Georgia Bulldogs Football

Georgia wideout George Pickens squirted water at Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano after the Vol signal-caller ran and fell out of bounds on the Bulldog sideline Saturday.

Pickens received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and Tennessee later took a 21-17 lead on that drive off a 27-yard touchdown pass.

After the game, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart expressed his displeasure with Pickens' actions.

"When somebody comes out of bounds and you squirt water at them, what are we? Are we seven and eight years old?" Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said, per ESPN's Harry Lyles Jr.

"I mean come on, let's play football. Let's don't be silly."

The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs struggled against No. 14 Tennessee before finishing the game with 27 unanswered points en route to a 44-21 win.

Pickens, a sophomore wideout from Hoover, Alabama, caught two passes for 14 yards on the night. He has eight receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns in three games this season for the 3-0 Bulldogs.

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback JT Daniels has been cleared to play ahead of the team's home matchup with Auburn on Saturday. 

"JT will be cleared, but I don't know how much that changes the picture in terms of reps and development, we'll be looking at everybody across the board," head coach Kirby Smart said, per Brandon Zimmerman of ESPN. "JT has got to be able to show us that he can function efficiently."

"We always thought he'd be cleared by this time anyway, but those guys will all compete as well as Carson (Beck, a freshman) will, too," Smart added, per Jake Rowe of 247Sports. 

Stetson Bennett (20-of-29 for 211 yards and two touchdowns) and starter D'Wan Mathis (8-of-17 for 55 yards and an interception) split reps on Saturday in Georgia's 37-10 win over Arkansas. 

Daniels, a USC transfer, looked as though he'd be the starter heading into the season. The sophomore split first-team reps in the preseason with Jamie Newman before the fellow transfer opted out of the season. Daniels then began splitting reps with Mathis, but once it became clear he wouldn't be cleared to play for the opener, Mathis and Bennett saw time at quarterback. 

At USC, Daniels tore his ACL in last season's opener against Fresno State. With Kedon Slovis establishing himself as the team's starting quarterback, the former 5-star recruit chose to transfer. 

If Daniels does see playing time on Saturday, his first game in a Georgia uniform will be a tough test against Auburn. It might be safe to assume that Mathis will get the first crack at being the starter, however, despite the redshirt freshman's tough start to the season. 

"All I can tell you is that we're going to continue to work with all of the guys we've got to put the best guy in there that gives us the best opportunity to win the football games," Smart said, per Mark Schlabach of ESPN. "D'Wan did not play as bad as it seemed to some. I thought he did some good things watching the tape, and he had some unfortunate bad breaks that happened while he was in at quarterback."

Ole Miss defensive back Otis Reese said he was the victim of racist harassment and abuse at the University of Georgia before his transfer from the school.

In a statement posted to social media, Reese said he was "pulled over and harassed by police officers along with friends, not once but twice" during his time at the school. He alleged that on both occasions the officers "were extremely aggressive, accusing us of using drugs and searching the car without any basis and told us they would take us to jail."

He also alleged a white Georgia student-athlete called one of his friends the N-word and that "another group of white classmates mocked slavery and pretended to whip each other."

Reese's statement comes as he's attempting to receive waivers from the NCAA and SEC that would allow him to play for Ole Miss right away.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach shared a statement from Georgia addressing his claims:

"We cannot comment on student-athlete eligibility matters due to federal privacy laws, but we would be happy to share our full response to Otis Reese's waiver request, if he provides a signed release allowing us to do so. UGA disputes any suggestion that it maintains an unsafe, unsupportive, or racially insensitive environment."

Reese also wrote that he previously spoken to Georgia head coach Kirby Smart in October about his desire to leave the team, and Smart allegedly said he wouldn't stand in the way of Reese receiving a transfer waiver as long as he played out the remainder of the 2019 season.

In the statement, Reese added he felt "manipulated" to play "when I was truly at my darkest moment."

Reese appeared in 25 games in his two seasons at Georgia.

He wasn't the only former Bulldog to move on to another SEC school ahead of this season. Tennessee announced in January that Cade Mays had officially joined the program.

