ATHENS — Playing in heat is nothing new for Georgia linebacker Justin Williams.
He’s a native of Conroe, Texas and arrived at Georgia knowing what it’s like to practice under the intense August sun.
At least he thought he did.
“I used to think Texas heat was a lot hotter, but now that I’ve been in Georgia for three years now, I lied,” Williams said on Monday. “Georgia’s definitely hotter for sure, and it’s a different thing here. It’s a different thing.”
It’s been a hotter-than-usual August in Athens and that will carry over into Georgia’s first game on Saturday. The predicted high for Saturday’s opener against Tennessee State is 96 degrees, according to accuweather.com. The game is set for a 3 p.m. ET start.
Last year’s season-opener, against Marshall on Aug. 30, had a high of 86 degrees.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart expects the heat to be a factor this coming Saturday. Not just for his well-conditioned team but for those in the stands as well.
“I’ll be interested to see as much about as our players as I do our fans. Let’s see if they can handle it. See if you guys can handle it,” Smart said. “You can get out of that air conditioning and be right here with us. See if y’all can handle 110 heat index and go up and down the field with 25 pounds of pads on. Think you’ll be all right? You wear all the equipment,
“I’ll give it to you. I’ll put your a** out there. You’ll be like these pro players coming back. Just slower. And older.”
Smart added that he won’t be adding anyone to the Georgia roster, as the Bulldogs are right at the 105-man roster limit.
Those players have been going through fall camp, one Smart admitted was hotter than usual.
He’s seen his team work through roughly 20 practices ahead of the 2026 season, in addition to the 15 Georgia had this spring.
“We measure all the outside ones against previous camps,” Smart said. “It stood out as probably the hottest camp we’ve had. I always worry about our players being acclimated to a game type atmosphere in that heat because you don’t play games a lot of times in it. We practiced in it. We did get to scrimmage in it.”
If Smart’s players are to be believed, what they went through over the past month was more difficult than what awaits them on Saturday. Especially when factoring in the competition, as Tennessee State plays at the FCS level.
“Conditioning here is rough,” Frazier said. “It’s 100 degrees, it’s humid, you’re in 12 pounds of pads. One thing I can tell you about Georgia football practice, you would never be in shape for a Georgia football practice. Coach Smart and our coaches, they’re gonna find a way to make it difficult every single day. And you’re just gonna have to face it, but it helps you, it helps you in the long run. The practices we have here is 100 times harder than the game.”
The Tigers do have one advantage over Georgia in that they’ve already played a game this season. Tennessee State lost to Jackson State this past weekend, 26-24. That game was played in Nashville.
Even with the heat being a factor, Smart and the Georgia team know there are only so many Georgia football Saturdays in Athens.
They’re looking forward to getting out there and playing somebody other than themselves.
Even if there is nothing that can be done about the sun.
“I know our players are ready to play someone other than beating up on ourselves in practice. Guys are excited,” Smart said. “I know the fans are excited. I’m excited for this team to go out and play their first game. We’ve got to play somebody else to get better.”
