Let all the Bulldog faithful rally behind the men who now wear the red and black with two words, two simple words which express the sentiments of the entire Bulldog Nation: Auburn Sucks.
The hot button topic of late has been the SEC’s daunting conference scheduling, and it has people between the hot takes of “it’s too grueling for teams to survive” to “the SEC is weak but will still have multiple playoff teams, anyway”.
For 20 years the narrative was…
"The SEC gauntlet schedules best prepared teams like Alabama, LSU, Georgia and Florida to win BCS and 4-team playoff championships.
Now all of sudden the narrative is…
"The SEC gauntlet is too difficult. They're too beat up. There's no one… https://t.co/cDFFXSfobd
As a reminder of whatever side of the debate you’re on, it’s a self-inflicted wound. While Sankey will stand tall on the idea that “we did something the B1G was unwilling to do themselves”, it still makes for a ridiculous decision that one can only wonder if it really was for guaranteeing playoff spots or if it was for money.
Well, of course it was for money. No one wants to watch Georgia versus Tennessee State in a crowded TV market, but more people will tune in for Georgia-Vandy and Georgia-Oklahoma, for sure.
What is hurting worse than anything else is that a move made to make the league’s scheduling look tougher is actually having the inverse effect – people are landing on the idea that the SEC is actually a weak conference, and keeping more games in house prevents debacles like Alabama-Florida State last year from exposing a media bias (bwah-ha-ha on that one) and the SEC for what it really is.
In truth, it’s hard to see where the turn on SEC football will abate. Winning it all would help, but short of Texas and Georgia, who are the SEC teams who could make a legitimate run? And, yes, you could say the same of two other conferences (BigXII, seriously, you don’t stand a chance), but when it comes down to Notre Dame, Georgia, Texas, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana (depending on who is playing for them this year), the talk is all talk and we really have no relevant reason to have the CFP given it’s the same teams in the mix each year.
Win it all, and all the talk is just that. Keep bowing out in the early rounds, and Sankey’s decision seems more questionable by the day.
Good God, the stats and data that I saw yesterday regarding 4th quarter performance and the Dawgs. The data comes from Cody Nagel but I’ll copy and paste here so you can gawk at it like I did.
Short analysis of this, if Georgia has a lead of 7 or more going into the 4th quarter, might as well pack it up and head home.
No team in the country is harder to come back against than Georgia. While 17 other Power Four programs finished with a perfect record when leading by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter over the past five seasons, the Bulldogs did it with the largest sample size, going 53-0.
Georgia’s company at the top is exactly who you’d expect: Notre Dame (44-0), Alabama (42-0), Oregon (49-1), Ohio State (48-1) and Michigan (46-1).
Good way to read this is that we rarely trail in games over the past five years heading into the 4th, in this case only 9 time, of which we won four of those games. Three of the five losses came against Alabama. Of course.
In this case, this is an analysis of games that are close (within six points) entering the 4th, and as you can see Georgia has had 10 of those, and won 8 times. The two losses? Last year against Alabama (regular season 24-21 at Sanford) and Ole Miss (39-34 in the Sugar Bowl). Ugh.
Still, that’s some nice numbers to see regarding 4th quarter performance for Kirby and Company. Will it last into 2026? I certainly hope it’s a lot of those 7+ or more leads heading into the 4th than within six points.
Man, talk about a group that’s getting paid. Jalen Carter just inked the biggest deal for a d-lineman in league history.
Breaking: Eagles are signing two-time Pro-Bowl selection Jalen Carter to a four-year, $152 million extension worth up to $160 million, including $106 million guaranteed that now makes him the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history, per his agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus.… pic.twitter.com/R8VZfbsKTy
If I have this right, Walker just signed for another 4 years and over $100 million with the Jaguars, and Davis, Wyatt, Dean, and Walker all just signed three year extensions for nice sums of money.
Maybe there’s something to Kirby’s formula for guys being role players during their early years just to blossom into NFL millionaires.
