Archive for the ‘News’ Category

UPDATED WITH QUOTES FROM DURANTE, YOCULAN . . .

ATHENS – Georgia didn’t waste any time choosing a new direction for its championship-rich gymnastics program.

Durante

The Bulldogs on Wednesday announced they had tabbed Danna Durante (pronounced DAN-uh Doo-RAN-tay) as the new gymnastics coach. Her official hire comes 19 days after athletic director Greg McGarity asked for coach Jay Clark’s resignation and word of her appointment was circulated among Georgia’s gymnasts and administrators as early this past weekend.

Durante, 39, comes to Georgia from the University of California-Berkeley– aka Cal — where she was head coach for just one season. She was a longtime assistant at Nebraska and Washington before that — she was the 2007 National Assistant Coach of the Year — and was a gymnast herself at Arizona. She is considered a expert coach on balance beam, an area where the Gym Dogs have struggled in recent years.

Though she has only one year of head coaching experience, Durante …

Continue reading Updated: New UGA gymnastics coach Danna Durante ‘not intimidated’ by size of job »

THE MONDAY REWIND

It was an eventful weekend in Athens and for several Georgia teams. Let’s get caught up:

Men’s Tennis

The men’s tennis team suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Pepperdine in the NCAA Championships. Playing before a raucous pro-Georgia crowd that filled the stands at Henry Feild Stadium, the No. 2-seeded Bulldogs were upset to the seventh-seeded Wave 4-3. Here’s Ken Sugiura’s MATCH REPORT.

This was one of those situations where you simply had to tip your cap to the opponent. Pepperdine really played out of its mind and played as good as it possibly could, especially at all the crucial moments.

Here’s what Pepperdine coach Adam Steinberg said about it:

“Incredible. What a great college match. If you know me, I’m not usually at a loss for words, but I’m a little bit. Incredible match against such a great team. I’m so proud of the guys. We’ve never really been in this situation with this team in front of a crowd like that and how they handled …

Continue reading Rewind: Eventful weekend in Athens results in two Georgia teams advancing »

A long list of Bulldogs graduating at spring commencement on Friday at Sanford Stadium. In fact, 68 UGA student-athletes will receive degrees.

Some of notable football players grabbing their sheepskin include: Quarterback Aaron Murray, wide receiver Tavarres King and offensive lineman Clint Boling. Murray, who has two years of eligibility remaining, got it done in three-and-a-half years. Also of note, the 11 gridiron graduates brings to 222 the number who have received degrees under head coach Mark Richt.

Here’s the whole list:

Baseball

Kevin Ruiz, Finance, Alpharetta, Ga.

Men’s Basketball

Matt Bucklin, Marketing, Marietta, Ga.; Connor Nolte, Masters in Sport Management, Alpharetta, Ga.; Dustin Ware, Sport Management, Powder Springs, Ga.

Women’s Basketball

Brittney Crews, Biology, Jefferson, Ga.

Equestrian

Alex Andes, Broadcast News, Atlanta, Ga.; Kelsey Berry, Marketing, Alpharetta, Ga.; Ali Eidson, Consumer Journalism, Tuscola, Texas; Sarah Gravely, Management Information …

Continue reading Aaron Murray, Tavarres King among 68 Bulldogs graduating Friday »

Hudson Swafford watches his shot leave the bunker below the 18th green at UGA Golf Course on Sunday. It went in, giving him a birdie, a course record 62 and a victory in the Stadion Classic at UGA. (Photo courtesy of Stadion Classic)

ATHENS – Hudson Swafford made a back nine charge worthy of that April invitational about 100 miles southeast from here, punctuating a record round of 62 by slam-dunking a sand shot from a greenside bunker on No. 18 for a birdie to win the Stadion Classic at UGA.

When he holed out on his last shot of the tournament for a 17-under score on Sunday, the roars and barks that ensued shook the needles on the stately pines that mimic those at Augusta National and could be heard from the farthest reaches of this 7,300-yard Robert Trent Jones design.