The NCAA granted Mays a waiver to gain immediate eligibility, but the offensive tackle is awaiting a decision from the SEC. Gregory P. Isaacs, who represented Mays in his appeal to the NCAA, alluded to similar problems to those of Reese behind the scenes at Georgia.

"Because of a variety of factors, it was a toxic environment that did not support Cade Mays' well-being as a student-athlete," Isaacs told the Knoxville News Sentinel's Blake Toppmeyer. 

During a media call Tuesday, Smart said he couldn't go into specifics on Reese's allegations.

"Unfortunately, I'm not able to respond to that," he told reporters. "In due time, it'll play itself out, but it's not something I'm allowed to comment on."

Georgia Bulldogs head football coach Kirby Smart and his wife, Mary Beth, are donating $1 million "to their alma mater to support UGA Athletic Association's new social justice program and create scholarships for senior student-athletes whose final seasons were impacted by COVID," per Brett McMurphy of Stadium.

Smart released a statement regarding the donation, per Jake Rowe of 247Sports.com:

"Mary Beth and I are where we are because of the University of Georgia, so we feel a duty to give back to the university that opened so many doors for us, brought us together and brought us home. The current moment presents unique challenges for all of us, whether that's dealing with the ramifications of this pandemic or acknowledging and addressing racial inequality. We hope this gift can fuel positive change in both areas."

Georgia's director of athletics, Greg McGarity, said in a statement:

"Coach Smart and Mary Beth, from their student-athlete days to today, have been exemplary Georgia Bulldogs, and this gift is yet another demonstration of their strong commitment to UGA. Their commitments will enhance the athletic and life-skills training our football student-athletes receive, maintain our high standards for diversity and inclusion, and ensure that senior student-athletes derailed by COVID-19 face no financial barriers to return and finish their Bulldog athletic careers."

This comes after Georgia quarterback and current Detroit Lion Matt Stafford, and his wife, Kelly, gave $1.5 million to the school in August, with $350,000 of that donation going toward the new social justice program, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN. 

"Just trying to figure out what the best way to make an impact is and we've done some work here in the Detroit area," Stafford said. "And wanted to do some work back where we spent our college years, and obviously Georgia was starting, thinking about starting this program, and we were obviously extremely happy to be a part of it."

Smart, 44, has served as Georgia's coach since 2016, going 44-12 in that time with four bowl appearances and a trip to the College Football Playoff title game in the 2017 season, where the Bulldogs lost to Alabama. He also spent four seasons with the Bulldogs as a player from 1995 to 1998. 

Georgia quarterback Jamie Newman has opted out of the 2020 season and will begin preparing for the 2021 NFL draft.

Head coach Kirby Smart also released a statement offering his support for the quarterback:

Newman had transferred to Georgia after spending the past four years at Wake Forest. He was eligible to play immediately as a graduate transfer and was battling for the starting job until opting out.

As Bleacher Report's Matt Miller noted, JT Daniels will likely become the Bulldogs' starting quarterback as a result of the latest news.

Newman seemingly had a leg up on Daniels, who was still recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season at USC and hasn't been cleared for contact.

Stetson Bennett and D'Wan Mathis could also compete for playing time for the Bulldogs.

There were high expectations for Newman, who was coming off an impressive season as a dual-threat quarterback at Wake. He finished 2019 with 2,868 passing yards and 26 touchdowns to go with 574 rushing yards and six more scores on the ground.

With Georgia entering the year No. 4 in the Associated Press preseason poll, he had a chance to raise his profile even more going into the draft.

Newman was named to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award (player of the year) and Davey O'Brien Award (top quarterback) and headlined a list of transfers who could grow their stock in 2020, via Josh Edwards of CBS Sports.

Pro Football Focus ranked the quarterback No. 3 at his position going into 2020.

Georgia must now figure out how to compete for a national championship without the talented passer.

Four prominent University of Georgia sports alums have teamed up to donate $500,000 to support a social justice cause for Bulldogs student-athletes.