Just a reminder to Bear Alexander that he had two sacks as a role player in 2022, and has tallied only 2.5 since in three years with two other teams…
Which Georgia players need to have great years for Georgia to have a great year in 2026? Some of my thoughts:
OL: Earnest Greene
Greene has received a good bit of criticism over the years, and deservedly so. Last season was his first where he seemed to step up and look like a competent offensive lineman, but for the team to have a great season, he needs to look like a first or second day draft pick for Gunner et al to have a great season. I think he’s there, and Phil Rauscher may have the secret development sauce that Kirby likes to get Greene there.
QB: Gunner Stockton
I’m all in on Gunner, don’t get me wrong. But it would be nice to see Gunner move from Superman to Supercool. At times, Gunner seemed a little giddy in the pocket and would go through his progressions too quickly and tuck and run. If he had Newton’s or Tebow’s frame, then that’s great, but he’s Gunner and he can run into situations where he’s knocked around like a ragdoll and could put himself into concussion protocol…and leave us with who? Pug? Beaver? Getting the ball downfield and using the other-worldly tight end room he has at his disposal would be a step in the right direction.
WR: Talyn Taylor
We’ve seen flashes of potential but we know the shelf life for receivers in Georgia is short. It would be nice to see him turn into a downfield threat who can stretch the field and keep defenses guessing to make room for Frazier and Bowens to make hay in the run game. He has a small body of work, but most remember him for dropping a sure TD against Alabama before he went out with an injury.
DL: Jordan Hall
I know much of the attention will be on other guys on the defensive line, but the legend of Jordan Hall needs to become an actuality this year. As best as I’ve heard, he’s healthy and can play. Will he remain that way? Hard to say…but the defensive line needs to have a breakout year in order for anyone else one would mention in the secondary as a big player.
Also…what in the world happen to sacks?
Much has been made about Georgia's lack of sacks in 2025. So I took a look at Georgia's defensive stats since 2020 to see what the overall picture was.
2025 saw Georgia's worst havoc rate since 2020, but the overall numbers were very close to those of the 2022 season.
— The Bulldawg Report (@ReportBulldawg) July 25, 2026
OLB: Gabe Harris or Quintavius Johnson
Gabe Harris started to come on strong last season, and he has the size and build to be that guy you think twice about if you’re considering running through your progressions or if you’re about to cut into a gap in the defense. Likewise, Johnson had a good year, too…but one bizzaro aspect of Kirby’s defense has been the lack of outside linebacker play and talent in recent years. Edge pressure and setting the edge seems to have dropped off, but so has much of the pressure in the box over the past few seasons, as well.
Strengthening the play in the trenches on both sides of the ball seems to have been a priority last year and hopefully into 2026…the pieces seem to be there, provided the pieces remain healthy and gel as a unit.
Honorable Mention: Mike Bobo
All I’ll say here is I hope Bobo has a season for the ages, Georgia wins the National Championship, and we have less to bitch about around here. I hope the offense scores so much and so often that defense seems to be an optional flourish to the gameday experience.
Shot:
Chaser:
So…Refugees…who are you hoping will have a breakout year in 2026?
Stockton was one of the most prolific dual-threat quarterbacks in Georgia history in high school. And in his first full season as a starter as a redshirt junior he went 12-2 with a 69.7% completion percentage, 1.3% interception rate, and 34 total touchdowns.
2025:
Against Ole Miss in the regular season, he had 5 total touchdowns, and he had 5 total touchdowns on 24 of 29 passing against Texas. But he also went 11 of 21 for 70 passing yards against Georgia Tech and he didn’t play well as a passer in the CFP against Ole Miss.
Coaching:
This season he’ll get former Clemson OC Brandon Streeter for his QB coach. Streeter these days is mostly seen as a recruiter, but he has a very good track record of working with QBs and developing their mechanics.
Stockton’s OC will be Mike Bobo who runs a lot of quick game, heavy personnel, and play action which will play to Stockton’s dual threat strengths.
Receivers:
The receiving room will have various options which will help Stockton.
Talyn Taylor is inexperienced (aside from his drop against Alabama), but he is clearly the WR in this group with superstar ability. He’s quick, fast, has elite body control, and can lineup virtually anywhere.
CJ Wiley and Isiah Canion are both 6 ft 4 in targets who can block, be used on back shoulder routes and comeback routes, and open up the field with their vertical ability. Wiley specifically can be a real red-zone threat, while Canion has the chops to step in and be the WR1 any given game if necessary. I actually consider Canion the most polished WR of this group.
