Tag: uga football rumors

UGA football player card: WR Dominick Blaylock

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Dominick Blaylock had a solid freshman season in 2019 before tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship Game.

Dominick Blaylock, Wide Receiver (#8):

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195 pounds

Hometown: Marietta, Georgia

High School: Walton High School

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Dominick Blaylock had a solid freshman season in 2019 before tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship Game against LSU. He played in 12 of 14 games and caught 18 passes for 310 yards and five touchdowns.

His biggest play of the season was his 51 yard touchdown catch at Auburn. The Tigers had a very stingy defense in 2019, but that didn’t stop Blaylock from getting the Dawgs on the scoreboard first.

Blaylock came to Athens as a touted four or five-star recruit (depends on the recruiting service) and didn’t disappoint. He’d certainly benefit from a delayed start to the 2020 season.

Should the season kick-off on time, then it is not out of the question for Blaylock to make a return for the opener. Clemson WR Amari Rodgers tore his ACL last spring (March 25th) and went on to play in Clemson’s second game against Texas A&M.

If healthy, Blaylock projects to start for UGA from the slot with George Pickens manning an outside receiver spot. Check out his huge plays from last season:

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UGA football player card: DL Julian Rochester

Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Julian Rochester will bring lots of experience back to UGA’s defensive front in 2020

Julian Rochester (#5):

Class: Senior

Height: 6-5

Weight: 300 pounds

Hometown: Mableton, Georgia

High School: McEachern High School

Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Julian Rochester will bring lots of experience back to UGA’s defensive front in 2020. Rochester, who was a senior during 2019, redshirted last season.

Why did Rochester redshirt as a senior? He underwent ACL surgery in the offseason of 2019 and amid his slow recovery, both he and Kirby Smart decided it’d be best for him to redshirt. Georgia’s defensive line didn’t suffer  as a result (zero RB rushing touchdowns allowed) and will return a key veteran lineman in Rochester for the 2020 season.

Rochester appeared in four games in 2019: Tennessee, Florida, Baylor, and LSU. He recorded eight stops in his shortened season.

Rochester played in at least twelve games in every season before 2019. In previous seasons, Rochester averaged nearly 30 tackles per season and contributed at least one sack. He came to Athens as a four-star recruit and is now looking to close at his career with another shot at a championship.

Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Julian Rochester celebrates after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game. Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

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UGA football player card: WR Matt Landers

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers will look to provide a red zone threat for the Dawgs in 2020.

Matt Landers, Wide Receiver (#5):

Class: Junior

Height: 6-5

Weight: 200 pounds

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida

High School: St. Petersburg High School

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers had an up and down season in 2019.  Landers and Tommy Bush are Georgia’s two tallest wide receivers. Will one of them be able to step up and help replace Lawrence Cager’s ability to win jump balls?

Georgia could use another red zone threat in 2020. George Pickens is expected to be a star next season, but he can’t do it all on his own. Plenty of wide receivers will have chance to step up from UGA. Landers has the size to be a red zone mismatch.

Landers came to Athens as a three-star recruit, but don’t rule him out in the wide receiver competition. He is an excellent blocker and will contribute to the team. Improved consistency would go a long way for Landers.

He saved his best for last against the Baylor Bears in the Sugar Bowl. Landers caught three passes for 25 yards and scored this sweet touchdown:

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Georgia Bulldogs player card: OLB Nolan Smith

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker/defensive end Nolan Smith came to Athens as an elite five-star prospect from IMG Academy.

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Nolan Smith Outside Linebacker (#4):

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6-3

Weight: 235 pounds

Hometown: Savannah, Georgia

High School: IMG Academy

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker/defensive end Nolan Smith came to Athens as an elite five-star prospect. He was the nation’s top prospect according to some sites. He played both defensive line and running back in high school (he transferred to IMG Academy for his senior season)

Smith saw a bunch of playing time as a freshman. He played in all 14 games and was around the quarterback a lot (15 pressures), but only converted those pressures into 2.5 sacks. Look for Smith to have a breakout season as a sophomore, even though he made a big impact as a freshman and was arguably UGA’s best pass-rusher.

Smith helped Georgia have the number one scoring defense and the nation’s top run defense in 2019. Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning and the Bulldog defense should be elite once again in 2020.

Jan 1, 2020; New Orleans: Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nolan Smith tackles Baylor Bears quarterback Jacob Zeno in the Sugar Bowl. Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

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UGA linebacker no longer in NCAA’s transfer portal

Talented Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker and redshirt sophomore Robert Beal in no longer in the NCAA’s transfer portal.

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker Robert Beal Jr. in no longer in the NCAA’s transfer portal. Beal, who put his name into the portal, is electing to stay in Athens. Beal practiced with UGA before the Sugar Bowl against Baylor.

Beal, a redshirt sophomore, will be a junior next season. It’s understandable for Beal, who saw much less playing time in 2019. After playing in eleven games in 2018 as a freshman, Beal played in only four this season. He had an offseason incident and UGA added ultra-talented freshman Nolan Smith, so he didn’t see the field as much.

Beal was considered a four/five-star prospect entering Athens. He’ll continue to fight for playing time in Georgia’s talented core of linebackers. UGA is returning several defenders, who were considering entering the 2020 NFL Draft. Dan Lanning will prepare the Dawgs for another excellent season on  that side of the ball.

Beal will give Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs a boost to their depth at linebacker and edge rusher. Beal ending up not playing in the Sugar Bowl, but as an experienced defender, he can step in at any time and there will be little if any drop off.

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