There are less than a hundred days until the start of UGA’s 2025 football season.
So, what’s on the minds of Dawgs fans?
I put that question to regular Blawg readers and social media followers this week. I asked what games this coming season they have circled in red. Are they particularly excited about Kirby Smart’s Dawgs hosting Alabama and Texas? (Athens hoteliers certainly are!)
Is there a game, home or away, that particularly worries members of Bulldog Nation?
And what about UGA’s talk of hosting another major concert at Sanford Stadium? I asked about that, too.
Let’s dip into some of the Junkyard Mail. …
The Alabama game is circled on my calendar. No game would be more satisfying to win than this one. I was at the rain-soaked debacle in 2015 when Nick Saban’s Tide came into Sanford Stadium better prepared, better coached and, well, just better than the Dawgs. It was the beginning of the end for Mark Richt at UGA. To beat Bama in the regular season would exorcise a few demons and maybe reinforce Georgia’s premier status among the college football elite.
However, the game that scares me is the Georgia Tech game. Brent Key is a quality coach who has improved Tech’s program each year, and we are still looking for answers against Haynes King. We are the better team, and beating them this year would give us eight straight wins in the series, tying Tech’s record against us in the 1950s — no small feat.
I do think we lose a game or two this year (maybe Texas?) but still make the playoffs as an at-large team.
— Don White
I think you did a great job of summing up the importance of Bama’s visit to Athens this season, Don. And you’re not the only fan who has mentioned the Tech game as worrisome. Reader Jim Cooney also said playing Tech at Mecedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this year “worries me … a lot.” The road trip to Knoxville also is a concern for a lot of folks. And games at Auburn always worry a large contingent of the Georgia fan base.
Bottom line: The 2025 slate is a challenging schedule. But if Smart’s Dawgs can make it to the postseason with only one or two losses at most, I think they should be a lock for the College Football Playoff.
I think the bigger question is what are fans’ minimum expectations in order to consider the upcoming season successful — just making the playoff, or is more required? Those back-to-back natties in 2021-22 raised the bar considerably for Smart and his staff.
Oh, and speaking of the Tech game, here’s what Bulldog Nation’s biggest Jacket hater has to say …
May be biggest tek game ever, if we win. Drought matcher! Would be Coach King Kirby Smart’s third greatest and most significant victory! Multiple national titles, and eight in a row over the Jackets … historically phenomenal accomplishments if we pull it off.
— Jeff Dantzler
Thanks, Jeff. I like the way you think when it comes to the trade school!
I suppose this season it is the unknowns that occupy my thoughts. I’ve become used to top-notch teams in the King Kirby era, but my level of trust may not be as certain this year. We have high-caliber players, to be sure, but how will they gel as a team? Obviously, our away games are concerning. Auburn and Tennessee away are always tough. So, I’m going to be guardedly optimistic — emphasis on guardedly!
— Lee Eidson
Yeah, there are quite a few unknowns about this team, ranging from the defensive front to two issues that Smart has highlighted: ability to run the ball and ability to stop the run. If Georgia gets those taken care of, it’ll be a big step toward maintaining elite status.
In the running game, I think Nate Frazier should be even better this year and the Dawgs added running back Joshua McCray from Illinois out of the transfer portal, while freshman Bo Walker impressed a lot of folks during spring practice.
Still early for me to get into thinking of football season. But I did hear an interesting comment from a friend who rents out a basement as an Airbnb. The Texas game weekend was the first to book ... and it will pay the full house mortgage for a couple of months.
— Chris Jones
Yes, hotel rates have gone sky-high in Athens for the Alabama and Texas weekends — into the thousands!
Meanwhile, the offensive line figured into the concerns of a couple of readers. …
After thinking about our schedule (it’s a good one), a funny thing came to mind. The two games I’m most interested in watching are Florida and Georgia Tech. Win those two, most likely we go 11-1. Or 10-2. Maybe 9-3.
Most of the SEC matchups will be what they always have been … a slugfest, with the team with the most consistent running attack getting the win. Georgia will put up the points, but the Dawgs must be able to control the offensive line of scrimmage to dominate the conference.
