Tag: Unc football news

Carolina Panthers hire former Georgia football assistant coach

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is reuniting with a former Georgia tight ends coach

North Carolina Tar Heels tight ends coach John Lilly is headed to the NFL. Lilly will be the tight ends coach for the Carolina Panthers under offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and head coach Frank Reich.

There have been a number of college football coaches bolting for the NFL this offseason, including former Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Why did Brown and Reich hire Lilly, a former Georgia tight ends coach? Lilly worked with Brown in Athens during the 2011 and 2015 football seasons.

Lilly coached at Georgia under head coach Mark Richt and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. He was the tight ends coach and offensive special teams coordinator from 2008-2015.

Former Georgia quarterback and current offensive coordinator Mike Bobo previously coached with John Lilly. (Online Athens)

In 2016, Lilly was the tight ends coach for the Los Angeles Rams. After taking 2017 off, Lilly joined Jeremy Pruitt’s staff in Knoxville as Tennessee’s executive assistant to head coach.

Lilly spent the 2019 football season as the tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns. However, he was not retained when the franchise fired Freddie Kitchens. He coached at UNC from 2020-2023.

During Lilly’s time with the Bulldogs, Georgia had several record-setting seasons: 72 touchdowns in 2012, 484.14 yards per game in 2013 and 41.3 points per game in 2014. All were the best marks in school history. Lilly served as the Bulldogs’ interim offensive coordinator during the 37-14 win over Louisville in the 2014 Belk Bowl and the 24-17 victory over Penn State in the 2016 Tax Slayer Bowl.

He coached tight ends Arthur Lynch, Orson Charles and Aron White during his time with Georgia. He guided Georgia’s punt unit, which featured Ray Guy Award winner Drew Butler.

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Kirk Herbstreit’s new top six rankings: UGA stays in top four

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit released his updated college football rankings following the Georgia versus Alabama game.

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit released his updated rankings of the top college football teams who have played so far this season. His top six excludes top teams like Ohio State and Penn State because they haven’t played. The Big Ten starts conference play next weekend.

Herbstreit ranks his College Football Playoff contenders after the Georgia Bulldogs fell 41-24 to the Alabama Crimson Tide in a top five matchup. Alabama looked impressive, as did Clemson, who absolutely dominated Georgia Tech. What else is new in college football?

Additionally, the Florida State Seminoles beat the UNC Tar Heels in an upset victory. UNC came into the game as one of the highest rated teams in the count.

Below is who Kirk Herbstreit puts in his top six rankings. He ranks the Georgia Bulldogs third now (remember no Pac-12 or Big Ten). He ranked UGA second and Bama third last week, so the Bulldogs did lose one spot.

It is hard to disagree with the top teams in Herbstreit’s rankings. The Clemson Tigers look strong and Alabama has an explosive offense. Ohio State will climb into the rankings as soon as they play.

Notre Dame, who Herbstreit ranks fourth, struggled in a one possession win over Louisville.

Texas A&M and BYU round out Herbstreit’s rankings. BYU seems overrated considering who it has played and how unimpressive they were in a seven point win over UTSA and considering their weak schedule. Texas A&M won by two touchdowns over Mississippi State.

Georgia is still clearly in the College Football Playoff hunt, but now can’t afford to lose another game.

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Kirk Herbstreit unveils his latest top six rankings

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit released his rankings of the top college football teams including UGA, Bama, Clemson, and more

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit released his rankings of the top college football teams who have played so far this season. His top six excludes top teams such as Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon because they haven’t played.

Herbstreit ranked his College Football Playoff contenders after the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 44-21 in this week’s top SEC matchup. The Texas A&M Aggies upset the Florida Gators as well. Now, there are only two undefeated teams left in the SEC.

Clemson knocked off Miami, Alabama beat Ole Miss in a shoot out, and UNC outscored Virginia Tech in notable action from the weekend.

Below is who Kirk Herbstreit puts in his top six rankings. He ranks the Georgia Bulldogs second (remember no Pac-12 or Big Ten). He rated UGA fourth last week, so this is an upgrade for the Dawgs.

It is hard to disagree with the top three teams in Herbstreit’s rankings. The Clemson Tigers look strong, Georgia may have the best defense in the country, and Alabama has an explosive offense. Georgia and Bama square off this week, so that will settle any debate of which team is superior.

Notre Dame, who Herbstreit ranks fourth, beat FSU in a win on Saturday. The Fighting Irish have a fairly easy schedule until they host Clemson. They will also play UNC in November.

UNC and BYU round out Herbstreit’s rankings. BYU seems overrated considering who it has played and how unimpressive they were in a seven point win over UTSA. The Cougars face a this Friday against Houston.

