Tag: South Carolina Football

2020 Georgia football schedule: Game-by-game predictions

A look at the 2020 Georgia football schedule with predictions for each game.

Coming off a 2019 that saw Georgia come so close to reaching the College Football Playoff, the Bulldogs open up the 2020 season with a Monday night game vs Virginia in Atlanta.

If Georgia – which should be favored in every game minus an October visit to Alabama – takes care of business, then UGA should close out the season in the same stadium it started in.

The Dawgs return a lot of talent in 2020, mostly on a defense that ranked No. 1 in America last season.

To read up more on Georgia’s returning production next season compared to the rest of the country, you can take a deeper dive at this link. 

To take a look at Georgia’s projected offensive depth chart for next season, click here.

On offense, Georgia lost a ton of production, including its starting quarterback, its top two running backs, 4 starting offensive linemen and a star wide receiver.

By looking at who Georgia lost from last season’s offense it’s hard to picture the Dawgs making another big run, but it’s important to remember that Kirby Smart has secured three consecutive top ranked recruiting classes. In addition to the loads of talent waiting on the depth chart, Georgia was also able to land Heisman hopeful quarterback Jamie Newman from Wake Forest.

If Georgia is going to have another memorable season, it will need these new offensive faces to be capable of moving the ball more than James Coley’s offense was able to in 2019.

The addition of Todd Monken, who I’d say is Georgia’s biggest get this offseason, should make that possible.

With a ferocious defense and revamped offense, here’s how I see this season playing out for Georgia.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Two former Georgia football players/coaches leave South Carolina for NFL

Two former Georgia football players and coaches have left South Carolina to coach in the NFL.

Two coaches are leaving the South Carolina program to take NFL coaching jobs.

Both of those coaches happen to be guys who played and coached at the University of Georgia.

Thomas Brown, who played running back at Georgia from 2004-07, has joined the Los Angeles Rams staff as the running backs coach, where he will coach former Dawg Todd Gurley.

Related: Thomas Brown hired to Rams

And Bryan McClendon, who caught passes in Athens from 2002-05, will be joining the Steelers staff as receivers coach.

Related: Report: Former Georgia WR Bryan McClendon hired to Steelers

After their collegiate playing careers, both players returned to Georgia to coach shortly after testing out the NFL.

McClendon coached the running backs and receivers in Athens from 2009-2015, after spending two seasons as a grad assistant at Georgia.

Brown coached at Georgia in 2011 as a strength coach and then came back in 2015 to coach the running backs, which at the time was Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

Both ended up on the same staff at South Carolina under none other than former Georgia defensive back Will Muschamp, who is head coach of the Gamecocks.

Georgia ties run deep.

Report: Former Georgia football player and coach hired to Steelers staff

The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly hired a former Georgia football wide receiver to coach.

According to the ABC television affiliate in Columbia, S.C., the Pittsburgh Steelers have pulled from the college ranks to find their next receivers coach.

The Steelers have reportedly worked out a deal with former Georgia wide receiver Bryan McClendon, who also coached in Athens for nearly a decade.

The Steelers have been on a long search for a receivers coach. This past season, interim receivers coach Ray Sherman handled those duties after Darryl Drake passed away during training camp in August.

[lawrence-related id=22289]

McClendon played at Georgia from 2002-05, finding a ton of success in Athens.

After college, he tried out the NFL for a year with the Bears but quickly found himself coaching at Georgia in 2007 as a graduate assistant and staying until 2015. In 2009, McClendon was promoted to running backs coach under Mark Richt, a position he held until 2014, before switching to wide receivers coach in 2015. He also added other titles along the way, such as assistant head coach and interim head coach after Richt’s firing.

In 2016, McClendon was named co-offensive and wide receivers coach coordinator at South Carolina and in 2019 was named the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator.

Oddly enough, McClendon is the second former Georgia football player to get an NFL coaching job today. And even more odd, the other, Thomas Brown, also left a position at South Carolina to do so.

Will Muschamp says his son, who committed to Georgia, was never going to play for him

South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp says his son Jackson, who committed to Georgia football, was never going to commit to him.

This week, Georgia football made headlines when news broke that Jackson Muschamp would be signing with UGA as a preferred walk-on.

Muschamp, the oldest son of South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp, ranks as a three-star quarterback in the class of 2020.

6-foot-2, 190-pound signal caller out of Columbia, South Carolina,  Muschamp had verbally committed to Colorado State, but after a recent visit to Athens he decided to attend Georgia, where his father played his collegiate football as well.

Muschamp’s announcement came as a surprise to many folks at home. They just could not understand why the son of South Carolina’s head coach would go play for a rival in the same division as the Gamecocks.

The answer is, the two Muschamp’s discussed it long ago, and Jackson told his father that he did not want to go where Will was coaching.

Coach Muschamp sounds content with his son’s decision. He and Kirby Smart are good friends of 20+ years who previously spent time together as teammates in Athens and coaches at Valdosta State and LSU.

NSD around the SEC: How’d each team do?