Swafford said he wasn’t immediately certain his ball went in until he“felt the vibration” of the crowd’s spontaneous appluase.

“Such a surreal feeling,” he said. “I couldn’t have drawn it up any …

Continue reading UGA grad Hudson Swafford holes out on 18 to shoot 62 and win Stadion »

Josh Broadaway putts left-handed with a baseball grip . . .

ATHENS — When it comes to his golf swing, Josh Broadaway doesn’t do anything right. But fortunately for him, the golf ball doesn’t seem to mind, and the Albany native finds himself a stroke out of the lead in the Stadion Classic at UGA.

A self-taught player, Broadaway plays right-handed but with a cross-handed grip. He putts left-handed with a baseball grip. Nevertheless, he manages to get the ball in the hole. It took him just 66 whacks to do that on the par-71 University of Georgia Golf Course on Friday, and he trails only Jim Horschel and Jim Herman, who are at 10 under par.

“I started playing that way when I was 5 years old because I didn’t have any left-handed clubs,” said Broadaway, who Nationwide Tour regular. “From hitting baseballs and holding a bat left-handed, that’s just the way I gripped it and I’ve been doing it ever since. I’ve been doing it 28 years that way.”

Broadaway was …

Continue reading ‘Pseudo Bulldog’ Josh Broadaway plays his own style of golf »

ATHENS — There are those who might complain about the way University of Georgia President Michael Adams went about his business as chairman of the Georgia Athletic Association’s board of directors. But most will agree that he was, first and foremost, a sports fan who wanted the Bulldogs to win in the worst way.

Adams, 64, announced Thursday morning his plans to retire from the university on June 30, 2013. That will mark the end of his 16th year in office.

During that time, Georgia has enjoyed perhaps its most success as an athletics program. The Bulldogs won 27 national titles (including equestrian and indoor tennis) and 53 SEC championships (regular season and tournament titles combined).

UGA also saw tremendous growth in athletic facilities. Among the improvements that were made during Adams’ tenure were Butts-Mehre and Sanford Stadium expansions, a complete renovation of Stegeman Coliseum, the Stegeman Athletic Training Facility, the Rankin Smith Academic Achievement …

Continue reading Management style aside, Adams has been a driving force for athletics »

Hines Ward laughs at one of Mike Bobo's shots during Monday's Stadion Classic Celebrity Pro-Am at UGA Golf Course. (Audrey Brees, Jackson-Spalding)

ATHENS — When it comes to preparing yourself for the NFL, there’s no better place to learn the trade than at Georgia.

At least that’s the opinion of Hines Ward, a 14-year NFL veteran, former Super Bowl MVP and UGA grad. Ward was at the UGA Golf Course on Monday to participate in the Celebrity Pro-Am for the Stadion Classic at UGA Nationwide golf tournament.

It’s just one of several trips Ward has made to visit his alma mater since announcing his retirement from professional football in March.

“I always love coming back to Athens and I always want to help the University of Georgia any way I can,” said Ward, who was playing in a group with Mike Bobo and some UGA boosters. “It’s great to play golf here, especially after Bubba [Watson] won The Masters. It’s great to be able to play with guys you played with like Mike Bobo, and …

Continue reading Hines Ward: State players needn’t go anywhere but UGA »

Cordy Glenn's decision to return to Georgia his senior season to play left tackle made him a lot of money in the NFL draft on Friday. (UGA photo by Phillip Faulkner)

Georgia’s Cordy Glenn had to wait a lot longer than he expected – longer than anybody expected really – but he realized his lifelong dream of becoming a professional football player Friday night.

Glenn, an offensive lineman from Riverdale, was selected by Buffalo with the ninth pick of the second round and 41st overall on Friday. The 6-foot-5 ½, 348-pound tackle was one of 26 players invited by the NFL to Radio City Music Hall in New York for Thursday night’s festivities only to go un-drafted. Glenn returned to Atlanta on Friday and it was back at home where he got the news that the Bills had selected him.

