Back at it: Georgia ready to put aside long offseason

ATHENS — Friday marks 215 days since Georgia defeated Florida State 63-3 in the Orange Bowl to finish the 2023 season with a 13-1 record. That completed a run that has seen the Bulldogs win 42 of their past 44 games under coach Kirby Smart.

Also on Friday, Georgia entered its ninth preseason camp under Smart. Following are some of the key developments that have occurred since we last saw the Bulldogs in action.

New blood: With the start of the new year, the Bulldogs welcomed 39 new players to the team. Twenty-eight signed out of high schools and another 11 players have come in via the NCAA’s transfer portal. Georgia added a late signee to the 2024 recruiting class in July when Jahzare Jackson, a 6-foot-10 offensive lineman from San Diego, decided to walk away from basketball and accept a football offer from the Bulldogs.

Old blood: Not necessarily simultaneously, Georgia saw 22 players leave via the transfer portal. All 22 of those players have landed with other programs, including five at SEC schools. Those players include quarterback Brock Vandagriff and linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson at Kentucky, outside linebacker Darris Smith at Missouri, linebacker Xavian Sorey at Arkansas and place-kicker Jared Zirkel at Texas A&M. Four other players no longer are on the active roster for various reasons, including tight end Pearce Spurlin and offensive lineman Kelton Smith, who were medically disqualified but will remain with the team in a non-competitive role.

Staff turnover: Eventually, Smart would lose a total four assistant coaches off his staff. They included defensive backs coach Fran Brown, who was named Syracuse’s head coach in December; co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Will Muschamp resigned in January; receivers coach Bryan McClendon left for an NFL job with the Tampa Bay Bucs in February; and running backs coach Dell McGee accepted the head coach’s position at Georgia State, also in February.

Former USC defensive backs coach Donte Williams replaced Brown in December and coached in the bowl game. Smart brought in Travaris Robinson to replace Muschamp in January, James Coley came from South Carolina to coach receivers in February, followed later by Josh Crawford leaving Georgia Tech, where he coached wideouts, to lead Georgia’s running backs.

Just last week, Smart added another coach from the Yellow Jackets’ staff. Andrew Thacker has joined the Bulldogs as a defensive quality-control analyst. He had been Tech’s defensive coordinator since 2019 before being demoted by coach Brent Key last season.

Between the brews: On Feb. 1, UGA Athletic Association’s board of directors approved alcohol sales at Sanford Stadium. Beer and wine has been available to UGA donors at games in private areas of the stadium for years. But starting this fall, beer and wine will be available to spectators at sales points throughout the stadium this season.

UGA introduced limited alcohol sales at its other sports venues three years ago. It typically offers 16-ounce domestic beers for $8 and imported for $9. The SEC approved alcohol sales for its membership in 2019.

Beck’s ride: Nobody’s sure whether he owns it, leases it or is just driving it in some kind of name, image and likeness arrangement, but quarterback Carson Beck secured a $270,000 ride Feb. 6 when he showed off on social media his new 2024 Lamborghini Uros Performante from Atlanta Auto Sales.

Spring ball: Georgia held its first of 15 spring practices March 12. The infiltration of nearly 40 new players was appreciated as a number of established Bulldogs needed to sit out the majority of workouts while recovering from injuries. Those players included running back Branson Robinson (knee), defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (foot), defensive tackle Christen Miller (knee), linebacker Smael Mondon (shoulder), quarterback Ryan Puglisi (knee) and All-American free safety Malaki Starks (shoulder).

Etienne arrested: No sooner did the Bulldogs get going with spring practice than heralded new running back Trevor Etienne was arrested and jailed for speeding, reckless driving and driving under the influence when he was pulled over in his 2024 Audi RS7 well after midnight March 26. A high-profile transfer from Florida, Etienne would later have the DUI charges dismissed in court. But he pleaded no contest to reckless driving and guilty to underage possession of alcohol.

Red-and-black tie: For coaches, G-Day probably could not have turned out much better. Divided into the Red and Black teams, the Bulldogs played themselves to a 20-20 tie. A pass-happy affair, there wasn’t much to be drawn from it. Defensive coaches probably weren’t thrilled to see the two sides combine for 654 yards on 118 offensive plays. Etienne participated and was the game’s second leading rusher with 24 yards on six carries. But the key stat of the day was zero injuries.

Kirby’s payday: On May 2, Smart finally received the pay raise that was expected to come in 2023 after the Bulldogs secured their second national championship in as many years. Georgia made it worth the wait. The salary increase along with two extra years will pay Smart a minimum of $130 million over the next 10 years, or an additional $17.5 million over his previous agreement. The new deal makes Smart the top-paid coach in college football.

Rashada’s revenge: On May 21, attorneys representing Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada announced they had filed a lawsuit against the University of Florida seeking $10 million in damages because of “fraud” and “unethical and illegal behavior.” Rashada accuses the Gators of reneging on a $13.8 million agreement to sign with them over Miami in December 2023. Rashada eventually was released from his letter-of-intent with Florida and enrolled at Arizona State, where he played as a freshman last season. Rashada’s lawyer insists he had no NIL deals with the Sun Devils, nor did he make any financial agreements with UGA. Rashada is expected to share third-team snaps with freshman Puglisi in preseason camp.

Members only: On July 1, Oklahoma and Texas officially joined the SEC. Three years in the making, lavish celebrations rang in the moment in Austin and Norman. Two weeks later, SEC Football Media Days was held in Dallas to help make the 16-team league’s new members feel at home. They’ll play their first football games as SEC members this month.

DB dismissed: On July 16, senior defensive back David Daniel-Sisavanh was dismissed from the team after news of charges earlier in the year for speeding and eluding police were reported. UGA made the announcement while the Bulldogs were appearing at SEC Media Days in Dallas. Smart also addressed his team’s issues with speeding tickets. Incidents involving Georgia players reached more than two dozen since January 2023.

Wideout arrested: On July 26, Georgia wide receiver Rara Thomas was arrested on family-violence charges that included a second-degree felony for cruelty to children. Expected to be a key contributor this season, Thomas was suspended indefinitely from the football team.

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