Former Georgia football running back lands with the New England Patriots as their passing game coordinator
The New England Patriots are hiring former Chicago Bears interim head coach and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown to be their offensive passing game coordinator and tight ends coach. Brown, a former Georgia Bulldogs running back, served as Chicago’s interim coach after the Bears fired Matt Eberflus.
The Patriots have a promising young roster, a lot of cap space and NFL draft capital this season, so Brown is landing in a desirable spot. The Bears decided not to retain Brown and multiple other coaches after hiring former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach.
Brown was a top candidate and interviewed with the Seattle Seahawks for their offensive coordinator role, but the Seahawks ended up hiring New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for the same role in Seattle.
The Bears initially hired Brown as their passing game coordinator and promoted him to be their offensive coordinator after they fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Now, he will hold a similar role for the Patriots under first-year New England head coach Mike Vrabel.
Brown was the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2023. He was the Panthers’ play-caller for a portion (mostly the second half of the season) of Carolina’s brutal 2-15 season.
Brown also previous served as an offensive assistant with the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay before coming to Carolina and Chicago. He is highly respected around the NFL. Brown rushed for 2,646 yards and 23 touchdowns in his Georgia career from 2004-2007.
Georgia’s former offensive playcaller inks an extension with the Baltimore Ravens after having several head coach interviews
Former Georgia Bulldogs offensive coordinator Todd Monken is signing an extension with the Baltimore Ravens, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Monken will continue to lead one of the most impressive offenses in the NFL.
Monken was the Georgia offensive coordinator for one of the most impressive stretches of UGA football history. He was the playcaller of the back-to-back national champions, leading the ninth best scoring offense in 2021 and the fifth best scoring offense in 2022. He helped develop Georgia legends such as Brock Bowers, Stetson Bennett, and Ladd McConkey.
That success translated over to the NFL. Ever since the Ravens hired him in 2023, their offense has ranked top five in points per game and points per drive. The Ravens boast one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the NFL with Lamar Jackson playing at an MVP level and Derrick Henry almost running for 2,000 yards.
His success with the Ravens earned him head coaching interviews. The Jaguars and Bears were considering him, but neither hired Monken and Baltimore will get to keep their talented play-caller.
Georgia’s starting left tackle undergoes surgery for shoulder injury.
Georgia Bulldogs projected starting left tackle Monroe Freeling underwent surgery on his shoulder, according to DawgsHQ. He is expected to be at full strength by the time the 2025 season starts, but his availability for spring practice is questionable.
Freeling is projected to be the starting left tackle after starting five games in 2023, and with the four other starters leaving for the NFL draft, Freeling is expected to be a mainstay and provide stability.
Freeling joined Georgia as a four-star recruit from the class of 2023. It’s impressive to see Freeling start for Georgia as an underclassmen. Freeling struggled in a few games, most notably against Notre Dame.
Injuries were a significant issue for Georgia’s offensive line in 2024 with Tate Ratledge suffering an ankle injury and Earnest Greene III suffering an upper body injury. The latter injury allowed Freeling to earn the starting left tackle spot.
Georgia could look from within or potentially look for a transfer portal addition along the offensive line after losing so many starters this offseason. The Bulldogs are looking for their 2025 offensive line to gel together as a unit this spring.
Georgia vs. Georgia Tech takes place on Black Friday again. This time at a neutral site
The Georgia-Georgia Tech game will be played on Friday, Nov. 28 in 2025. The game will be played on Friday just like in 2024. The ACC announced the news as a part of the ACC Huddle Show.
This comes along with the accompanying news that the game will be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia, as opposed to Bobby Dodd Stadium in 2025.
Georgia has won seven straight games against Georgia Tech and has not lost to the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta since 1999.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium will witness another episode of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. The last game took place in Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, where the Bulldogs rallied from down 17 against the Yellow Jackets to win 44-42 in an eight overtime thriller.
Georgia has played a game in Mercedes-Benz every year since the stadium opened in 2017. Most of those games were SEC championships, but the Bulldogs also played Alabama in the 2017-2018 national championship, Oregon in 2022 and Clemson in 2024 at Mercedes-Benz for the Bulldogs’ season opener.