— Billy Chism
And another …
Quite frankly, I don’t know what to expect this year. We have so many unanswered questions. We think [Gunner] Stockton will be OK, but how will he gel with all the new receivers and how will the O-line perform? I believe the defense will be fine.
As for the schedule, I am cautiously optimistic about Alabama and expect the Texas game to be very competitive. The games that give me some concern are Ole Miss and Georgia Tech. Lane Kiffin understands Kirby and has good players. Tech concerns me because Brent Key is passionate about beating UGA and has some players now.
— Jim Sandifer
Yes, Billy, the 2024 offensive line was a problem most of last season, in part because of multiple injuries, but also because it never gelled and even some of the healthy players underperformed. Four starters from that group are having to be replaced this season, so the OL remains a challenge.
And, Jim, the schedule definitely is one of the toughest in a while.
Meanwhile, another reader has a question about schedules moving forward. …
As tough as our schedule looks this season, I’m wondering what life is going to be like once the SEC finally adds a ninth conference game every year. What’s the latest on that, Bill?
— Lindsey Johnson
SEC presidents and athletic directors are set to meet this coming week in Destin, Fla., and a nine-game conference schedule is one of the topics on their agenda.
Of course, these days, it’s all about the Benjamins in college football, and since The Athletic reported earlier this month that ESPN has indicated a willingness to increase its payment to the SEC if the conference adds a ninth game to its league football schedule, I think that’s very likely to happen.
Moving on, the next reader takes a somewhat jaundiced view of the recent commitment of top 2026 quarterback prospect Jared Curtis to the Bulldogs.
100% Commited! All in! I’m a Dawg all the way! It was the connection and relationship we built! I think young Mr. Curtis is reading from Mr. Dylan Raiola’s famous quotes list. I yawned when the young man announced his commitment. This means nothing.
The hay ain’t in the barn. The kid hasn’t signed on the dotted line. The check has still not cleared his account. We’ll see what happens in December.
— Daryl Matthews
Yeah, when Curtis actually is practicing in Athens, then maybe I’ll get excited.
Bill, the Dawgs lost another top prospect they were after with five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell picking Miami over UGA recently. Is Kirby losing his recruiting touch?
— Thomasville Tony
I think it’s more a question of is Georgia’s NIL game keeping up with the Miamis and Ohio States, who have been very aggressive of late in their efforts to buy top talent. And that’s really what recruiting comes down to now. A key quote from Cantwell after he made his decision: “It’s just a blessing to get paid to play the game that I love.”
Hey, Bill, considering how he has energized UGA’s baseball program over the past couple of seasons, I wonder about whether the Diamond Dawgs are going to be able to hold on to coach Wes Johnson. What do you think?
— Bobby Felton
UGA announced this week that head baseball coach Johnson has agreed to a contract extension through 2031 with an increased compensation package.
As Athletic Director Josh Brooks said, “It has been incredible watching our baseball program thrive over the past two seasons. Wes is without a doubt one of the elite head baseball coaches in the country, and his commitment to winning at the highest levels is surpassed only by his dedication to making everyone around him better each and every day. We are excited about the future under his leadership.”
While Johnson’s team (42-15) got bounced in the second round of the SEC Tournament this week, it was named Sunday as one of 16 regional hosts for the 2025 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
ANOTHER SANFORD STADIUM CONCERT?
I mentioned last month that Josh Brooks had listed an R.E.M. concert at Sanford Stadium as No. 1 on his bucket list. We learned this past week at the meeting of the UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors that Brooks hasn’t given up on his dream of hosting an R.E.M. concert Between the Hedges.
“I’m going to keep saying it until they get sick of hearing it, I still want R.E.M, and I know [manager] Bertis [Downs] and Mike Mills are always going to keep telling me no,” Brooks said. “But I will keep pestering Mike and Bertis and the crew over and over again, and I will not stop asking that question. So, they’re going to give in at some point.”
The last time Sanford Stadium hosted a stand-alone concert was in 2013, when Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett, Jake Owen and Luke Bryan performed before a crowd of 66,000. The concert included a surprise appearance by rapper Ludacris, who joined Aldean for a number. (Ludacris also performed at Sanford Stadium as part of Georgia’s 2016 G-Day game.)
