by Georgian football begins spring training on Tuesday, March 14. Below you will find information on the team’s injury reports, position battles and live updates after training.
Georgia fell 15-0 last season, bringing back 15 starters from the national championship game.
Georgia Football 2023 Spring Training Live Updates
Update from March 14, 11:30 am:
- “First, I’m going to address the expectations of our student-athletes. We didn’t meet them. The standard was created here long ago. The mistakes they make, we treat them like our children. It’s been a tough road with the deaths of Chandler and Devin. Our players have been through a lot. I feel like our players are beginning to recognize and understand that costly decisions can cost you your life.” — Kirby Smart on Georgia’s student athletes.
- “I really believe that we have a great group of young men. There is a lot of good that comes from children.”
- Smart rules out Jalon Walker (shoulder), Marvin Jones (shoulder), Joshua Miller (shoulder), Dan Jackson (foot) and Andrew Paul (knee).
- “He has one more day in court on these charges. Pop will be absolutely disciplined. Do I have to define this discipline? I don’t.” – Smart on Jamon Dumas-Johnson being arrested for racing and reckless driving.
- “I have no way of controlling speeding if I’m not aware of it.”
- “We think we have three really good quarterbacks. We will not live with them unless we choose to. I look forward to seeing Carson and Brock. You’re going to get a lot of reps with those. I look forward to seeing these guys compete.”
- “There will be no changes in the choice of words. There will be some additions.” – Smart on offense by Georgia.
- “The decision was continuity on offense to keep that.” – Smart on the Georgia offensive.
- “I think those two guys would fight over who has the stronger arm. I think they both have really good pocket presence. He added 15 pounds of muscle. They are exactly the same size. It’s difficult to say. I don’t think people give Carson enough credit for being a good athlete. I wouldn’t discount Gunner out of this. I’ve really seen him grow.”
- “He was adamant that we have three really talented quarterbacks.” – Smart on Todd Monken’s assessment of the Georgia quarterback space.
- Smart says it was around the national championship game when he knew he could promote Mike Bobo at the event.
- “These youngsters looked good in training. We’re going to need a lot of work there to replace the Nolan and Robert Beal of the world who’ve been there forever.” – Smart on the outside linebacker position.
- “We look forward to seeing him compete this spring.” — Smart on Deyon Bouie.
- “He will be released to train with us immediately.” — Smart on Rara Thomas.
- Smart says Andrew Paul won’t be doing 11-on-11 drills but should be good for fall camp.
- “I feel like I have more to prove.” — Ladd McConkey on why he came back
- “As for coach Bobo, he did a lot for us last year. I’m super excited that he’s here and taking over. I feel like we can be better than ever.” — McConkey on Mike Bobo.
- “It’s a sad situation and it still is. We’re doing everything we can to honor Devin and Chandler. This is our family.” — McConkey on the January 15 crash.
- “Obviously a lot of him, Brock, Gunner can feed off of that. They can bring things to the table that Stet might not have had.” — McConkey at quarterback position.
- “These guys walked in and learned the playbook right away. Those are two hardworking guys.” — McConkey on Rara Thomas and Dominic Lovett.
- “Just to see how we work best and fit best. Spring really helps to see who fits where.”
- “I’m sure there will be a twist. Every time a new OC comes along, he wants to do his stuff.”
- “These guys came in wanting to work. All three were here for bowl practice. They were ready to reach for it.”
- “Every time you have incidents like ours, it hits you in a different way. You sit there and don’t take a day for granted. We have no guarantee for tomorrow.”
- “I’m getting there. Take it day by day. I wouldn’t say I’m 100 percent. Every time you play 15 games, you probably won’t feel as good afterwards. Rest helps with that.”
- “Something happens, you learn from it. Be proactive, not reactive. I think our coaches did a good job to put us on the right path. I think it’s stronger than ever.” — Ladd McConkey on the culture of the Georgia soccer team.
6:00 a.m., March 14 update: The Georgia Bulldogs return to the practice field Tuesday for the first of their 15 spring practice sessions. Georgia coach Kirby Smart will address the media at 12 p.m. ET.
Smart will have plenty to talk about as it will be the first time he has been meeting with reporters at the close of the 2022 season since the day after Georgia’s 65-7 win over TCU.
Georgia isn’t as exhausted as it was last offseason, but there are still plenty of new names and faces to discover. Georgia has a new offensive coordinator in Mike Bobo, who will take over from Todd Monken.
In addition to a new offensive coordinator, Georgia also gets a new quarterback. The play by Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton will be discussed frequently over the next month.
While Georgia has had 23 players leave the program, the Bulldogs have already signed a number of new players. To keep up with 18 early enrollments, Georgia also added wide receivers Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas and defenseman Smoke Bouie from the transfer portal.
Of the early participants, many will be interested to see how Damon Wilson, Monroe Freeling and Jordan Hall play. Linebacker CJ Allen has earned consistent praise since arriving before bowl practice.
The Bulldogs will conclude spring training on April 15 with their G-Day scrimmage. The game is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. ET, with ESPN2 broadcasting the game.
Georgia Spring Training 2023 Football Injury Report
- Marvin Jones Jr. – Shoulder out
- Earnest Greene– back
- Andrew Paul-ACL
- Dan Jackson- Foot
- Nyland Green – Wrist
Georgia Football Position Battles for Spring Training
Quarterback: Carson Beck (Jr.), Brock Vandagriff (R-Soph.), Gunner Stockton (R-Fr.)
By far the most interesting battle for positions this spring. Beck emerges as a favorite to win the job, having been Stetson Bennett’s back-up last season. Expect this battle for positions to continue through spring and fall practice
Left tackle: Xavier Truss (Sr.), Austin Blaske (Jr.), Earnest Greene (R-Fr), Monroe Freeling (Fr.)
Georgia will certainly hand one of the tackle spots to Amarius Mims, who started both College Football Playoff games last season. As for the other tackle spot, Georgia has a mix of options for young and old at the position. Many will be interested to see how Greene plays while he’s coming off back surgery. Freeling comes as a 5-star prospect.
Cornerback: Daylen Everette (Soph.), Nyland Green (R-Soph.), Julian Huphmrey (R-Fr.), AJ Harris (Fr.)
Georgia brings back Kamari Lassiter as one of the starting cornerbacks. The fight on the other side was to be bitter, as all four cornerbacks were top-100 overall. Everette emerges as the favorite to win the job after a strong freshman campaign.
Safety: Dan Jackson (Sr.), David Daniel-Sisavanh (R-Soph.), Smoke Bouie (Soph.), JaCorey Thomas (R-Fres.), Joenel Aguero (Fr.)
The Bulldogs have many different options for replacing Chris Smith. Two of the more interesting options are newcomers, as Bouie arrives after one season at Texas A&M and Aguero was a hot name in the 2023 recruiting cycle. Georgia could also choose to get creative when it comes to getting star Javon Bullard to the safe place as well.