“I am happy,” Glenn said on the Buffalo Bills website. “One, I get to play left tackle and, two, Buffalo is one of my favorite teams. I am just happy I get to play football. I know where I am …

Continue reading UGA’s Cordy Glenn ‘excited, relieved’ to be selected 41st in draft by Bills »

Continue reading Q&A: Daugherty Award recipient Dooley busier than ever as retiree »

Georgia coach Mark Richt found himself defending UGA's disciplinary policies in his first stop on the UGA Days speaking tour Tuesday night in Augusta. (UGA photo)

Georgia coach Mark Richt has spent a lot of time this spring talking about discipline and I’ve spent a lot of time writing about it. I’ve filed a dozen stories on the subject already in 2012, including THIS ONE about drug-testing and UGA’s philosophies on crime and punishment.

So it should come as no surprise to learn that discipline dominated the discussion Tuesday night in Augusta when Richt and other UGA coaches and administrators spoke at the first stop on the annual “UGA Days” tour across the Southeast. Addressing of crowd of more than 200 supporters, the first question/comment received was from a man complimenting him on the handling of disciplinary matters, even though it has resulted in the dismissal and/or suspensions or eventual suspensions of at least seven football players.

Richt thanked the man, then …

Continue reading Mark Richt defends UGA’s disciplinary policies, actions of players »

Georgia's offense has actually increased its production under the guidance of coordinator Mike Bobo.

ATHENS – Mike Gottfried says Georgia fans should be careful what they wish for with regard to offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. The long time college football analyst predicts Bobo likely will be leaving the Bulldogs sooner than they think  — and it won’t be under the circumstances they might expect.

“They won’t have him long,” said Gottfried, a sportscaster and former head coach at Pittsburgh and three other college programs. “He will be a head coach real soon. Coach Bobo is a great human being and a great coach and he’s going to be a great head coach some day, without any doubt.”

Gottfried’s comments illustrate g the disjoint there is between fans’ perceptions the job Bobo is doing and what people inside the business think.

To a large contingent in the Bulldog nation, he is “Bobo the Buffoon” and “Mike Boo-Boo.” He’s characterized in fan forums …

Continue reading Perception of Bobo varies greatly between fans, coaches »

Georgia is fortunate to have gotten safety Marc Deas back into the fold to shore up depth in its depleted secondary. (UGA photo by Perry McIntyre Jr.)

ATHENS – Georgia redshirt sophomore safety Marc Deas has decided to return to the Bulldogs.

Deas told coach Mark Richt he was quitting to seek a transfer on March 31. However, Deas remained enrolled at UGA and apparently has had a change of heart. UGA spokesman Claude Felton confirmed via email early Tuesday afternoon that Deas asked the coaching staff for a chance to return.

“[Deas] has had a change of heart and will be remaining with the Bulldogs,” Felton wrote.

That’s good news for Georgia, which has been decimated in the secondary due to other transfers and disciplinary suspensions. Senior cornerback Sanders Commings is suspended for the first two games of the season as discipline for an offseason arrests. Senior Branden Smith, the other starting corner, is also expected to be suspended after his arrest last mongth for …

Continue reading Sophomore safety Marc Deas has change of heart, returns to Bulldogs »

I’ve had a lot of folks asking me about how the offensive line has looked so far. I had a chance to interview line coach Will Friend this past week on just that subject. Following are some of his observations so far:

Q: Who has had the best spring?

A: [Kenarious] Gates has had a good spring so far. We’re not far in it yet, but he’s had the best spring. The rest of the guys need to elevate like he’s done so far.”

Q: What’s the main improvement you’re looking for?

A: “Number one, with this group being younger, your offensive line has to be physical. That’s where your team gets its physicality from. I think they’ve got to be able to improve that part of it. Last year’s group, when they came to the park they were physical. That was the big thing they brought and that goes a long way as games go on. This group needs to be tougher, to play more physical, to be better on assignments. . . . And, of course, we’ve got to find some people we can count on.”

