Morning, y’all!
One question a lot of us had entering this season: With Georgia losing so much talent at receiver, which player at that spot would step up?
Four games into the season, we’ve seen great moments from a handful of different receivers, but Talyn Taylor’s performance against Oklahoma definitely stands out.
The sophomore wide receiver had three receptions of 30-plus yards, and helped bring Georgia more of those explosive moments the Bulldogs are seeking.
He’s for sure a player to watch as Georgia continues its SEC slate with Vanderbilt this Saturday.
The second-year receiver maintains his confidence levels are unaffected by his breakout performance. He finished with a career-best 110 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Sooners.
“Definitely got to be short-minded about that type of thing,” Taylor said. “Can always improve on stuff like that, I always strive to be better. So that game, obviously, was a great game. But there’s stuff I could have worked on that game, stuff I could have done better, and there’s always room for improvement.”
It wasn’t just the yardage that Taylor racked up that made Saturday a breakthrough moment. It’s the way he did it.
His touchdown came on a play similar to that of the Alabama game from last year, which ended in a drop for Taylor.
“It felt good, it felt good to get that catch back,” Taylor said. “It was pretty similar to the exact same route, exact same play. So it was pretty good, getting that feeling back.”
Then in the fourth quarter, he followed it up with a spectacular one-handed catch. It didn’t matter that an Oklahoma defender was draped all over him on the play, as Georgia was able to decline a pass interference penalty because Taylor came down with a 41-yard reception.
“Gunner threw me a good ball,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to go make a play, and that’s what I did. O-line did a good job holding up, everybody, the tight ends did a good job holding up, O-line gave Gunner enough time to throw me the ball. So just got to go make a play.”
Read Connor Riley’s full story here.
Bobo: ‘It’s Gunner’s job’ to give Georgia even more explosive plays
Smart wanted an explosive Georgia offense, and to this point, Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and quarterback Gunner Stockton have delivered.
“We’re going to call shots and some of them we don’t get off or might have to scramble or go to a check down,” Bobo said in an exclusive interview with UGA’s NIL-incentivized website, “Glory, Glory” after the 41-13 win over Oklahoma Saturday.
“We had some advantageous looks there on Saturday and we were able to protect long enough to get the ball pushed downfield.”
The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring with 54.8 points per game, more than a point better than runner-up Florida (53.5), three points ahead of third-place Miami (51.8) and more than six points better than fourth-place Alabama (48.0).
Stockton is also second in the nation in passing efficiency — behind Miami QB Darian Mensah — despite not yet playing a complete game because of the comfortable leads Georgia has held in its wins.
The Bulldogs, who play host to Vanderbilt 12:45 p.m. Saturday, have taken care of business early in games, outscoring opponents 63-0 in the first quarter of games this season and 133-12 in the first halves.
Georgia is tied for ninth in the nation with five plays of 40 yards or more and tied for seventh in the country with three plays of 50 yards or more, and the Bulldogs’ two plays of 60 yards or more is also tied for seventh.
This, even though Taylor, arguably the fastest and most explosive wideout in the receiving corps, isn’t among the 50-yard catch-plus group — yet.
Read Mike Griffith’s full story here.
German DL Hanne had to beg his mom to play football. Now he’s a key piece for Georgia.
Like many on the Georgia team, JJ Hanne had a favorite football player growing up.
He just happened to play the European version of the sport.
“Jerome Boateng,” Hanne said with a smile when speaking to reporters on Monday.
Boateng, like Hanne, was born in Berlin, Germany. Boateng rose to prominence as a center back for Bayern Munich and the German national team during the 2010s. In addition to being a starter and defensive anchor on Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning squad, he also won the German league title in nine of his 10 seasons with the club.
He’s a winning player, something Hanne clearly is for the Georgia program.
Like so many in Germany, he grew up playing soccer. His first exposure with American football was as a cornerback. But it was never something Hanne was all that serious about, in part because of age requirements to play the game in Germany.
He also had to beg his mother to let him play.
“I just begged her, really, and then my brother came in and did the same thing for me,” Hanne said. “And then she asked me if I really wanted to do it, and I told her yes. And then she just made me promise that I would never quit. And I promised her that, so then she let me go.”
To play football, Hanne left Berlin and went all the way to California to better develop his game. He played for Santa Margarita Catholic School in Southern California.
In order to show his mother, who still lives in Germany, what his day-to-day looks like, he had her download Snapchat. While it’s not easy to teach your parents how to use social media, it’s just as difficult to not be able to have them watch you shine for one of the best teams in college football.
When Georgia beat TCU in Los Angeles to win the 2023 National Championship Game, Hanne had made up his mind that Georgia is where he wanted to play his college football. He’d have to continue to work hard and impress at camps to do so.
Read Connor’s full story here.
Trivia time
What was the score the last time Vanderbilt played in Athens?
AJC Varsity Crown: The Next Level
Join AJC Varsity on Oct. 13 at StillFire Brewery in Smyrna for coaching, toasting and celebrating the official kickoff of the inaugural year of AJC Varsity Crown.
Hear from industry experts (including DawgNation’s Brandon Adams, Jeff Sentell and Kaylee Mansell) during an engaging and timely discussion on college recruiting and the evolving path to the next level. Whether you’re a parent, coach, athletic director, student-athlete or passionate sports fan, you’ll gain valuable insights into the opportunities, trends, and challenges shaping high school athletics today.
Finally, in case you missed some major recruiting news yesterday:
No. 1 JUCO prospect commits to Georgia
Alius Mayo committed to Cal back on Aug. 2. The 4-star cornerback is rated the nation’s No. 1 overall junior college prospect by both 247Sports and Rivals.
The Modesto College star took a surprise official visit to UGA last weekend for the Oklahoma game.
There’s an even bigger surprise: Mayo, fresh off that visit, has just announced his commitment to Georgia.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder has elite size for a corner and he fills a need for the Dawgs at cornerback in this class. While the Dawgs are now heavily recruiting 3-star Auburn pledge Nash Johnson, they still lacked a cornerback commit in this class.
Well, until Mayo saw the Dawgs demolish Oklahoma on Saturday. Georgia cornerbacks coach Donte’ Williams relied on relationships and his longstanding California connections here.
“Really loved the trip,” Mayo said. “But coach Donte’ really showed the path he has for me at Georgia to come in and play right away. My agent and I have a good relationship with him, so I trust him.”
Smart also loomed large here.
“Coach Smart played a super role, having someone who produces top talent and players every year and him saying to me I’m bringing you in to come play right now.
“It was all I needed to hear.”
It doesn’t get mentioned much in stories yet, but the cornerback spot will be vital for the Dawgs in 2027. Ellis Robinson is highly likely to head to the NFL as a first-round pick after this season.
Read Jeff Sentell’s full story here.
Trivia answer
A 55-0 Georgia win in 2022