This year’s athletic association budget has $1.25 million for outside events, which Brooks said includes a potential concert at Sanford Stadium that could take place next spring.
“We have to continue to be creative and looking at different ways to drive revenue, more ways than ever before,” the athletic director said.
Since word first leaked of UGA’s interest in an R.E.M. show, he said, “everybody’s excited, because people love Sanford Stadium, people love a good concert, and it was such a popular thing in 2013.”
(Of course, not everyone thinks another concert at Sanford Stadium is a good idea. Said reader Gary Luoma Jr.: “Please don’t turn the playing field into Neyland by hosting a concert in Sanford. Too many potential player injuries as a result of using the field for something it is not intended for.”)
Still, most folks love the idea of another concert Between the Hedges. As I said earlier, I think R.E.M. would be a fantastic show there, despite the group having only gotten together for sporadic, brief appearances in recent years. I do think UGA might increase its chances of such a show happening if it pledged to donate a large portion of the proceeds to a cause chosen by the members of R.E.M.
But if the “Imitation of Life” guys keep saying no, who else would be a great choice to perform Between the Hedges? I put that question to UGA fans this week, and I got all kinds of answers, from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Among an extremely diverse bunch of acts mentioned were Drivin N Cryin, Blackberry Smoke, Pearl Jam, Lady Gaga, Josh Groban, Dead and Company, Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg and Metallica (who recently played before about 60,000 at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va.).
Other names that came up aren’t as likely. My brother Tim said he thinks the only performer he’d go see at Sanford is Billy Joel, but this past week the singer suspended all his upcoming shows while he deals with medical issues.
And other readers suggested acts that no longer exist or aren’t together any longer, ranging from the Allman Brothers Band and OutKast to The Jesters, an Athens-based R&B/party band that played the Southern frat circuit for 50 years before staging a farewell show at Athens’ Georgia Theatre 11 years ago.
However, the potential Sanford Stadium act that Dawgs fans named most frequently was Widespread Panic, another Athens-based group that famously drew an estimated 100,000 to the Classic City’s downtown for a free show in 1998 and played a 25th anniversary show at the Classic Center in 2011.
While some might question whether Panic could sell out a stadium (they usually play arenas and amphitheaters), several people suggested the possibility of some sort of “Athens package” show that might also feature the likes of The B-52s, Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell and Athens-born rapper Quavo. That probably would do well.
And if UGA decided to go with another country music package like in 2013, a bill of Chris Stapleton, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle would please both traditionalists and “newgrass”/Americana fans.
Other country acts mentioned included Zac Brown and Luke Combs. On the other hand, one reader named Todd pleaded: “Please, for the love of God, no Morgan Wallen!”
Some readers were thinking big, mentioning acts that easily could fill a stadium on their own, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones and The Who, a group that recently announced its umpteenth farewell tour in the past 40-plus years.
(One reader combined the Athens angle with a superstar act by saying, “How about having the B-52’s open for The Who! After all, the best pre-game song, played Saturdays in Athens, is ‘Baba O’Riley’!”)
Other possible Sanford concert headliners recommended by the Athens Banner-Herald include a country trio of Thomas Rhett, Kane Brown and Cole Swindell (all UGA fans).
As for R.E.M. playing UGA’s stadium, the Banner-Herald said: “Athens would lose its collective mind. The world might lose its collective mind. This is R.E.M.’s town.”
And DawgNation’s Brandon Adams also mentioned the alt rock band Paramore.
But those who know me won’t be surprised that my favorite suggestion came from fellow Bulldogs-Beatles fan Clint Ard, who offered “Paul McCartney, of course!”
And Clint’s suggestion isn’t outrageous. My family and I saw McCartney in concert three years ago at Wake Forest’s Truist Field, so if you can get a Beatle performing in a college stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., why not in Athens?
UPDATE: The UGA Athletic Association has signed an exclusive partnership with Does Entertainment to bring concert events back to Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium, beginning spring of 2026. Named Live Between the Hedges, Saturday, April 25, 2026, is the target date for the first show. Headline performers and other details will be announced at a later date. Ticket interest form: https://app.georgiadogs.com/concert-opt-in
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