Q: Looks like …

Continue reading Will Friend: Georgia’s O-line needs to be more physical, better on assignments »

Congratulations to former Georgia star and U.S. Olympian Katrina McClain, who learned Monday she’s heading to the Naismaith Basketball Hall of Fame. Here’s the report from New Orleans filed by UGA’s Sports Communication office. . . .

McClain

Katrina McClain, Georgia Basketball’s first-ever National Player of the Year in 1987 who went on to become a three-time U.S. Olympian, has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Hall’s Class of 2012 was announced on Monday in New Orleans in association with the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

“It’s always good to feel like you’re part of a family,” McClain said at the ceremonies. “Knowing from the past, my best friend Teresa Edwards was inducted last year, she talked about how great the Naismith family is and how great the people from the Hall of Fame treat you. This is a wonderful feeling and I feel so honored.”

McClain’s basketball resume is as distinguished as virtually any player in women’s basketball history. She …

Continue reading Georgia’s Katrina McClain joins Teresa Edwards in Naismith Hall of Fame »

ATHENS – The hits just keep coming for the Georgia Bulldogs.

For the second time in as many days, a player informed coach Mark Richt he was unhappy with his role on the team and is seeking a transfer.

Deas

Marc Deas, a redshirt sophomore safety from Kissimmee, Fla., has decided to quit the team due to lack of playing time and is seeking a transfer, Richt said Saturday. Deas joins junior defensive lineman Derrick Lott, who made a similar decision less than 24 hours earlier.

“It was really an almost identical situation,” Richt said. “[Deas] felt like he wasn’t going to get the opportunity to get the kind of playing time he was hoping for at Georgia. I think both kids love Georgia, and we love them. They just didn’t feel it was going to happen for them during the time frame that they were here. So they decided to move on and go where they feel like they’re going to have a better chance of playing. That’s their choice to make.”

Their choices came on the heels of news …

Continue reading Team leaders preach accountability as Georgia loses another player to transfer »

ATHENS – Bobby Bowden is a whole lot older, but he hasn’t changed a bit.

Bowden, 82, was at Georgia’s football complex Friday morning as the featured speaker for coach Mark Richt’s annual coaches’ clinic. The longtime Florida State coach, who had Richt as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator, for more than a decade, took a few minutes before that appointment to answer questions from the reporters who cover the Bulldogs.

His famous sense of humor was apparent as soon as he entered the interview room, at which time he said, “what are all you idiots doing here?”

AJC columnist Jeff Schultz shared a lot of what Bowden said about drug-testing and the behavior of modern student-athletes in his Friday column. But following is some of the other good stuff Bowden shared as he addressed the group for about 15 minutes:

• On what he’s doing these days . . .

“That’s all I’m doing now, speaking all the time and playing golf. Gotta get back this afternoon. Got a golf game. Sleep …

Continue reading Bobby Bowden on coaching: ‘Try raising 100 kids; it ain’t easy’ »

ATHENS — After absorbing the first volley of questions from reporters about suspensions and drug policies and the like, Georgia coach Mark Richt on Thursday asked the rhetorical question, “anybody want to talk some football?”

There wasn’t a lot of new stuff, but here’s what Richt had to say on the following subjects:

• Malcolm Mitchell got his first work of spring at wide receiver and is starting to truly play both ways at cornerback and receiver. . . .

“We allowed Malcolm to play a little offense as well. Any time he wasn’t losing a rep on defense, we tried to get him to jump over there and get a little work on offense, which was good. He enjoyed it. You could tell he was a little tired but, if he’s going to play both ways he’s got to get into condition for something like that. I thought he did a good job.”

Richt said Mitchell is getting opportunities as a return man as well.

• Who’s standing out at the moment? . . .

