Let’s see what’s on the minds of some Dawgs Fans as we dip into recent Junkyard Mail.
Bill, Is it a foregone conclusion that our Gator transfer, Trevor Etienne, will be the starting running back for the Dawgs this fall, as everyone seems to expect? I thought it was noteworthy that it was Roderick Robinson who actually got the start for the No. 1 offense in the G-Day game. And, from what I read, Etienne is going to miss at least one game being suspended for his DUI arrest. I’m not convinced he’ll be able to unseat Robinson as the starter.
— Brad Shulman
Being the starting tailback in Georgia’s offense doesn’t mean a whole lot since Kirby Smart likes to use multiple running backs to keep fresh legs in the game.
And, while he technically didn’t start, Etienne did have the best day of the running backs in the G-Day game, although most of the emphasis was on the passing game. He ran well up the middle, broke some tackles, caught passes out of the backfield and showed speed down the sideline.
Also, Smart seems pretty high on Etienne. In his post-game press conference on G-Day, Georgia’s head coach agreed with those who saw elements of D’Andre Swift and James Cook in Etienne’s play. “He’s a good back,” Smart said. “He’s explosive, he’s quick into and out of the hole. He’s different than what we’ve had. I think the Swift analogy is good. The Cook analogy is good.”
Smart also noted: “He’s really taken a lot of personal pride in working on his [pass] protection. He’s learning the offense and he’s been a good SEC player for two years, not like he’s a freshman. He’s a really good player, he’s a good kid. I’ve been proud of the way he’s handled everything since his deal [arrest].”
Bill, I know most fans are looking ahead to the road games against Bama and Texas and figure those will make or break the Dawgs’ chances of getting back to the SEC title game, but I’m more worried about an earlier game: the opener in Atlanta against Clemson. I fear that the Tigers’ fall from the top in recent seasons might lead Georgia’s players to overlook them and maybe come in overconfident and looking ahead. Dabo Swinney’s program isn’t as good as it used to be, mainly because he insists on ignoring the portal, but Clemson has a lot of talent coming back on offense. What do you think?
— Ross Collins
I never take a game against Clemson — once Georgia’s hottest rivalry — for granted. And I don’t think Smart will allow his players to do so, either, even if they were so inclined.
It works in Georgia’s favor, I think, that the Tigers are the opening opponent. If they were, say, stuck between a couple of those big road games, the Dawgs might fall into a “trap” game situation, but Smart will have them keyed on Clemson all during August, leading up to the game, and won’t allow his team to be lulled into complacency by a preseason No. 1 ranking.
And while you are correct that the Tigers return much of their offense, they lost an awful lot of last year’s defense, which should have Carson Beck licking his chops. Even if Etienne has to sit that game out (which hasn’t been announced yet), Georgia is pretty loaded this year, offensively.
I don’t expect a runaway — even elite programs have some kinks to work out in the first game — but I certainly don’t think Georgia will overlook Clemson.
Hey Junkyard, did you see what Nick Saban had to say about the Bengals selecting Georgia’s Amarius Mims in the first round of the NFL draft? Saban said that while Mims has “all the tools,” he questioned his toughness and commitment, citing how he left the SEC Championship Game after reinjuring his ankle. It sounds like Nick is going to become ESPN’S new Lou Holtz, always sticking up for his old team and downgrading its rivals. Just what we need, another ESPN talking head prejudiced against the Dawgs!
— Troy Jasper
I agree that Saban questioning the commitment of an opposing player who left a game after aggravating an injury was bush-league.
He could have raised the issue of Mims’ lack of experience (he only started eight games for Georgia), as some other commentators did, without questioning the young man’s commitment.
Still, I doubt that Saban ever will come close to the “homer” status of Holtz, who was obsequious in his comments on Notre Dame and South Carolina during his ESPN career.
It’s worth noting that, in his NFL draft commentary on ESPN, Saban did say he expected Georgia’s other first-round selection, tight end Brock Bowers, to have the biggest immediate impact of any player in the draft. “I think he’s going to be lightning in the NFL,” Saban said of Bowers.
Mr. King: Always enjoy your column and comments. Given the recent Virginia NIL law … and the amount of money flowing to the university from TV, etc., why doesn’t the university directly fund the [Classic City Collective]?
— Jim
Schools directly funding their collectives (or just doing away with the collectives and handling NIL deals with players directly) probably is the direction the college game is headed, but right now it’s still a gray area.
Current NCAA regulations prohibit schools from signing NIL deals with their players, and the NCAA declined say whether it will allow all schools to sign NIL deals with athletes in response to Virginia’s law.
