The upcoming week is going to be a big one for DawgNation.
First of all, I couldn’t be more excited to be back at Sanford Stadium on Saturday for G-Day. I’m expecting quite a show as we get a glimpse of what Georgia could look like in 2026.
This is especially true given what the former UGA outside linebacker Davin Bellamy told us Wednesday on “DawgNation Daily” about what he’s hearing about second-year wide receiver Talyn Taylor. It sounds like there’s growing belief within the program that Taylor could be special. We’ll undoubtedly be searching for evidence to confirm those thoughts as we watch on Saturday.
And then, the day after G-Day, we’ll once again have the privilege of heading down to Port Canaveral, Florida, for our DawgNation Cruise with hundreds of other UGA fans who will be traveling with us.
It’s truly a special time for me. I love sharing some much-needed rest and relaxation with fellow Dawg fans. My only wish is that you could all be on board with us.
Either way, I hope you’ll stay close to DawgNation this weekend for all of our coverage of G-Day, and I hope you’ll check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
What was quarterback Jake Fromm’s first start for Georgia?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Todd Monken discusses Stetson Bennett
Todd Monken and Stetson Bennett led Georgia to back-to-back national championships during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
But that almost never happened had Bennett not persevered during his time in Athens.
In speaking with Kevin Clark of ESPN on the “This is Football” podcast, Monken called Bennett the most underrated player he’s ever worked with.
The former Georgia offensive coordinator, who is now the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, praised Bennett for how he kept improving throughout his college career.
Even if Monken was dismissive of Bennett at the start.
“He gets all the credit. He gets all the credit,” Monken said. “I mean, I tried everything I could early in his career to not play him. For a number of reasons. Some he has to own, but some I have to own, but ultimately he just kept competing.
“Nobody believed in him more than Kirby Smart. And he got better and better and better.”
UGA athletics daily schedule
Friday, April 17:
- Men’s tennis vs. LSU in SEC Tournament: 3 p.m.
- Baseball at Arkansas: 7 p.m.
- Women’s tennis vs. Texas in SEC Tournament: 7 p.m.
Virginia 4-star previews official visit
Carter Jones will be one of two Georgia football official visitors this weekend. DawgNation profiled 3-star Colorado IOL Reis Russell earlier this week.
The Dawgs will be getting Jones’ second official visit. The 4-star IOL was at Penn State last weekend. He’s got future OVs stacked up with Clemson and Tennessee.
The chances of Georgia eventually signing Jones will hinge on about 55 key hours he will have spent in Athens of late. He will spend 48 hours in the Classic City on this OV. There’s also a day trip he took to UGA back in March that clearly heightened his interest in the program.
“That was my fourth visit to Georgia and the one thing that really impressed me was just getting to sit down and talk with (offensive line) coach (Phil) Rauscher,” Jones said. “We talked about where he’s at and the type of development I’d have at Georgia and where he sees me fitting in with the O-line. So both of our values really aligned well together.”
“Another thing that really impressed me was getting to go in Coach Smart’s office and getting to talk with him for about 45 minutes. The basis of that conversation was just that ‘we want you’ here at Georgia. He said ‘We want people like you who are pretty aggressive’ and he sees me as someone who would fit in with their O-line.”
The perception nationally is that Clemson stands as the team to beat, but there’s a trend to note here. The Dawgs have gained some ground over the last month.
“Georgia has definitely gotten a lot of traction since the visit in March,” Jones said. “I’m really looking forward to getting on to my fifth visit there.”
Photo of the day
Quote of the day
Monken on Bennett:
“Like the first year we won the national championship in ’21, we won with him,” Monken said. “He had his moments at ’22. We won it because of him.
“We won the national championship because of Stetson Bennett.”
As Georgia wraps up spring practice, here’s who stood out at every position
Georgia will wrap up its 15 spring practices Saturday with G-Day, which is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
Plenty will be made of how Georgia looks between the hedges in Sanford Stadium. But Saturday is one of just 15 practices of the spring.
What takes place on Saturday shouldn’t outweigh what happened in the prior 14 practices. Players have been working all spring to better themselves, in hopes of improving their standing come the fall.
With that in mind, we’ve identified someone at every position who has found a way to stand out positively thus far. Being listed below doesn’t ensure they’ll have a big performance on Saturday or even come the season. They’ll still need to put in the work over the summer and in fall camp to position themselves as contributors in 2026.
Use the link below to read more.
Trivia answer
2017 at Notre Dame
