ATHENS – After a pandemic-reduced fall schedule and another short-of-goal finish, Georgia fans seem as starved as ever for some spring football.
The Bulldogs put the remaining G-Day Game tickets not claimed by Hartman or Magill Society donors on sale Monday morning — about 2,000 — and they sold out within a couple of hours, according to UGA officials.
So, while Sanford Stadium won’t be filled to the brim for G-Day like it was in April 2016 when roughly 93,000 spectators made their way in, it will be at a socially distanced capacity of 20,524 for the annual intrasquad game set to be played on April 17 this year.
This time, they even had to pay $10 a pop to attend. UGA said it plans to donate the proceeds from the gate to as-yet unknown charity.
In the meantime, there’s a lot for the Bulldogs to get done before then. The first of the 14 other spring practice dates gets under way Tuesday afternoon. Following are the primary objectives to be achieved between now and then:
- Find some cornerbacks: And throw in a reliable nickelback as well. Georgia will have new starters at those three all-important positions in the fall as Tyson Campbell, Eric Stokes and Mark Webb will be working out for NFL scouts at Pro Day on Wednesday.
- Introduce Jahmile Addae: Pronounced (juh-MILE uh-DIE), this first-year defensive backfield coach by way of West Virginia is charged with sorting out the chaos in the secondary and establishing a firm hierarchy over the next five weeks. A former DB himself, he has a good track record. The Mountaineers led the nation in fewest passing yards allowed last year (159.6 ypg).
- Settle on O-line: Coach Matt Luke experimented with a new left tackle after center Trey Hill and right guard Ben Cleveland opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. It didn’t go well. Georgia eked out the victory over Cincinnati but struggled up front after moving Jamaree Salyer inside to left guard. With a top-five Clemson team and a returns-intact defensive line awaiting in Game 1, any more experimentation will have to end in spring ball.
There are many other areas of improvement the Bulldogs need to make. That includes tightening up and tweaking an offense that at least won’t be looking for a quarterback. JT Daniels locked that down in the last four games of last season.
Coach Kirby Smart’s new word for the new year is “incrementalism.”
“We’re trying to get incrementally better this offseason in everything we do,” he said recently. “We’re trying to improve every way we can, on the field and off the field.”
A hoard of followers are ready to assess the Bulldogs’ progress over the next five weeks.
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