“A lot of good things happening out there, but one guy in …

Continue reading Football update: Malcolm Mitchell works at receiver, Corey Moore impresses at safety »

ATHENS – Georgia has agreed on a new five-year contract for football coach Mark Richt, so clearly the UGA administration is happy with the job he’s doing. But one thing the Bulldogs’ 12-year coach appears to struggle with is simply keeping his players around.

If reports are true that defensive stars Alec Ogletree and Bacarri Rambo are suspended for multiple games to start this season — UGA has yet to confirm or deny them — then it continues a trend of roster attrition that has occurred at an alarming rate the past few years.

Reviewing AJC archives over the past four years, these latest suspensions would bring to 28 the number of players who will not be playing for the Bulldogs at the beginning of the 2012 season who otherwise would be eligible.

Since January, the Bulldogs have lost 13 players to transfer, disciplinary punishment or inability to achieve academic eligibility. That number balloons to 19 including losses off of last year’s roster.

Here’s what I’ve been able to …

Continue reading Roster attrition occurring at alarming rate for Georgia football »

ATHENS — The Georgia Bulldogs may have lost two more front-line defensive players to suspensions.

The website Dawgpost.com, citing “multiple sources inside the Bulldogs’ football program,” is reporting that All-American safety Bacarri Rambo and starting inside linebacker Alec Ogletree have been suspended “two to four games” for an unspecified violation of team rules.

Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity refused to confirm or deny the report. “No comment at this time,” he said Thursday morning.

If true, that will make four defensive starters who are suspended for early-season games for the Bulldogs. Starting cornerback Sanders Commings already has been suspended for first two games after his conviction for simple battery and disorderly conduct. The other starting corner, senior Branden Smith, is facing a suspension of at least one game for his recent arrest for marijuana possession.

Three other players — including two more defensive backs — were dismissed from the team in …

Continue reading Report: Alec Ogletree, Bacarri Rambo suspended for multiple games »

ATHENS – Georgia has yet to announce a punishment for Branden Smith, who was arrested on March 11 in South Alabama for misdemeanor possession of marijuana, and there may be a good reason.

There are indications Smith may fight the charge.

Smith, a senior cornerback from Atlanta, recently retained an attorney and an April 24 court date has been set for a bench trial. A “bench trial” is when a judge hears a case and rules on it without a jury. Smith was originally scheduled to face the charges on April 10.

Smith’s lawyer, Hamp Baxley of Dothan, Ala., said they have not yet decided how to proceed with the case.

“We haven’t made any decision about whether he’s going to plead or find some alternative dispute resolution or what,” Baxley said Tuesday. “We’re at the very beginning of the process right now.”

Baxley declined to comment on the details surrounding Smith’s arrest because “my client hasn’t given me authorization to make any comments about it. All I can …

Continue reading UGA’s Branden Smith hires attorney, could fight charges »

Sophomore Ray Drew is now playing with 270 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame and hopes to be between 285 and 290 by the time he leaves Georgia. (UGA photo)

ATHENS – Georgia coach Mark Richt was raving the other day about how much Ray Drew has grown since he has been with the Bulldogs. If Drew’s progress on the field matches his physical maturity, NFL scouts soon may be raving about Drew as well.

Thanks in large part to his metamorphosis from the athletic, 6-foot-5, 245-pounder he was when he showed up to the hulking 270-pounder he is in spring football practice this week, the Bulldogs have moved Drew down onto the defensive line. He played last season as a will outside linebacker, a stand-up position that occasionally plays on the line of scrimmage.

Now he’s lining up at defensive end, which in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s scheme is played with a hand on the ground and sometimes well inside toward the interior of the opposing offensive line. Senior Cornelius Washington, …

Continue reading Fast-growing Ray Drew believes versatility is his ticket to football future »

ATHENS – This is not the first time Malcolm Mitchell made a dramatic preseason switch of positions. When Rance Gillespie showed up as the new coach at Valdosta High, one of his first moves was to move Mitchell from cornerback and make him a full-time wide receiver.