Sacovie White-Helton can come in and replace a lot of what will be lost from Cash Jones IE bubble screens, jet sweeps, and slants in the slot.
London Humphreys has the most experience and probably the most speed and explosiveness.
But Lawson Luckie is probably the main breakout to watch here despite being a tight end. He’s a little undersized at 6 ft 4 in 240 lbs, but he makes up for it with acrobatic athleticism and playmaking ability. He also has good hands and blocks well. Luckie doesn’t have the upside of Talyn Taylor, but his breakout is more plausible and Lucki’s position is a big need for the offense Georgia is expected to run.
O-Line:
Phil Rauscher is Georgia’s new offensive-line coach. The unit has depth and a strong interior. It’s probably a top-10 offensive line in the nation. Earnest Greene III is expected to be one of the best tackle prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft. Drew Bobo is back healthy and so far he’s been one of the best centers in the country.
As a prospect:
Positives
-compact, sturdy build -enough speed for designed NFL quarterback runs -effective short-area acceleration -difficult for arm tackles to finish -functional passer,very accurate with good velocity on shorter throws -strong processor, can use deception -experienced in NFL pro-style offense -navigates the pocket well -mature, waited for 3 years before starting -low interception rate
Negatives
-below preferred NFL quarterback height at 6 ft 0 in -needs anticipation to compensate for average raw arm strength -style exposes him to unnecessary hits -his mobility is good, but not rare -can’t consistently hit throws requiring touch over a second-level defender
Conclusion:
Stockton does not currently possess one overwhelming trait that typically drives early quarterback selections such as elite arm strength, elite size, elite mobility/speed, elite pocket creation, elite downfield accuracy, or advanced NFL-level processing.
But he’s capable of developing several of those traits. Stockton is grossly underrated and he’ll have all the tools to have a strong season. He’s probably worthy of being a Heisman Dark Horse candidate. His current market price for the Heisman is 18-1.”
Somehow, I didn’t know about the Quarterback coach…I didn’t realize Brandon Streeter was coaching quarterbacks, as he is the guy who coached up Trevor Lawrence at Clemson. His QB pedigree was good, his OC acumen…not so much, only making it two seasons as OC in Clemson.
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) July 21, 2026
I can’t disagree with a lot of his answers…and as much as I love Kirby both as a player and a coach, Champ Bailey was one of one. Shouldn’t have been a hesitation there, but I get it.
Also, Green and Pickens were good…but how would you compare them to Hines Ward?
While I agree that Gurley was freakishly good, to me, Chubb was just consistently a wrecking ball and I’ll take me a Nick Chubb, his grit, and his dedication to Georgia over Gurley.
Lots of little sound bytes from yesterday but nothing remarkably groundbreaking. First and foremost, let’s talk about injuries.
Smart had positive news on the injury front.
Topping the list is center Drew Bobo (foot), who is expected to be ready for the start of the season. You can read more about Bobo here.
Others include:
Outside linebacker Zayden Walker: “Zayden’s back doing everything. He’s been great. He had the shoulder,” Smart said. “We have a lot of shoulders every spring. But he’s doing everything with us right now.”
Wide receiver Sacovie White-Helton: “Oh, yeah. Sacovie had a separated shoulder the day before the spring game and couldn’t go,” Smart said. “But he’s done everything since.”
Defensive end Gabe Harris: “Gabe’s been doing good. He’s similar to Drew. It (foot) was a very significant injury,” Smart said. “Those two were the two biggest missing pieces for us towards the end of the year and made it really tough. But he’s out there doing everything now. He did not do anything in the spring. We need him to have a big year. But, yeah, he’s on a load-management deal, so he’s not like out there every day doing everything. But he’s healthy.”
Defensive lineman Jordan Hall: “Jordan Hall’s great. Jordan’s doing everything with us, working,” Smart said. “You know, he’s had two bilateral knee rods put in there, but he’s doing great.”
We are officially on what seems like the annual “how healthy is Jordan Hall” watch. Still hoping he lives up to his potential this season…we need all the horses on the defensive line to get back to form.
Also notable was Kirby getting chippy when questioned about Georgia’s receiver room:
Kirby Smart can’t wait to get back to Athens & tell the Georgia WRs everyone said they’re going 7-5.