Overall, Georgia has a 7-5 record in Mercedes-Benz. Four of those five losses are against Alabama, including the national championship.
More information on all the seven Georgia Bulldogs participating in the Senior Bowl.
The Senior Bowl is set to take place on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. In the Senior Bowl, several Georgia Bulldogs are looking to improve their draft stock.
The Georgia Bulldogs have seven players that accepted Senior Bowl invitations, which is the second most of any college football team besides the Oregon Ducks.
Who are all of the UGA players that accepted Senior Bowl invitations:
Safety Dan Jackson
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The hard-hitting safety accepted his Senior Bowl invite on Jan. 18th. Jackson started his career with Georgia in 2019. In his first two years, he was a member of the scout team, but he emerged as a rotational secondary piece in 2021-23.
In 2024, he earned the starting strong safety job, totaling 64 sacks, three passes deflected, a forced fumble, and two interceptions. He earned himself a third-team All-SEC honors as a result.
Defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
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Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins surprisingly declared for the NFL draft. Starting in 2022, he earned significant snaps as a rotation edge rusher and defensive end, sometimes even starting.
In his career, he racked up 39 tackles, three passes deflected, four sacks and two forced fumbles. His biggest game was against Kentucky in 2024, when he had a sack and five pressures.
Linebacker Smael Mondon
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
In his first season with the Bulldogs (2021), Mondon was the reserve defender and player on kick return coverage units. In 2022, he became a full-time starter at linebacker. He had his best stretch of linebacker play during Georgia’s postseason run, where he totaled 18 tackles, a sack, and an interception.
Mondon has battled through injuries in the past, but when healthy, he is a quality linebacker with three years of starting experience and a knack for rushing the quarterback. He is projected to be a fourth-round draft pick.
Offensive guard Tate Ratledge
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Ratledge has been a starting guard for the Bulldogs since 2021, and he’s built up quite the resume with the Bulldogs. In three seasons starting, he earned two All-American nominations, earned the Coaches’ First-Team All SEC selection in 2024 despite only playing in nine games.
Ratledge is projected to be a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Note: Ratledge is no longer on the Senior Bowl roster
Center Jared Wilson
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Jared Wilson is a little more inexperienced than Ratledge, but he was still one of the standout linemen for Georgia in 2023 and 2024. Entering Week 14, he was the highest graded center in the Power Four in 2024, allowing zero sacks. Wilson is projected to be a fourth-round pick.
Note: Wilson is no longer on the Senior Bowl roster
Running back Trevor Etienne
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Etienne, along with Ingram-Dawkins, was another surprise inclusion in the Senior Bowl due to previous reports of him staying at Georgia. Regardless, Etienne was a great downhill runner with both Florida and Georgia.
Arian Smith, who was Georgia’s leading receiver in 2024, has been a Bulldog since 2020. Because of the COVID year, Smith had one more year of eligibility, but he decided to forgo it to enter the draft.
Smith earned snaps starting his freshman year, but he never evolved into a starting wide receiver until 2024. As senior, he totaled 817 yards on 48 receptions. Despite struggling with drops, he was a great route runner and the premier deep threat with Georgia.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman, who is a former Georgia Bulldog, leads NFL with four postseason sacks
Former Georgia Bulldog Nolan Smith Jr. is having a playoff run for the ages with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s earned himself a sack every game and after recording a sack against the Washington Commanders, he’s now the leader in postseason sacks, with four.
Philadelphia drafted Smith Jr. in the 2023 NFL draft, the same draft as former Bulldogs Jalen Carter, Nakobe Dean, and Kelee Ringo. In 2023, he didn’t start a game for the Eagles and only attained one sack. This season, he became a starter and posted 6 1/2 sacks, eight tackles for loss, and 11 tackles for loss.
Smith Jr. is three sacks away from passing LaMarr Woodley, Michael McCrary, and Richard Dent for the most in a postseason run ever.
Philadelphia has used contributions from a lot of former Georgia Bulldogs in their run to the Super Bowl. The Eagles lost Nakobe Dean for the season after their win over the Packers, but players like All-Pro Jalen Carter and defensive tackle Jordan Davis have made the Eagles defense one of the NFL’s best.
