Georgia football coach Kirby Smart shares expectations for season, Alabama road trip

ATHENS — Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said teams will work to create a home field advantage, even with limited or no crowds in attendance.

“I know this, they still have a stereo system,” Smart said during a high school football show on Thursday night that was carried by 680 AM and streamed on YouTube.

“They’ll find a way to crank noise in there.”

Smart was talking specifically about the Bulldogs’ road game at Alabama this season.

Georgia’s first return trip to Tuscaloosa since 2007 was originally scheduled for Sept. 19, but the SEC has since tore up the original schedule and moved to a 10-game conference-only slate that begins on Sept. 26. The league has not yet released the new game dates.

Smart discussed how recruiting dynamics have changed amid the COVID-19 atmosphere, with the NCAA shutting down on-campus visits.

But he also shared some insight into his football team, a loaded unit expected to play in the SEC Championship Game and reach the College Football Playoffs.

“There’s a lot of expectations,” Smart conceded. “You go through kind of a speech every yea .. .you talk about loyalty on staff, doing things the right way, but the expectations is always the same — to get the most out of this team that we possible can.

“And I really don’t know what that is yet. I don’t know those possibilities.”

Smart said UGA has “some unknowns at some positions,” along some some “talented competitions” that he’s excited about.

“We have been able to have some little mini-camp time,” Smart said. “We are going to have some hellified competitions at some positions, and we got some good, talented players that are going to help our roster.”

Georgia is scheduled to start practice on Monday, with full-padded contact practice expected a week from then.

“We should be Monday, Tuesday helmets only,” Smart said. “Wednesday pads, which for us is shoulder pads and shorts, and then we’ll have another day of shoulder pads and shorts and our fifth day under NCAA rules allows us to put full pads on.

“I think that’ll end up being the following week, but we’ll be in pads next week.”

Injury update

• Georgia freshman 5-star defensive back Kelee Ringo is expected to have shoulder surgery this week and be out an indefinite amount of time.

• UGA sophomore receiver Dominick Blaylock was cleared on Monday, less than 8 months after suffering a torn ACL in the SEC Championship Game.

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