ATHENS — Georgia football will have a new look in 2022, and quite possibly in more ways than some might have imagined.
The Bulldogs’ need to replace 15 NFL Draft picks and four former starters that exited via the portal has often been discussed, but the new buzz is over a new uniform combo that might make its way onto the field.
A historically-high ranked visitor class featuring No. 1-ranked recruit Arch Manning got a clean new Georgia uniform look going, modeling prototype white helmets with white jerseys and white pants throughout last weekend.
DawgNation recruiting insider Jeff Sentell reported the recruits’ take — 11 of them are ranked in the nation’s Top 125 — was unanimous:
“The players that were in town have universally raved about that clean all-white look. They want to see the Bulldogs wear that full uniform variant in actual games. Not just social media buzz on visits.”
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All-American high school running back Justice Haynes said he even prefers the clean white look to the once-trending black jerseys former UGA recruits often posed in.
“100 percent I like the all-whites better,” said Haynes, who was among the visitors in Athens last weekend. “The all-whites are dope. There is just something about that all-white with the red stripe on the helmet that sets it off. It looks clean. It sets it off. It looks very clean. They got the white and the red and the black on the stripes. It looks clean. I like it. I really really like that look.”
And, Haynes indicated, some recruits are ready to see them in play this season.
“I hope they do,” Haynes said. “The recruits and I were talking about it if they came out the first game against Oregon. Because you know Oregon is known for the flashy uniforms. If they came out in all whites, then Georgia would have a little flash to themselves, too. That would be pretty cool of it. We will see.”
A recent unscientific DawgNation Twitter poll shows nearly two-thirds of Georgia football fans would have a tolerance for the white helmet being used, while about a third of UGA fans are content to stick with the traditional red helmets.
Former Georgia national championship quarterback Buck Belue likes the Bulldogs’ traditions as much as anyone, but he counts himself in the crowd that’s OK with seeing a new look trotted out.
“I think it’s pretty cool, actually,” said Belue, author of the recently released book ‘Inside the Hedges’ a quarterback’s journey to the 1980 national championship. “I sort of miss seeing the white pants that go with that, so it takes me back.”
Belue, who hosts a daily radio show on 680 The Fan, said the white helmets top off the white pants and white jerseys well.
“We were wearing those white pants in 1978 and 1979,” said Belue, whose next book signing is on June 17 in Valdosta. “The White helmets are different, but I think it looks good.
“I don’t see any problem with it, really. The kids like it and it looks good, you have a good combination going on.”
The crowd that voted for “Whatever Kirby wants” likely knows the Georgia head coach would only turn to the alternate helmet and pants if it was good for the program.
And, if the Bulldogs are going to wear them in the opening game against uniform-savvy Oregon on Sept. 3 or at any other point this season, Smart will likely make sure it’s known well in advance.
“I don’t get into the whole ‘uniform will make them play faster’ thing,” Smart said before the 2020 season started after news broke the Bulldogs would be wearing red pants to commemorate the 1980 National Championship Bulldogs. “If anything, you’re concerned with the distraction the day of putting them on.
“We tried to get all of that out of the way with the release, let them understand it’s not that big a deal they will wear a different color uniform,” Smart said. “The more they think about that, the less they can think about their opponent and what they need to do to play well.”
Legendary former Georgia coach and AD Vince Dooley introduced the red pants in 1978 and the team wore them 15 times over 11 seasons.
Georgia recently broke out the black jerseys against Mississippi State in 2020, on a night that saw former Bulldog JT Daniels pass for 401 yards in a game UGA managed just 8 yards rushing on 23 carries.
Georgia wore the black jerseys again in its 24-21 win over Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl at the request of the bowl game organizers, Smart said.
One thing that’s certain, Smart’s approach to Georgia football won’t change regardless of what the uniform combination looks like.
“I believe in the guys going out and playing physical, playing hard; you don’t have to do things like that to get them fired up to do it,” Smart said before alternate uniforms were used in 2020. “It’s great for recruiting, though.”
RELATED: Georgia football back in black for 2020, and with red pants in opener