— Jon Tweets Sports (@jontweetssports) July 21, 2026
There were some typical questions about this and that, but not much to write home about. One interesting stand out was Raylen Wilson’s reaction to being told Texas is baaaaccckkk…
Raylen Wilson asked about the media sentiment that the SEC is “Texas’s conference to lose”
Apparently Kirby had a harsh retort when questioned about Mike Bobo:
I certainly agree that coaches need to have a thick skin when it comes to the “noise’ from fans and media.
“I do think football intuition is one of my strengths, and knowing that, I know we got the right offensive coordinator,” Smart said. “What you guys want to write and talk about is completely up to you. I look at the production he’s had, the success he had, the team success where he doesn’t worry about (stats). He worries about winning football games. The way he coaches our players day-to-day is unmatched in this country.”
Question, though: if and when Andrew commits to UGA, will Bobo still be the OC/QB coach?
I came up with 3 serious and 3 not-so-serious questions for Kirby if I were at SECMD.
Serious:
Q: Who would be the first 5 on the offensive line to run out for the first snap if you were playing a game today?
My thoughts (or hopes) on an answer would be Greene at LT, Glover at LG, Bobo at C (I’m assuming he’s fully healthy since he’s going to Tampa), Calhoun at RG (is that too much to ask), and Gaston at RT. I admit I’m not as sold on Jah Jackson as others appear to be. I want Gaston to be groomed to take over at LT in 2027. I also want Helton to get a bunch of snaps (just not the first one) this season.
Q: The narrative this off-season is all about going deeper in the playoff. Would you rather win the SEC and lose a quarterfinal or go deeper in the playoff without winning either the national title or an SEC title?
My answer (if I were Kirby) would be: A number on the wall should mean something. Winning the SEC title is an outstanding year regardless of how the season ends. Do we want to go deep in the playoff and win the whole thing? Absolutely. Should we discount the value of winning our league in the name of the playoff? Absolutely not.
Q: You made a big deal about being more explosive on offense and disruptive on defense throughout the spring and the offseason. Who are the players you expect to make that a reality?
After injecting Kirby with truth serum … here’s the answer as opposed to coachspeak:
On offense, that starts with the offensive line playing to their immense potential to give Gunner time to allow plays downfield to develop or holes for our backs to run through. Then, Gunner has to be willing to take calculated risks in the passing game with the intermediate and downfield routes. Don’t be stupid with it, and also don’t default to the check-down or the behind of line of scrimmage throw. Finally, make the first guy miss. Talyn Taylor, Nate Frazier and Elyiss Williams need to be those guys for us.
On defense, it starts again up front. Take away the run game and force teams into poor down and distance. Move the line of scrimmage back. We started doing that in games later in the season last year but didn’t do that consistently in New Orleans. Cover a second longer to give our front 6 a chance to get home and disrupt the QB. I would love to get more sacks, but taking the QB out of rhythm is the most important thing. Look at the 2 Alabama games. Game 1 we didn’t do that and they had their way in the first half. Game 2 we never let them truly get comfortable. Elijah Griffin, Chris Cole, Q Johnson, and Gabe Harris need to play to their potential.
Not-so-serious (with in some cases not-so-serious responses):
Q: Your son Andrew recently attended a Georgia Tech camp and seemed to come away with an offer. Is there any way your son plays for that good-for-nothing program where he has held up whiteboards with “We Run This State” written on it multiple times?
Andrew is Weston’s little brother, but no way will I allow him to play for a little brother program like Fech, Texas Tech, the Barn, the Handbags, or Texas AgCult. FTMF.
Q: It’s been reported you are a member of the new golf club, The Rose, right outside of Athens. You can take anyone to play. Who are you taking?
That guy, EE, who writes at GTP Refugees, seems like a guy I would enjoy a day on the course with. I know he would bring a couple of members of the best community in the Dawg interwebs with him.
Q: You and Mike (Bobo) are both SAE alumni. Do you think you two would have gotten in if you didn’t play football?
Hell, no. They would have sent both of us to sit in the TV room watching 1980 highlights on VHS with a paper cup of tepid water while they schmoozed their rich boy legacies.
Those are my questions.
Inquiring minds want to know what your questions and answers would be.