For those who haven’t kept up, schools in Virginia will be able to pay athletes directly via name, image and likeness deals, thanks to a state law recently signed by the governor.
The law says athletes should not be considered employees of their school and the state’s schools in Virginia are not allowed to pay athletes for their performance in a sport. However, they will be able to use university or athletic department funds to pay athletes for appearing in marketing campaigns. Other states have similar legislation pending.
The NCAA has said in the past it still expects member schools to follow its rules, no matter what state laws say, but that likely won’t hold up in court.
A plan already has been proposed within the NCAA that would allow schools to help facilitate deals between players and a third party. How all this would fit in with Title IX requirements that schools must spend proportionally equal money on men and women isn’t clear.
Justus Terry, JuJu Lewis, Bear Alexander. What’s USC got that UGA doesn’t? Winning program? No, UGA is the premier college program. … Development? No, UGA is putting players into the NFL at an astounding rate. Coaching? No, Kirby is the No. 1-rated college coach and always surrounds himself with A1 assistants. Facilities? No, UGA is state of the art. …
So, whether or not UGA falls further behind USC or others in the NIL arms race, or whether or not that is a major factor in determining if Kirby and UGA remain the standard bearer, remains to be seen.
But with NIL and the portal leveling the playing field somewhat, the Top 20 could really tighten up and a player or two might be the difference [between] a championship or just being relevant. I don’t want to go back to just being a contender.
I realize Kirby has to determine if a 5-star recruit fits the culture, the need and other factors, but seeing elite talent leaving the state can have a snowball effect. UGA has to be NIL-relevant.
— Tony Tyson
As I noted last week, the word is that Smart has been quite proactive in telling boosters that Georgia needs probably $1 million a game in NIL donations to maintain its roster. So, I don’t worry about UGA being NIL-relevant. Still, there’s no way Smart ever is going to be able to bring all the state’s most talented players to Athens. There are just too many.
Also, some who do come to Athens don’t work out, because they just aren’t a good fit for the culture of Smart’s program —Alexander comes to mind.
However, I don’t see Smart letting Southern Cal — or anyone else — become the chief collector (or buyer) of talent in this state.
What’s with UGA deciding to hire dual head coaches for gymnastics, and how is that likely to work?
— Maggie Potts
After first trying in vain to lure former UGA gymnastics coach Jay Clark away from LSU (this year’s national champion), the athletic association instead hired Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, who has been one of Olympics superstar Simone Biles’ personal coaches, and Ryan Roberts, who has been an assistant coach at UGA for the past two seasons after four years at Alabama.
The athletic department hasn’t commented on why it went with dual coaches, but it likely was influenced by the fact that Canqueteau-Landi never has been a college gymnastics head coach before. While her record of having helped multiple elite gymnasts make it to the World Championship and Olympics is likely to draw some great talent to Athens, there’s more to being a head coach than that.
Canqueteau-Landi, a former French Olympian, is a U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame inductee, and with her husband, Laurent Landi, has trained 11 U.S. Senior National Team members, including Madison Kocian, Alyssa Baumann and Jordan Chiles. That should help keep UGA’s rising star, Lily Smith, with the GymDogs.
My guess is that Roberts probably will focus on administration and will oversee recruiting, while Canqueteau-Landi puts in more personal coaching with the gymnasts than head coaches generally have time to do.
Dear Bill, I’ve noticed in news articles that discussions surrounding the location of the Georgia-Florida football game typically involve parties from Jacksonville, Gainesville and Atlanta. However, there seems to be no involvement or input from the Athens-Clarke County government. … In my opinion, Mayor Kelly Girtz should be advocating for the Georgia-Florida game (and all neutral-site games) to be held in Athens on a home/away basis, similar to how the mayors of Jacksonville and Gainesville are campaigning for it in their cities.
— DoubleDawg 1990
I have no insight on whether the leaders of Athens-Clarke County have addressed this issue, but I agree with you that they should be proactive in lobbying for as many major games as possible to be held at Sanford Stadium. I do know that when fellow Athens native Greg McGarity was UGA athletic director, he was aware of the impact of home games on the local economy and was on record as wanting to bolster that impact. I would hope that’s still a priority at the UGA Athletic Association.
Hey Bill, Is it just my selective perception, or does it seem like there’s a lot of Bulldogs playing on the PGA tour? Do you have any idea where we rank in terms of the number of current top-level golfers who are Dawgs?
— Stretch
Yes, you are correct. The UGA golf program has put quite a few players on the PGA tour. As of last August, The Georgia Bulldog Club reported that, once again, UGA would lead the nation, with 10 alumni competing full-time on the tour. I’ve reached out to the UGA Athletic Association for some up-to-date info, and I’ll let you know if I hear back.
