Morning, y’all!
One of the things the DawgNation team was most curious about coming out of last weekend? The status of Tyriq Green.
Green had an awesome game against Western Kentucky, with a defensive touchdown and kickoff returned for a touchdown, but at the very end of the game had his leg rolled up on by teammate Bo Walker and needed help leaving the field.
We heard from Georgia coach Kirby Smart, junior tight end Jaden Reddell and senior safety Khalil Barnes Monday.
We’ll get into plenty on Georgia’s SEC opener in Arkansas this Saturday, but Smart unfortunately didn’t have much of an update for us yet on the Green front:
Monday, Smart shared that the Bulldogs are still waiting for full results on Green’s status.
“T-Green, we’re finding more and more out on,” Smart said. “We’ll see what the deal is with him as the week goes if he’s able to play or not.”
Green’s first touchdown against WKU came when he recovered a fumble by defensive back Blake Stewart after coming down with an interception in the third quarter.
“He’s been doing that ever since he got here to Georgia,” cornerback Ellis Robinson said. “Just seeing him make plays out there on the field, it’s not a shocker at all. That’s what he does.”
In the fourth quarter, Green returned a kickoff return for a touchdown – the 91-yard return was Georgia’s first kickoff return since a 2016 game against South Carolina.
Green, the AJC’s All-Class Player of the Year last season, was a standout for the Bulldogs during spring practice. He came down with an interception at cornerback in Georgia’s spring game.
Georgia has an experienced secondary in front of Green. The Bulldogs again started KJ Bolden, Kyron Jones and Khalil Barnes at safety and star, respectively. Rasean Dinkins was the first safety off the bench on Saturday.
Georgia was also without second-year wide receiver Thomas Blackshear, as he is dealing with a wrist injury. The Bulldogs were once again without outside linebackers Chase Linton and Amaris Williams.
Their absence puts more on the plate of freshmen Khamari Brooks and PJ Dean.
Read Connor Riley’s full story here.
Smart brushes off prior verbal jab from Silverfield
Saturday will be the first time Smart coaches against Arkansas head coach Ryan Silverfield.
But it is not the first interaction between the two SEC coaches.
When Silverfield was at Memphis last season, he took a public swipe at Smart and the Georgia program while speaking in a radio interview.
“Generally, on a Sunday afternoon when we meet with the team, we do two things,” Silverfield said last September. “We always start off with not our standard, always start out with a negative. And the not our standard is ‘Georgia wide receiver arrested for driving 900 miles per hour over the speed limit.’ That’s a weekly occurrence. So, that’s one we’ll show.”
Georgia has had a number of driving-related arrests in recent years dating back to the end of the 2022 season. Shortly after Georgia won the national championship, offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy died in a car accident in the hours after the team’s championship celebration in Athens.
Georgia has had three players arrested on driving-related offenses in 2026.
At SEC media days in July, Silverfield did share that he had reached out to Smart after the Arkansas coach made those remarks in 2025.
“When it happened, listen, I’ve got the deep, most respect for Kirby Smart and the Georgia athletic department and everything that he’s about,” Silverfield said. “Obviously, he’s done it at a high level so certainly a lot of respect for him. When it occurred, I reached out to him. He’s always been great to me. Even at my time at Memphis. He allowed us to come be a part of the camps. I think he knew that it was no ill will. Listen, I’ve got a lot of respect for him and what they’re doing.”
Read Smart’s response in Connor’s full story here.
Clemson transfer returns home in stride with Georgia defense
Barnes is enjoying the “full circle” moment of returning to his home community to play for Georgia after playing his first three seasons at Clemson.
Barnes represented himself like the proven veteran player he has become in making his first appearance before the media as a member of the Bulldogs.
It was already obvious what Smart saw in Barnes on the field to make him one of only nine incoming transfers, but hearing the former Clemson transfer speak revealed the character the UGA coach identified, as well.
“It’s been a blessing, the story is crazy how you come back full circle, and be back living where my whole family is from …” said Barnes, who attended North Oconee High School, less than 13 miles from where he stood behind the podium in Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall on Monday.
Read Mike Griffith’s full story here.
Trivia time
In Smart’s first 10 years at the helm, what is Georgia’s record in its first SEC road games of the season?
This 5-star WR says Georgia will be in his process to the end
Madoxx Davis was the first recruit to hit the field Saturday before Georgia’s “White Out” game against Western Kentucky.
The five-star Davis, who plays at Cartersville, is rated as the nation’s No. 5 wide receiver and the No. 23 overall prospect for 2027 on the 247Sports Composite
He’d been in the Georgia locker room and made his way to Dooley Field from the same West End Zone tunnel that would soon be shrouded in smoke as the Dawgs took the field.
As he walked out, Georgia receivers coach James Coley was at his side. Both were smiling. The 5-star junior WR then headed to where Georgia’s receivers were warming up. He had a quick chat with former Northwest Georgia high school star Sacovie White-Helton.
Those two have trained together.
“He’s so quick,” Davis said this spring. “In and out. He’s the quickest guy I’ve ever been around.”
Davis made a stop to the other side of the field where Georgia’s tight ends were getting ready. That’s when he had a word with freshman Kaiden Prothro. The two shared a quick word while Prothro juggled tennis balls.
He knows several other players on the UGA roster, including promising freshman wide receiver Craig Dandridge and the Luckie brothers.
“Had a great time,” Davis said. “I enjoyed watching the versatility of the offense and how they spread the ball around.”
The 5-foot-11 junior was smiling throughout the visit. He also got a chance to see fellow Nike NIL athlete Jaxon Dollar. Davis got to hang out with the five-star tight from North Carolina when the two competed at the Nike Opening this summer.
Davis was a fan of the new UGA uniform scheme.
“That all-white was CLEAN,” he told DawgNation.
The No. 3 junior prospect in Georgia said Coley’s message was simple: “Keep working.”
That shouldn’t be too hard. The 5-star WR is in the midst of a monster season that fits a recruit ranked among the nation’s top 25 players in the 2028 class. “Oxx” is currently averaging 30.5 yards per catch this fall. His 14 catches have gone for 427 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Georgia will face serious competition in this process. Ohio State has always had his full attention. Deservedly so, for the way the program has spammed first-round receivers to the NFL. His father was from Ohio, so he also grew up a Buckeyes fan.
Read Jeff Sentell’s full story here.
Smart sides with Arkansas over kickoff time dispute
Arkansas has previously voiced its displeasure with the start time for its game against Georgia.
The Razorbacks had a late road kick against Utah this past Saturday. They now has an early 11 a.m. central time kickoff against the No. 2 Bulldogs (noon ET).
Smart was asked about the previous comments made by Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek about the start time assigned by the SEC.
“Everybody’s going to play the same number of away games, everybody’s going to play the same number of home games, for the most part, within one or two. You have to navigate that. It’s certainly challenging. I wouldn’t like it either. It’s a tough situation to be in.”
Smart didn’t just discuss the start time, as he touched on a number of areas as it pertains to the Georgia team.
For Smart’s full remarks from Monday’s press conference, read Connor’s story here.
Trivia answer
10-0
