I was sad to hear about the passing of the legendary former coach and ESPN analyst Lou Holtz, a gigantic figure in college football.
He’ll be most remembered for his success at Notre Dame, but for me, I’ll think fondly about his time on ESPN’s late-night college football programming.
In the early 2000s, this show was appointment viewing. In a pre-social-media world, it seemed everyone was talking about what Holtz, and his counterpart, Mark May, were saying each week.
That niche in recent years has been filled by YouTube streamers — including our weekly DawgNation Postgame Show. There are large audiences thatenjoy tuning in to hear instant reaction to the games we all just saw, but in the early days on the internet, before livestreams were common, ESPN owned those audiences and Holtz was a huge part of it.
One of Holtz’s final moments in the spotlight was his feud with Ohio State coach Ryan Day when the Buckeyes played Notre Dame in 2023. Holtz had said that Ohio State wasn’t physical enough to beat his beloved Fighting Irish. As it turns out, Holtz’s prediction was incorrect. Ohio State won the game — which led to a bizarre postgame callout from Day toward Holtz.
It was the perfect reminder that even late in life Holtz still knew how to generate a reaction. And for that, he’ll be missed.
Check it out as well as the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
What did broadcaster Larry Munson proclaim was “falling out of the sky” after Georgia beat Auburn in 1982?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Incoming Georgia freshman could be either ‘Brock Bowers or a George Pickens’
George Pickens and Brock Bowers are two of the best pass catchers to play for Kirby Smart. The latter was a three-time All-American, while the former was a 5-star prospect who made a number of unreal catches.
Expecting an incoming player to live up to either of those former Georgia standouts is a big ask.
Yet, according to ESPN’s Craig Haubert and Billy Tucker, one of Georgia’s 2026 signees could follow in either of those footsteps.
That would be Kaiden Prothro, an AJC Super 11 selection.
“Prothro is a long, athletic, hybrid WR/TE and can be a seam and red zone target with the length to win jump balls,” Haubert and Tucker wrote of Prothro. “Whether he’s utilized more in a role like Brock Bowers or a George Pickens, Prothro has a rare blend of physical tools and can bring immediate playmaking potential regardless of position.”
Georgia would very much welcome Prothro turning out to be as good as either of those players. Both led the team in receiving in their respective seasons. Pickens caught 49 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019. Bowers brought in 56 passes for 856 yards and a school-record 13 touchdowns in 2021. Georgia won the national championship when the two shared the field together in 2021.
A lot has to go right for Prothro to put up those kind of numbers. Pickens missed most of the 2021 season because of a knee injury. In 2019, Georgia had to replace its top five wide receivers from the previous season.
UGA athletics daily recap
Wednesday, March 4:
Home:
- Baseball fell to Western Carolina 10-9.
- Softball beat Georgia State 9-1 in five innings.
Kirby Smart, Josh Heupel agree on 24-team playoff
Smart came out last week as a strong proponent of expanded playoffs, and Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has also jumped on board.
Smart explained the financial value a 24-team playoff would hold to collegiate athletic departments in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week, also noting how scheduling would benefit
“The 12-team playoff could affect rivalries out of conference — (like) a Florida-Miami, why play it?” Smart told the AJC last week.
“A Georgia-Miami or a Georgia-Florida State, with a 12-team playoff, we’ve seen it’s risky to play in those games and not get rewarded.”
Indeed, some of Smart’s most notable regular-season wins have come in nonconference showdowns against the likes of Notre Dame, Clemson and Oregon.
Heupel recently agreed with Smart’s assertion that a 24-team playoff might be the way to go in an interview with On3.
“The way college football is constantly changing, that probably makes the most sense,” Heupel said.
As Smart pointed out, the ferocity of the SEC schedule has led to schools canceling high-profile nonconference games, with UGA and Tennessee both dropping home-and-home series against Power 4 competition.
Photo of the day
Quote of the day
Former wide receiver Colbie Young on Gunner Stockton:
“He just wants to be better. He’s probably working right now at his craft, getting better. And they surrounded him by amazing talent like Talyn Taylor, C.J. Wiley, and Thomas Blackshear. They’re just going to keep getting better and better every year.”
Former teammates raise expectations for Gunner Stockton
Stockton was not in Indianapolis for this year’s NFL combine. The Georgia quarterback elected to return to school for another season, in hopes of helping his draft status come next season.
Yet the Georgia quarterback was still a popular topic of conversation at the event.
Former UGA wide receivers Dillon Bell and Young both raved about what comes next for the Georgia quarterback.
“You know, we were close to going to the national championship and I feel like with another year under his belt and the more confidence, that’s a scary Gunner,” Bell said.
Stockton exceed expectations in his first season as Georgia’s starting quarterback. He threw for 24 touchdowns while rushing for another 10. Stockton finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.
The season didn’t end the way Stockton and his teammates would’ve hoped, as the Bulldogs lost 39-34 to Ole Miss.
Trivia answer
Sugar