UGA’s returning sack leader undergoes surgery. Georgia football is losing over 75% of its 2024 sack production
Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Gabe Harris has recently undergone surgery according to UGASports. Harris posted a picture via social media with his left arm in a sling.
Harris is Georgia’s returning leader in sack production, which is a bit shocking because he recorded just two sacks in 2024. However, seven of Georgia’s eight leader sack producers from 2024 have left via the NFL draft or transfer portal.
Harris, who recorded 14 tackles in 2024, is expected to be one of Georgia’s top defensive linemen/outside linebackers in 2025. Harris played with a brace around his left shoulder for the later part of the 2024 college football season.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound defender will likely miss time this spring. The Bulldogs need some young players to step up in their defensive line room considering all the experience and production that UGA is losing. Georgia returns just 21.6% of its sack production (eight of 37 sacks) from 2024. The Bulldogs are counting on Harris in 2025, so his recovery is one to keep an eye on.
Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling and tight end Colton Heinrich also underwent surgery. It is typical for numerous UGA players to have surgery following the end of the season.
Former UGA football QB Stetson Bennett still has the No. 1 national championship performance in the CFP era
Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett still has the highest graded national championship game performance according to Pro Football Focus.
Bennett completed 18 of 25 passes for 304 passing yards and threw four touchdowns and no interceptions in Georgia’s dominant 65-7 national title win over TCU. Bennett also added 39 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on three carries.
Bennett finished the national championship with a QBR of 99.5. No other quarterback has a highest QBR against a Power Four opponent (includes regular and postseason) over the past three seasons.
PFF graded Bennett’s national championship performance as 94.1, which is significantly higher than any other quarterback.
Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota posted a grade of 90.8 in 2014, which is the second-best mark. LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow has the third-best grade in a national title game at 90.6 in 2019. Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard recorded a 88.6 grade in the Buckeyes’ recent national title win over Notre Dame.
Bennett’s national championship performance against TCU was one for the ages and any other quarterback will have a hard time topping his QBR grade or PFF grade any time soon.
Of course, Bennett’s first national championship victory against Alabama did not have as high of a grade, but that doesn’t matter to Bennett or Georgia fans. What matters is that UGA won two national championships.
Barney is a four-star cornerback from the class of 2026. He’s currently playing for the Carrollton Trojans from Carrollton, Georgia, with elite recruit Ryan Mosley, who was predicted to sign with the Georgia Bulldogs. He originally committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide on May 19, but he decommitted on Nov. 10.
Barney is ranked as the No. 76 prospect in the nation, the No. 7 cornerback, and the No. 8 prospect from Georgia, per 247Sports.
Georgia has only four committed recruits in the 2026 class. On offense, the Bulldogs have commitments from wide receiver Vance Spafford and tight end Lincoln Keyes. On defense, cornerback Jontavius Wyman and junior college defensive tackle prospect Seven Cloud have committed to UGA. The Dawgs’ 2026 class is ranked 14th in the nation.
ESPN’s top 100 CFB players of 2024 features three Georgia Bulldogs
ESPN released their rankings of the top 100 players from the 2024 college football season. Out of the top 100 players, three Georgia Bulldogs made the list.
Georgia won the 2024 SEC championship, but lost to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl to end their College Football Playoff run.
Here is how the Georgia Bulldogs ranked
Tate Ratledge, No. 40
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It speaks to how dominant Ratledge was in 2024 that he made the list despite playing in just 10 games. Ratledge had tightrope surgery on an ankle injury he suffered during the Kentucky game.
Throughout the 2024 season, he only allowed one sack and four hurries, with a 74.7 PFF grade. Ratledge is projected to be a second round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Malaki Starks, No. 29
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Starks had a stellar final season with the Georgia Bulldogs. Outside of a tough performance in the Alabama game, Starks was a major presence on the Georgia defense.
Walker didn’t crack the starting lineup until his third season with Georgia, but boy, did he make up for lost time. He became the best pass rusher for Georgia, leading the team in 6.5 sacks, along with 38 tackles. His biggest game was against Texas on Oct. 19, where he racked up three sacks in the first half.
Walker was a Swiss-army knife with the Georgia defense. He’s gotten comparisons to Micah Parsons, and he’s projected to be a near top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