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4-star DT and Georgia recruiting target sets new commitment date

4-star DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, a Georgia football recruiting target, set a new commitment date.

Last week, 2021 four-star defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins released a top six of Georgia, North Carolina, Florida State, South Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee.

Prior to revealing his final group, the 6-foot-5-inch, 298-pounder tweeted that he would announce his decision on Sunday, May 17.

Shortly after, he decided he needed some more time to make this life-changing decision.

Ingram-Dawkins now has a new commitment date of June 26, which is his birthday.

“I’m committing June 26th, on my birthday,” Ingram-Dawkins said on Instagram Live.

247Sports has Ingram-Dawkins as the nation’s No. 17 ranked defensive tackle and as the top player in the state of South Carolina.

Per the composite rankings, he is considered the nation’s 408th overall player.

Per 247Sports, South Carolina is viewed as the leader for Ingram-Dawkins, with Georgia close behind.

But Ingram-Dawkins said he does not pay much attention to the crystal ball on his 247Sports player profile.

The crystal ball is their way of  projecting where a recruit will land by having  a few recruiting analysts make predictions for specific players.

Georgia offered him in January and got him on campus in early-March.

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Georgia recruiting target JJ Jones moves up decision date

JJ Jones, a Georgia football recruiting target, has moved up his decision date.

Earlier in May, 2021 four-star wide receiver JJ Jones announced his top five schools on Twitter.

North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Georgia made the cut for the Myrtle Beach High School prospect.

He had planned to announce his final decision on his birthday, August 5, but tweeted on Wednesday night that he will now be committing sometime next week.

Per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Jones ranks as the nation’s 68 wide receiver, No. 3 player in South Carolina and No. 417 overall player in America.

Right now, 247Sports sees North Carolina as the favorite to land Jones, with South Carolina in second place.

In 2019, as a junior, Jones caught 45 passes for 707 yards and 15 touchdowns while being named to the All-Region team and third-team All State.

 

4-star DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins delays commitment: Considering UGA, Vols, FSU, more

4-star DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has delayed his decision. He is considering Georgia football, South Carolina, UNC, Penn State, FSU and Vols.

On Monday, 2021 4-star defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins released a top-six of Georgia, North Carolina, Florida State, South Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee.

Shortly before revealing his final group, the 6-foot-5, 298 pounder announced that he would be announcing his decision on Sunday, May 17, at 3 p.m.

However, one day later, Ingram-Dawkins made a tweet saying that he’s decided to give his commitment “a little more thought.”

“I’ve decided to give my commitment a little more thought before making it on Sunday!!,” he said in a Tweet. “This is a life-changing decision that is very important to me!!”

247Sports has Ingram-Dawkins as the nation’s No. 17 ranked defensive tackle and as the top player in the state of South Carolina.

According to SportsTalkSC, Ingram-Dawkins will wait roughly 2-3 weeks.

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Report: UNC expected to hire longtime Georgia football assistant coach

UNC is expected to hire a former Georgia football assistant coach.

Per a report from Bruce Feldman of the Athletic, the North Carolina Tar Heels are expected to hire former Georgia tight end coach John Lilly to the same position in Chapel Hill.

Lilly, who spent eight seasons in Athens as the Dawgs’ tight ends coach and offensive special teams’ coordinator, left UGA in 2015.

In 2016, Lilly was the tight ends coach for the Los Angeles Rams. After taking 2017 off, Lilly joined Jeremy Pruitt’s staff in Knoxville as Tennessee’s Executive Assistant to Head Coach.

Most recently, Lilly spent the 2019 football season as the tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns and was not retained when the franchise fired Freddie Kitchens.

Lilly will take over at UNC for Tim Brewster, who left to become the tight ends coach at Florida.

Assistant coaches live a bit of a nomadic life, and for Lilly to have eight years in the Classic City was a treat for DawgNation.

During his time with the Bulldogs, Lilly was part of several record-setting seasons: 72 touchdowns in 2012, 484.14 yards per game in 2013 and 41.3 points per game in 2014. All were the best marks in school history. He served as the Bulldogs’ interim offensive coordinator during the 37-14 win over Louisville in the 2014 Belk Bowl and the 24-17 victory over Penn State in the 2016 Tax Slayer Bowl. Both Louisville and Penn State had top 15 nationally-ranked defenses.

He coached star tight ends Arthur Lynch, an All-SEC First Team honoree and fifth-round NFL draft pick; Orson Charles, a fourth-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals; and Aron White, the Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the 2009 Independence Bowl. He guided Georgia’s punt unit, which included Ray Guy Award winner Drew Butler.

Lilly brings a wealth of knowledge to Carolina and may possibly be a secret weapon for Heels. He is highly respected and has a knack for exploiting a defensive team’s weakness.