Two years later, Mitchell is making a similar move, only this time it’s with the Georgia Bulldogs and it’s from offense to defense.

“We went backwards with it,” said Gillespie, who wanted to feature Mitchell in his new spread offensive attack at Valdosta. “I felt like he was probably an offensive player. Having to learn an entire new offense, we concentrated with him on the offensive side of the ball. Once he got that down, we did move him back over to defense later in the year. Maybe the sixth or seventh game, we started spot-playing him on defense and as we got deeper into the season he played more and more both ways.”

Gillespie’s move proved genius. Mitchell nearly matched the state record for …

Continue reading Mitchell finds meeting room more challenging than field in DB transition »

ATHENS – Sanders Commings’ legal troubles are officially behind him.

Georgia’s senior cornerback, who was arrested on domestic violence charges in January, had his court case resolved before Athens-Clarke County Judge Charles Auslander in Magistrate Court on Tuesday afternoon. Commings pleaded guilty to simple battery and disorderly conduct, was sentenced to 12 months probation and fined $200 plus surcharges, Athens-Clarke County General Solicitor C.R. Chisholm confirmed.

Commings was also ordered to do 40 hours of community service, undergo anger management counseling and a substance abuse evaluation and will be subject to random drug and alcohol screenings. He was also ordered to have no contact with his victim. Commings was granted first-offender treatment so his probation will be waived once he satisfies the orders of the court.

“Commings was not treated any differently than anybody else in his situation,” Chisholm said Wednesday morning. “His sentence was …

Continue reading UGA’s Sanders Commings sentenced to probation and counseling »

Here’s the story on tailbacks and Isaiah Crowell in particular that I filed for print Tuesday night. . . .

ATHENS — Isaiah Crowell’s Georgia teammates bragged on his effort and attitude during the offseason. Apparently his coaches like what they’ve seen and heard as well.

The Bulldogs opened spring practice Tuesday, and Crowell, an enigmatic tailback from Columbus, was the first to line up with the No. 1 offense. “That’s where he’s starting out,” Georgia coach Mark Richt confirmed without elaboration.

That’s a significant development as Crowell ended the 2011 season not only on the sideline, but also in the doghouse. So unsure was the Bulldogs’ situation at tailback that they recruited two prospects to the position, which for a time raised the number on scholarship to seven.

That number dropped to six Tuesday. Rising senior Carlton Thomas informed Richt Tuesday morning of his intention to transfer.

“Carlton has decided to move on,” Richt said. “He came …

Continue reading Isaiah Crowell proud to be No. 1, wants to make ‘run for Heisman’ »

ATHENS – Georgia’s tailback competition thinned out before it ever got started.

Carlton Thomas, a rising senior from Frostproof, Fla., has decided to transfer. He would have been one of seven tailbacks on scholarship for the Bulldogs this coming fall.

“This decision was based solely on the fact that this is my last year to play and my parents and I felt it was the right move to make,” said Thomas, who was suspended for three games for team rules violations last season. “I want to make more of an impact on the field. I didn’t want to disrupt Georgia’s team and preparation for next season, so I made the final decision to leave earlier rather than later in the year.”

Thomas played in 27 games with two starts. He leaves Georgia with 725 yards on 159 carries and four touchdowns.

No word yet on where Thomas might transfer.

Georgia head coach Mark Richt said Thomas informed running backs coach Bryan McClendon of his intentions Monday night, then met with Richt in his office at …

Continue reading Georgia tailback Carlton Thomas decides to transfer »

Rob Saye (L) started the 'Herschel Walker Statue Project' on Facebook and created quite a stir. (Photo by Rob Saye)

ATHENS — What about Frank Sinkwich? What about Charley Trippi? What about outstanding individual athletes in Georgia’s 14 sports other than football.

That’s the problem Greg McGarity has with the “Herschel Walker Statue Project.”

Is the Heisman Trophy winner and star player on the Bulldogs’ 1980 national championship team deserving of a statue? Absolutely, McGarity says.