Matthew and Kelly Stafford joined Kirby and Mary Beth Smart to fund "an ambitious program that seeks to implement strategic initiatives in the areas of diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice" launched by the University of Georgia Athletic Association:

Matthew Stafford played quarterback at Georgia for three seasons before being selected No. 1 overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL draft. Kelly Stafford was a cheerleader at the school and graduated in 2007.

Kirby Smart played defensive back for the Bulldogs from 1995 to 1998, and the program hired him as its head football coach ahead of the 2016 season. Mary Beth Smart was a Georgia basketball player from 1999 to 2003.

The goal of the new program is to develop an environment that "will effect meaningful change" in the area of social justice for the Bulldogs' student-athletes, coaches and staff members.

Georgia Bulldogs incoming 5-star offensive lineman Broderick Jones injured his lower leg in a motorbike accident, according to Dawgs247 and Brad Crawford of 247Sports. 

Per Crawford: "The injury is not considered 'long-term' according to sources, but it could delay the start of his freshman campaign this fall. Jones was expected to make an early impact along an offensive front that replaces several NFL draft picks in Athens."

Given Jones' immense upside, he was a candidate to serve as an immediate starter. He was considered the No. 2 offensive tackle, the No. 3 player from Georgia and the No. 11 player overall in 247Sports' 2020 composite rankings. 

Granted, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has maintained realistic expectations for incoming freshman on the offensive line, as he told reporters in February:

"I've always said the offensive line position is probably the toughest to come in and play right away if you just rank all the positions going forward. Andrew [Thomas] was very unique to be able to do that but that's very rare to be able to do that at that position. These guys will have to come in develop, lift, work. What's going to be unique for us is a lot of these guys may be littered across the two-deep. Just because our numbers are really down on the offensive line."

But there's little doubt that Jones has the type of talent to make an impact before long. Charles Power of 247Sports wrote in his scouting report that Jones has "all of the tools to develop into a high-level bookend tackle" and that he "will need time to develop, but has a considerable ceiling. Projects as a multiyear Power Five starter with the upside of developing into an early-round NFL pick."

He also compared him to current Arizona Cardinals tackle D.J. Humphries. 

"I am a Georgia boy," Jones said after announcing his commitment in February. "It is the brand. I wanted to be close to home so my family could support me. That was one of the biggest factors. Go Dawgs!"

With Georgia losing Thomas, Isaiah Wilson and Solomon Kindley to the NFL draft this year, the state of the offensive line has been a major offseason talking point. The injury to Jones will only magnify that conversation with the season about two months away. 

The University of Georgia Redcoat Band announced in a letter from acting director Brett Bawcum that it will no longer play "Tara's Theme" as part of its traditions:   

"We are ending performances of 'Tara's Theme,' effective immediately, and replacing it as our signature with Georgia on My Mind. Though the tradition has been under discussion for months within the band, the current social climate has highlighted the urgency of addressing it and made me conscious of the message that could be interpreted by delay. To be clear, the issue with the tradition is not the motivation of those who have embraced it, but rather the possibilities it may limit in those who haven't. I value tradition, but I value creating a welcoming environment much more.

"I love the Redcoat Band. But it is incomplete. It's past time that we made it right."

Bawcum pointed to the band's decision in 1971 to remove the word Dixie from its name as an example of progress it has made in the past.

Dave Wilson of ESPN noted "Tara's Theme" is the opening music of the movie Gone With the Wind, which takes place in the antebellum South. Wilson also pointed out HBO Max removed the movie from its library and said it will bring it back with the proper "context and framing."

The University of Georgia also recently announced it created an advisory group to review whether it should rename buildings at the school.

The band's decision comes at a time of great national reflection with much of the focus on systemic racism and police brutality following the killing of George Floyd on May 25.

Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck as the latter pleaded for his life and said he could not breathe. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The killing has sparked worldwide protests against police brutality and racism. A number of professional and college athletes have raised their voices and taken part in the protests, including coaches and athletes at the University of Georgia.

Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald noted head football coach Kirby Smart joined other Bulldogs coaches, athletic director Greg McGarity and deputy athletic director Darrice Griffin in a video and said, "We will not be silent and we are committed to healing together. For you, we remain committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, seen and heard."