How did each SEC team do during the 2020 recruiting cycle? Georgia football holds the lead.

Georgia football closed out National Signing Day with the No. 1 ranked class in the nation, making that the second time in three year that the Bulldogs finished with the top class.

As it always does, the SEC dominated recruiting, with the conference occupying seven of the top ten spots in the team rankings.

Georgia had some tough competition for the No. 1 spot but was able to fend off powerhouses Alabama and Clemson to remain America’s top dawg.

The numbers do not lie, though. Georgia has spent more money on the recruiting trail than any other team in the country. And apparently it’s working well for them.

From Bleacher Report:

Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald (h/t USA Today) cited Georgia’s annual NCAA financial report that covered the fiscal year of July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019, and noted the Bulldogs spent $3.7 million on football recruiting expenses.

That represents a jump of more than $1 million from the previous fiscal year when they led the country in the same category.

Here’s a look at how each SEC school did in the 2020 recruiting cycle:

In order of SEC ranking

1. Georgia (No. 1 in country)

2. Alabama (No. 2 in country)

3. LSU (No. 4 in country)

4. Texas A&M (No. 6 in country)

5. Auburn (No. 7 in country)

6. Florida (No. 8 in country)

7. Tennessee (No. 10 in country)

8. South Carolina (No. 18 in country)

9. Kentucky (No. 24 in country)

10. Mississippi State (No. 27 in country)

11. Arkansas (No. 33 in country)

12. Ole Miss (No. 38 in country)

13. Missouri (No. 48 in country)

14. Vanderbilt (No. 56 in country)

So, the next closest SEC East school to Georgia is Florida, which sits at No. 8 in America. Then there’s Tennessee, which is No. 10. Is the talent gap really closing as much as Gator fans say it is?

Georgia football lands 2020 QB Jackson Muschamp, son of Gamecocks HC

Georgia football picked up a commitment from Jackson muschamp, the son of South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp.

On Tuesday, the day before National Signing Day, Georgia picked up a commitment from 2020 quarterback Jackson Muschamp, according to Rusty Mansell of 247Sports.

Muschamp, who will be joining Georgia as a preferred walk-on, is the oldest son of South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp.

Muschamp, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound signal caller out of Columbia, South Carolina, had verbally committed to Colorado State, but after a recent visit to Athens he decided to attend his father’s alma mater.

“When I decided not to go to Colorado State, I did it pretty quickly after I had returned from that visit,” Muschamp told Dawgs247.”I just realized what type of commitment it was to go away from home. I love the people, the coaches, and Colorado State. This decision had nothing to do with that. That is a special place.”

Muschamp is a three-star prospect who ranks as the 97th pro-style quarterback in his class.

He also has offers from Wofford, Middle Tennessee State, Samford and Western Carolina.

As a junior at Hammond High School, Muschamp threw for 3,062 yards and 34 touchdowns. This past season, he threw for over 2,000 yards and 29 touchdowns.

His father, Will, played collegiate football at UGA where he was teammates with current head coach Kirby Smart.

Smart and Muschamp remain close today, with Muschamp getting the best of Smart’s Bulldogs last season.

The two coaches previously spent time together as teammates in Athens and coaches at Valdosta State and LSU.

Ranking the top Georgia football wins of the decade: #7

UGA Wire ranks the top Georgia football wins of the decade: #7

In honor of the start of 2020 Wednesday, we decided to put together a list of the Top 10 Georgia football wins from the past decade.

We’ve given you the 2013 Georgia Tech game, the 2014 Clemson game and the 2017 Tennessee game, but now it’s time for No. 7 on our list.

This one seems to fly under the radar amongst the Bulldog faithful sometimes, but it’s still a good one. The 2013 South Carolina game is one of our favorites, with a signature Justin Scott-Wesley catch being the deciding factor in an awesome revenge game for the 2012 beatdown in Columbia.

Unfortunately, the season would not turn out as the Dawgs had hoped, but at the time, this game felt like everything for Georgia, after a tough season-opening loss at Clemson.

Let’s take a look:

A great day for the Dawgs!

Will Georgia finish with the No. 1 recruiting class?

These five star prospects can still get Georgia football to the No. 1 spot in the recruiting rankings.

With two 5-stars, 14 4-stars and three 3-stars, Georgia currently has the No. 4 recruiting class in the 2020 cycle.

After early signing day came and went, Georgia fans were pleased with the No. 4 class but still felt like there were some pieces missing.

That’s because of the high expectations that Kirby Smart has set during his time at Georgia, routinely landing top-three recruiting classes.

But then three names emerged as Georgia leans that have either silently signed or intend to do so during February’s signing day.

Georgia still has a great chance to land these three 5-star prospects, which could very well catapult the Dawgs to No. 1 in the rankings.

There’s running back Zach Evans, who is trending heavily to the Bulldogs.

Evans is a 5-star back out of Houston, Texas who ranks as the nation’s No. 14 overall prospect and No. 1 ball carrier in the 2020 class. 63% of 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predictions say Georgia.