But are not those aforementioned individuals also?

“You have to look at the program as a whole, with all sports,” McGarity said Friday. “Once you make a decision to single out certain individuals for accomplishments, then what is the domino effect? We have 14 other sports here that have had some tremendous accomplishments from certain individuals. There are just so many moving pieces that it just has to be an institutional decision. Right now there has been no discussion about that.”

Rob Saye, …

Continue reading Herschel Walker statue ‘not a priority right now’ for UGA »

THE TEN AT 10:

1. Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity made a point to mention that football coach Mark Richt is not receiving merely a contract extension, but a whole new deal.

To say “extension” is to imply that additional years are simply being added to the the existing contract. That’s not at all the case. And the simple fact that UGA and Richt’s representation — Lonnie Cooper and Mark Carmony of Career Sports & Entertainment, Inc. — have been dickering over the details since the first week of December underscores that.

“It is a different contract,” McGarity said of the five-year deal that will pay Richt through the 2016 season. “In other words, we’re blowing up the old contract. I shouldn’t say blowing up, but we’re basically starting over with new terminology and things like that that will probably make it easier to read, easier to understand.”

The most important “terminology” in the new contract will be the buyout clause. In other words, what will Georgia owe Richt …

Continue reading Ten@10: Buyout, compensation are sticky issues for Mark Richt’s contract »

UGA FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK

ATHENS – As expected, the University of Georgia on Monday announced contract extensions for head football coach Mark Richt and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

Richt, who has been the Bulldogs’ coach for 11 years, received a three-year extension that will pay him through the end of the 2016 season. Grantham, who just completed his second season at Georgia, had two years added to make his a three-year deal through the 2014 season.

“I’ve never really changed my stance on how I feel about Georgia from the first day I got the opportunity to be here,” Richt said during a news conference Monday at UGA’s Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. “My goal and my wife Katharyn’s goal was to build our life in Athens and raise our children here and finish my coaching career here. That thought has never changed for me.”

The deals – which essentially are new contracts – are expected to include modest salary increases, though UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity said …

Continue reading New contracts, Malcolm Mitchell to defense highlight UGA spring football »

SEC TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK

The rebuilt houses in New Orleans' Ninth Ward are both modernesque and flood resistant. But much work remains to be done. (Photo from makeitrightnola.org)

NEW ORLEANS – The last time Mark Fox came to New Orleans was in 2007 when he was head coach at Nevada. The Wolf Pack was 28-4 and came for the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the South Regional.

That happened to be just two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated this city. So Fox took his team down to the Ninth Ward to survey the residual damage. He has never forgotten what he saw there..

“It really was staggering to see it up close,” Fox said.

Five years later, Fox took a different team back to that area on the banks of the Mississippi River. The Georgia Bulldogs surveyed the neighborhood early Wednesday as they awaited their turn to practice at New Orleans Arena for the SEC basketball tournament.

“I just felt it would be good for our players to see what people went through in this …

Continue reading SEC Tournament notes: Bulldogs tour New Orleans’ Ninth Ward »

Georgia tight end Orson Charles, who caught nearly 100 passes while playing for the Bulldogs, needs to show NFL scouts he has raw speed to go along with his athleticism. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)

Hope you caught all the great coverage D. Orlando Ledbetter provided of last week’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Several Bulldogs were involved, some of whom really stood out.

Georgia aspiring professionals will be putting their talents on display again next week as UGA plays host to its annual Pro Day on Monday at the Woodruff Practice Fields. A dozen players, including one former Bulldog will be put through the paces by NFL scouts.

The event is closed to the public but, again, “D-Led” will be providing comprehensive coverage for the AJC and I’ll probably swing by to check out the festivities and possibly provide a blog or two.

By all accounts, offensive lineman Cordy Glenn was Georgia’s big winner at the combine. He measured 6-foot-5, 345 pounds and ran an impressive …

Continue reading Georgia’s Orson Charles, other Bulldogs, to perform for NFL scouts »