UGA blog finds new home
Morning all. As I’ve said a couple of times this week, we’re converting this blog over to a WordPress platform and it will be a permanent move the first of next week.
Those of you who are regulars probably know that I’m not what you’d call techno-wizard when it comes to these things. But from what I understand the technology offered in this new format should make the blogging and commenting experience better for all. Of course, I’ll be learning as we go along, too. But I’m hoping to provide more pictures and video and things like that which should bring the blog more to life.
Of course, this blog is nothing without all you guys so I want to heartily invite (read: beg) you to come over to the new site by CLICKING HERE ON THE NEW ADDRESS and save it in your browsers. As of Monday, Feb. 23rd, this will be the permanent home of the UGA blog you so love or, in the case of some of you, love to loathe. If you’d prefer to copy and paste or just memorize, the new address is: http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/.
See at the new place!
AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2008 > August > 28
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Richt: Dogs in title talk to stay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I had a very enlightening interview with Georgia coach Mark Richt yesterday. It was actually for a story I’m working on for next week. But I had to conduct the interview amongst all the other press that covers the Bulldogs daily and Richt’s answers were poignant enough that I’d imagine some of them will use it before my story comes out Central Michigan week. So I figured I’d share it with the loyal readers of the UGA blog.
The crux of the story I’m working on is, as consensus preseason No. 1 this season and after finishing No. 2 last season, obviously Georgia is in the national championship picture this year. But what I wanted to know from Richt was, looking around at the talent on his practice field, at the players just gone and the ones just coming in, does he feel like he’s gotten the Bulldogs’ football program to the point that it should be contending for the national championship every year.
In a nutshell, Richt said he did. He talked about not being sure when he first arrived at Georgia from Florida State whether he could get it to this point but firmly believed so after that first season. And since then, winning two SEC titles and four Eastern Division titles and playing in three SEC championship games and finishing 13-1 another year, Richt believes that proverbial lid he referred to removing has been knocked off. Basically I gathered that he feels like, if not this year, then the next or the next or the next.
Richt pointed to recruiting as the biggest factor for why he feels this way. He said their closing rate on prospects is very, very good. One publication said the Bulldogs brought in 37 players for official visits last season and signed 23 of those guys (one ended up playing pro baseball and another’s at prep school). The point is, he said, when he talks to recruits in Georgia and, perhaps more importantly, in other states nowadays, they’re usually pretty interested in the Dogs.
I plan on talking to some others outside the program to get some more perspective before crafting my story next week. But in the meantime I’ll share a couple of his quotes and y’all let me know what you think.
Richt on if he thinks this is the way it’s going to be from how on:
“Yes, I think so. I think we’re doing a very fine job of evaluating talent and hitting on a high percentage of the ones we’re going after. I don’t know what the record is across the country but if you look at how many guys make official visits and, of those, how many commit and sign with Georgia it’s pretty good. I’ve forgotten the number now of how many you can bring in any given year but we haven’t even come close to bringing in the number of official visits we’re allowed to bring in because we’ve just really hit on a really high percentage of the guys we’re going after. If you get every other one you’re doing really good but we’re at a better ratio than that and have been there probably the last three recruiting classes.”
Richt on how prospects react to Georgia:
“The name recognition and even the response you get when you make contact with a kid across the country, that may be your best indication. Early on, some in-state guys weren’t all that interested. Now most of them at least have a high-level of interest in us. Somebody may snag them away by looking at a depth chart or maybe a family tie or something like that. And sometimes somebody might just do a better job of recruiting a kid, he just connects with a coach or something. But out of state we’re getting a lot more guys excited about hearing from Georgia than before, by a long shot.”
On not being awed about being No. 1:
“I really and truly don’t think we’re a whole lot different than the last four, five, six years. After our first season I really believed that we could win the Southeastern Conference. The first year I just didn’t know. I didn’t know what we had. Georgia hadn’t won [an SEC title] in 19 years or something. There was probably a reason why and I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t understand the league. There were a lot of things I didn’t know. So going in I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to try to get the thing going in the right direction. But after the season was over, I was like, ‘you know what, after close [losses] to Auburn and South Carolina, if we had won those games we’re playing for the Southeastern Conference championship.’ So I was like, why not us? I didn’t think we were very far away personnel wise. I thought it was more a matter of changing attitudes and beginning to believe.”
Your thoughts?
PRACTICE UPDATE COMING THIS AFTERNOON.
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