Total confession... I’m writing our newsletter intro prior to Georgia’s NCAA Tournament game against Saint Louis. So as I’m typing, I’m equally curious about whether UGA will win and whether I’ll be able to stay awake to see the end. However, there will be plenty of coverage from the site of the game in Buffalo, N.Y. from our Connor Riley, so I hope you’ll check it out.
And with Connor on the road for basketball, Jeff Sentell stepped in to cover an open viewing period for Georgia football on Thursday. Unsurprisingly, Jeff had a number of intriguing observations -- including some extra attention for wide receiver Talyn Taylor from Kirby Smart.
Smart has said that he wants his Bulldogs offense to be more explosive this fall, and the details shared from Thursday’s practice give us a glimpse at how Georgia might accomplish that goal.
In conclusion, best of luck to other UGA teams in action this weekend -- including the Lady Dawgs, which will have a first-round game in the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday against the winner of a play-in game between Virginia and Arizona State. And last but certainly not least, after a thrilling series win last week against Tennessee, the Diamond Dawgs travel to Texas A&M for their second SEC series of the season.
Enjoy the weekend, and check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
When is the last time Georgia women’s basketball advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Blue caps and new jersey numbers dominate spring viewing
The gates swung wide and there were 20 minutes on the clock to watch Georgia’s second spring football practice on Thursday afternoon.
With at least half of the UGA beat away covering March Madness in Buffalo, that was a generous allotment of spring practice viewing.
The first memorable images from the session were the blue caps. DawgNation and other media members spotted four Bulldogs that had already earned the blue Guardian cap seal of approval.
That signifies the fire, passion and energy that the program looks for. In short, those are the Dawgs that are setting forth every day according to the Georgia standard.
There were four caps. The first three went to veterans. That was LB Terrell Foster, WR London Humphreys and LB Raylen Wilson. Humphreys and Wilson were obvious, given the plays they’ve made and their roles as team spokesmen last season.
Foster is a little less obvious. The Georgia native came to UGA as a preferred walk-on LB but has hung around. Even when he’s been good enough to start for a few SEC teams over the last two seasons.
The fourth might have been a surprise to anyone who didn’t see how much “FPE” he had in high school. Redshirt freshman TE Ethan Barbour was the fourth blue cap on the Woodfuff practice fields today.
When those lids were spotted, it wasn’t long before Smart started entertaining on the mic. It is a rite of spring, after all.
UGA athletics daily schedule
Thursday, March 19
- Men’s tennis: travels to Ole Miss at 4 p.m.
- Softball: hosts Mississippi State at 6 p.m.
- Baseball: travels to Texas A&M at 7 p.m.
Oscar Delp isn’t letting a ‘shocking’ foot injury slow down NFL hopes
No one had more to prove at Georgia’s pro day than tight end Oscar Delp.
The former Georgia standout knows teams have labeled him as a blocking tight end given how the Bulldogs used him during his career.
“I’m a dude that can play anywhere and, you know, help a team out anywhere they need me,” Delp said. “So to be able to come out here today and run fast and show that I can bend and run routes and be a versatile player with the ball in my hands and do things like that.”
Delp did just that during his workout. Scouts on hand clocked Delp from anywhere from 4.44 to 4.49 in the 40-yard dash. He had a 10-foot broad jump and a 38-inch vertical jump. His 40 time and vertical jump both would’ve ranked in the top five of tight ends at the combine.
Photo of the day
Quote of the day
Delp on his injury:
“I take pride in that I feel like I’m a tough guy, you know being at Georgia for four years. I’ve never missed a practice or a game as a tight end. So to miss that was definitely disappointing just feeling like I was prepared to run to Indianapolis, but you know, the only thing I do is just look forward to the day and you know do what I could do today.”
Georgia announces start time, ticket information for G-Day
Georgia will have its annual spring game to conclude spring practices on April 18.
The school announced on Thursday that the annual spring scrimmage would begin at 1 p.m. ET. Tickets for the general public go on sale on March 30 and will be $10.
The school announced that the spring game will not be televised. Last year’s spring game was also not televised.
Smart was asked about the format for G-Day during Tuesday’s news conference.
“G-Day, will stay similar, assuming (health),” Smart said. “It’s a long way off but assuming that we’re healthy and we have the number of guys we need to be able to play, G-Day would be a very similar format.”
Georgia held its first of 15 practices on Tuesday.
Trivia answer
2022 — its last appearance