JT Daniels has found a new home after committing to play quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs. 

The former USC Trojan announced his decision on Twitter:

USC head coach Clay Helton released a statement last month saying Daniels entered his name into the transfer portal but left open the possibility he could return to the team:

"We have been working with JT and his family, as well as our compliance office, to help him navigate the process of entering his name in the transfer portal. It is his desire to explore all of his options going into the 2020 season. We will continue to support JT in every way possible and help him through his decision, including the option of staying on with our football team."

Daniels arrived at USC with a lot of hype before the 2018 season. He was a 5-star prospect and the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the country, per 247Sports' composite rankings. The only quarterback ranked ahead of him was Trevor Lawrence.

After a modest start to Daniels' Trojans career, his sophomore campaign ended in the second quarter of the season opener against Fresno State when he tore his ACL.

Kedon Slovis took over as the starter as a true freshman and never looked back. The Arizona native was named Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year after throwing for 3,502 yards, 30 touchdowns and an NCAA freshman-record 71.3 completion percentage.

One advantage Daniels has by choosing to transfer now is he still has time to develop into the quarterback everyone expected him to be out of high school.

Daniels' freshman year was hit-and-miss with 2,672 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, but not every star player comes out of the gate like Lawrence or Tua Tagovailoa. He gets to work with a new coaching staff in an environment where the weight of expectations won't drown him.

Even though Daniels has to sit out the 2020 season because of NCAA transfer rules, he will have time to get his knee back to full strength and compete for a starting job with the Bulldogs in 2021.

Georgia has an uncertain quarterback situation after Jake Fromm headed to the NFL. Jamie Newman, a graduate transfer from Wake Forest, could be in the mix for the starting job this season. 

True freshman Carson Beck, a 4-star prospect, has a high ceiling. Stetson Bennett is a redshirt junior who appeared in five games last season but has never started a game. 

All of this leaves head coach Kirby Smart with a lot of immediate and long-term questions at quarterback. Daniels' won't be eligible until next year, but he can become the Bulldogs starter when he can play.

Perhaps no college football program in America has recruited better than Georgia since Kirby Smart took over as head coach in 2016, but competing and winning on the recruiting trail has been a costly endeavor.

According to Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, documents submitted to the AJC by the University of Georgia show that the school spent $422,047.07 on 42 chartered airplane trips in December 2019 for Smart and his staff to recruit.

Towers added that Georgia paid for 74 chartered flights for Georgia coaches from September to mid-December 2019 at a total cost of $696,269.99.

Although Georgia's efforts have been pricey, they have paid off in the form of some of the top recruiting classes in the nation during Smart's tenure.

According to 247Sports, the Bulldogs had the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation for both 2020 and 2018, No. 2 in 2019 and No. 3 in 2017.

Towers noted that the cost of the flights largely had to do with the fact that Smart and Co. pursued players from all across the country. During the 13-day recruiting trip in December, Bulldogs coaches went to 23 different cities outside the state of Georgia.

In terms of the 2020 recruiting class, 16 of the 25 players who signed letters of intent to play at Georgia reside outside the Peach State.

Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity suggested he has no qualms about what it cost to land the best of the best on the recruiting trail: "You want a return on your investment, right? This is just part of what we do to help Kirby get the job done at UGA. [Recruiting travel is] one of many segments that are important to facilitating our program. It illustrates our commitment to Kirby to achieve our mutual goals."

After a successful run as the defensive coordinator at Alabama from 2008-15, Smart was hired to replace Mark Richt as the head coach at Georgia in 2016.

In his four seasons with the Bulldogs, Smart has gone 44-12 with three trips to the SEC Championship Game, one of which Georgia won. Georgia has also won a Rose Bowl and a Sugar Bowl under Smart, and the Bulldogs reached the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in 2017, where they lost to Alabama.

While Georgia has yet to win it all with Smart leading the way, it has consistently been among the top teams in the nation for the past three seasons, and his recruiting has a lot to do with it.