he caught 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown.

PFF (Pro Football Focus) rated Pickens as the best true-freshman receiver in the country. Keep in mind that was in a run-dominated offense which included quarterback Jake Fromm’s pedestrian deep ball.

Enter Jamie Newman..

According to PFF, Newman, a transfer from Wake Forrest, graded as the third best quarterback in the country last season. Newman was second behind Heisman winner Joe Burrow in throws into tight windows and throws beyond 20 yards.

The combination of Newman’s accurate deep-ball with Pickens’ hands and catch-radius is going to be a scary situation for opposing defenses in 2020.

The duo reminds me of a couple of Bulldog greats, Matthew Stafford and A.J. Green.

Back in 2008, the Stafford to Green combo was one of the best in the country.

As a freshman, Green caught 56 passes for 963 yards and eight touchdowns on his way to SEC-Freshman of the Year honors and Stafford went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Yes, the bar is set a bit high and maybe Newman to Pickens won’t be as dominant as Stafford to Green.

However, with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s passing game don’t be surprised if the duo has a record year for the Bulldogs offense.

Falcon’s GM comfortable with former Georgia star Todd Gurley’s knee injuries

Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff talks about newly signed former Georgia football running back Todd Gurley’s knee injuries.

Atlanta Falcons beat reporter Kelsey Conway recently spoke to the franchise’s general manager Thomas Dimitroff about newly signed running back Todd Gurley.

The former Georgia Bulldog recently signed a one-year contract worth $6m with the Falcons after being released earlier this year by the L.A. Rams.

Gurley was a two-time All-Pro in L.A. but after issues with arthritis in his previously injured left-knee, the team decided to move on from the 24-year old.

Unlike the Rams, the Falcons do not seem to be worried about Gurley’s injury history.

Dimitroff said:

He really takes care of his body well. We feel very comfortable with it. He’s a hard-charging runner and we’re counting on him being an excellent player for us.

Gurley being on just a one-year deal creates an easy out for Atlanta if he can’t meet expectations in 2020, but Falcons and UGA fans hope the Bulldog great can bounce back with a great season for Atlanta.

Kirby Smart on how Georgia’s preparing for 2020 amid COVID-19

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart speaks on Bulldogs Gameday on WSB about how his staff is game planning for 2020 during quarantine.

On Saturday, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart made an appearance on Bulldogs Gameday on WSB-TV.

Smart spoke on some of the challenges that the Georgia coaching staff and players are dealing with during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

One of the main challenges is implementing new offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s offensive system remotely. Smart mentions that the coaches are doing their best to use technology that can help players transition into the new system more comfortably. 

Smart said:

“I don’t know if creative, but definitely innovative technological ways that maybe coaches weren’t comfortable with. And maybe you’re finding a better way of doing something that you should have been doing all along. I can sit in on a defensive meeting, listen in to an offensive meeting all while watching tape.” 

Technology helps and Smart is challenging players to use this time at home to make themselves better. 

“We are asking and challenging our guys to be somewhere local, have a pen and paper, write things down. Really use this as a time to commit to their trade because you have so many hours during the week, this is a small piece when you talk about the time our kids have on their hands now,” Smart said. “Take two hours out of seven days, and say we are going to dedicate this to knowledge and learning a trade.” 

It seems like Smart’s mindset is to make the most of this abnormal time. The Bulldogs will need as much help as they can get in 2020 as they enter the year with one of the toughest schedules in the country. 

“Two weeks ago we were literally doing no football. Our offensive staff comes in, Coach Monken is going through the offense, doing installation,” Smart added. “They are putting things together and studying opponents. Doing things we would normally do over the summer when we don’t have the players, we are doing those things now.” 

SEC extends suspension of in-person athletic activities

The SEC announced that it has extended its suspension of all in-person athletic activities through at least May 31st due to coronavirus.

On Friday, the SEC announced that it has extended its suspension of all in-person athletic activities through at least May 31st.

Originally, the league had suspended all activities through April 15th.

Here is the statement that the conference issued on Friday:

The Southeastern Conference today announced that all in-person athletics activities, including team and individual practices, meetings and other organized gatherings, whether voluntary or required, as well as camps and coaches clinics, will be suspended through at least May 31, based on public health advisories related to continuing developments associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The SEC had previously announced that in-person athletics activities were suspended through April 15.

In addition, virtual film review that does not include physical activity is permissible. Effective April 6, activity of this nature will be expanded to four (4) hours per week consistent with an NCAA rule waiver and NCAA legislation, an increase from the previously permissible maximum of two (2) hours per week. Any such activity must be scheduled in accordance with the institution’s established Time Management Policy and must not interfere with required class time for online instruction.

SEC member institutions will continue to provide their student-athletes with care and support to meet needs in areas including academics, medical care, mental health and wellness, nutrition and housing as needed.