If Evans does wind up a Bulldog, he will form a tandem with Kendall Milton,  another top back who ranks as the No. 6 player at the position.

“Evans is expected to commit on air during an all-star game,” wrote Dean Legge of DawgPost.

Darnell Washington is another name to keep an eye on.

He is a 5-star out of Las Vegas who is listed as an athlete but will play tight end in college. Currently, Georgia is the heavy favorite to land Washington, the No. 10 overall player in the country and No. 1 ranked athlete.

Tight end is a position that Georgia needs to fill before this class is wrapped up. As of now Georgia has no tight ends committed or signed to the program.

Washington is a 6-foot-7, 261 pound beast that will be a matchup nightmare at the collegiate level.

He is expected to announce his decision on January 2nd at the Under Armour All-America Game.

Kelee Ringo is a 5-star cornerback out of Scottsdale, Arizona and is currently another heavy Georgia lean. He plans to announce at the All-American Bowl on January 4th and it is not known whether or not he has already signed with a program. Ringo is the No. 8 overall player, No. 1 cornerback and No. 1 overall recruit in the state of Arizona.

Right now, Georgia has one cornerback signed for 2020, 4-star Jalen Kimber who ranks as the No. 127 player in the class.

Ringo is a player that will likely start from day one wherever he goes.

We mentioned 5-star defensive end Jordan Burch today as well. The No. 5 overall player out of Columbia, South Carolina committed to the Gamecocks on early signing day but has not actually signed yet.

His high school coach said that Burch wants to wait and sign with his teammates, however, since he is not signed yet that means Georgia can still contact him until he does. He’s a name to keep an aye on but I would not get too excited just yet.

5-star Georgia target never signed with rival; coach explains why

Georgia football 5-star target Jordan Burch committed but never signed with South Carolina and his head coach explains why.

On Early Signing Day, Georgia missed out on its biggest target, 5-star defensive Jordan Burch.

Burch committed to South Carolina, deciding to stick around in his hometown of Columbia.

He is the 5th ranked player in the country and the highest recruit the Gamecocks have reeled in since Jadeveon Clowney (#1) in 2011.

However, South Carolina fans will have to wait a bit longer before things become official with Burch, as he never signed his letter of intent during the early signing period (Wed-Fri) and plans on waiting.

Burch’s high school Erik Kimrey discussed his star playing not signing early, stating he wants to do so with his teammates.

“I think Jordan and (South Carolina verbal commit Alex Huntley) value signing with their teammates, and to me that’s a reason they decided not to sign early,” Kimrey told The Post and Courier in a story published on Saturday.

Kimrey did not indicate that Burch may be having second thoughts, but that will not stop Georgia coaches from reaching out to him and attempting to land the five-star before that first Wednesday in February.

Georgia Bulldogs football: ten best games of the decade

We take a look back at Georgia’s top ten games of the decade. The Bulldogs football team played in some classic games in the 2010s

Picking the ten best Georgia games of the decade is no easy task. The Bulldogs had many triumphs and their fair share of heart-breakers this decade. Georgia fans know the ups and downs of college football perhaps better than any other fan base.

The Bulldogs went 99-36 over this decade. The decade is split between the Mark Richt and Kirby Smart era. Smart went 43-12, while Richt went 56-24. The 2010s started with UGA’s first losing season since 1996: the ugly 6-7 2010 season. It’s been much better since then. Now, the team enters every season with college football playoff expectations.

I will only say it once: these are the best Georgia games of the decade, NOT the best Georgia wins. Unfortunately, Georgia has been on the losing side of some of these incredible games. They’ve won some barn-burners as well. Here we go:

10. September 28th, 2013: Georgia 44, LSU 41

The ninth-ranked Bulldogs knocked off the sixth-ranked LSU Tigers in Athens. The shoot out featured: Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, Aaron Murray, Chris Conley, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Jeremy Hill.

Aaron Murray led Georgia on a clutch drive with the Dawgs trailing and completed a touchdown to Justin Scott-Wesley with under two-minutes to play. Georgia’s defense stepped up and shut down LSU on their final drive of the game, including a clutch Leonard Floyd sack.

Sep 28, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Michael Bennett (82) celebrates a touchdown with wide receiver Justin Scott-Wesley (86) in the second half against the LSU Tigers at Sanford Stadium. Georgia won 44-41. Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

9. September 10th, 2011: South Carolina 45, Georgia 42

Jadeveon Clowney and the 12th-ranked Gamecocks knocked off the unranked Bulldogs 45-42 in Athens. The game featured a back and forth final quarter, where the teams combined to score 39 total points. South Carolina got the last laugh when Clowney strip sacked Aaron Murray to score a late touchdown.

Was this the peak version of South Carolina? They were quite stacked back then, when they had Clowney, Melvin Ingram, Alshon Jeffery, and Marcus Lattimore. I’d say they were better without Stephen Garcia at the helm. Connor Shaw was much more consistent than Garcia and didn’t turn the football over as much.

September 10, 2011; Athens, GA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks running back Marcus Lattimore (21) runs in for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. South Carolina beat Georgia 45-42. Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5