Georgia
Former Georgia 5-star OL emerges at Senior Bowl
MOBILE, Ala. — Clay Webb has a Georgia national championship ring. It’s stuffed in a safety deposit box, where he can’t show it off. He has no desire to do so.
It’s a reminder of lost playing time, a lawsuit and giving up on a career that analysts had thought of as a sure thing.
“Three and a half years ago, I never imagined playing football again,” Webb said. “I kind of thought my dream was over.”
And yet Webb is at the Senior Bowl, a guard outdueling Kentucky’s Deone Walker, a possible first-round NFL draft pick, because of a short drive he made to see if Jacksonville State, the FCS school near his home, had any interest in a former five-star offensive lineman.
Webb was a consensus five-star, rated No. 26 nationally by the 247Sports Composite in the 2019 class, seven spots ahead of Bo Nix and nine spots ahead of Jayden Daniels, both now thriving NFL quarterbacks.
Webb enrolled early at Georgia and played in four games as a true freshman. Then, in early in 2020, Webb was sued as one of three defendants accused of a bullying incident in 2018 at Oxford (Ala.) High School. Another then-student at the high school accused Webb of making him drink a cup with semen in it. The federal lawsuit has still not been resolved, and Webb said Wednesday his lawyers have told him not to comment on it. (The University of Georgia released a statement in 2020 that read: “While we cannot comment on this individual student matter, we review allegations of misconduct by our student-athletes and hold accountable those that do not meet our expectations.” UGA did not respond to messages this week when reached by The Athletic.)
Webb had trouble cracking the Georgia lineup and appeared in just three games the next season. The following season he didn’t play at all, sometimes not even suiting up as Georgia won the national championship.
“I just felt like I wasn’t needed at Georgia,” Webb said.
So he entered the transfer portal after spring practice, but without any real plans. He said he wanted to be with his family, as his grandfather was battling health problems, having his leg amputated. Webb supported his grandfather and mother and mulled his own future.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” he said. “At that point in my life there was a lot of stuff going on. I was trying to figure things out as a man, what my dreams were.”
Webb decided football wasn’t completely off his mind. He doesn’t remember how long he considered himself retired — “it was awhile” — but at some point the summer of 2022 he made the 25-minute drive to Jacksonville State, just showing up and asking if the Gamecocks had any interest. The offensive line coach was, and still is, Rick Trickett, who has coached nearly 40 future pros in his long career, including the 2013 Florida State national champions. Trickett gave Webb an on-the-spot tryout — in the hallway of the Jacksonville State offices.
“I wanna see you do some snaps first,” Trickett said, according to Webb.
So Webb, wearing blue jeans and whatever shirt he picked that day, made a good impression.
Webb didn’t start until the fifth game of his first season. But once he did, he stuck in the lineup, starting the next two seasons, making Conference USA first team in 2024, and getting another ring — when Jacksonville State won the conference championship. That ring, Webb said, means more to him than the Georgia national one.
“Football means a whole lot to me, and it’s been something special in my life for a whole long time,” he said. “But at that point (after leaving Georgia) I was thinking maybe I’m not good enough, or maybe wasn’t able to do this for a living.”
Rich Rodriguez was Jacksonville State’s head coach until returning to West Virginia after this last season.
“I loved coaching Clay,” Rodriguez said through a university spokesman. “He works really hard, has a hard edge and was one of our most consistent players at Jacksonville State. He has a humble personality, is an outstanding player and will be a real asset to any team in the NFL.”
To that end, Webb got the Senior Bowl invite. An AFC scout attending the Senior Bowl, given anonymity in order to be candid, offered this up to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler on Webb: “He was fine when I saw him in September. But his name kept popping up midseason so I revisited him and thought he was getting better and better. And I think that’s continued here. Good to see him at center during practice. Strong dude.”
Webb was asked if he feels again like the guy who was a five-star.
“No. I believe I’ve learned from that point,” he said. “Not to care about rankings, but who I am as a person, and how better I can get every day.”
(Photo of Webb (left) at the Senior Bowl: Vasha Hunt / Imagn Images)
SCREVEN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) – A parasite not seen in the United States since the 1960s is making a comeback, and Georgia cattle producers are watching closely.
The New World Screwworm has been confirmed in Texas and New Mexico, raising alarms across the South. The pest — eradicated in the U.S. more than 60 years ago and driven all the way to Panama — has been working its way back north through Mexico.
Screven County cattle producer Lindy Sheppard says he learned about screwworm in agriculture college and heard stories from his father, who dealt with the parasite in the 1950s and ’60s.
“I never thought I would have to deal with it,” said Sheppard.
Now, with confirmed cases edging closer to Georgia, Sheppard isn’t so sure.
“We hope they keep it on that side of the Mississippi River,” he said. “We don’t want it over here.”
How screwworm spreads
The New World Screwworm spreads through flies whose larvae burrow into the open wounds of living animals. Livestock, horses, pets and wildlife are all at risk. Newborn cattle are especially vulnerable; their exposed navel cords provide an entry point for flies.
Sheppard says calving season, which begins as early as late August in Georgia, is his biggest concern.
“When we start calving in late August, September, because the navel cords are so exposed. That’s a red flag in my mind that it could be a real problem when we start calving this fall,” he said.
Georgia’s response
The Georgia Department of Agriculture is already taking action. Officials are monitoring livestock movement into and out of the state around the clock and have prepared traps ready to deploy if needed.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said the state is stepping up protocol checks on all animals entering Georgia.
Sheppard says he is confident in the state’s leadership.
“We’ve got Tyler Harper, our commissioner of agriculture. He’s all over it,” Sheppard said. “I feel like they’re doing everything they can. I really do.”
Economic concerns
The screwworm threat comes as Georgia’s cattle industry is already under significant pressure. Rising costs, shrinking profit margins, dwindling access to markets and an aging workforce have pushed many farmers to the brink.
Sheppard, 65, notes the average age of a cattle farmer is 58, and says screwworm could be the breaking point for some.
“We’re losing cattle in this state anyway, so that may accelerate it,” he said. “It might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, it sure might. It makes them go ahead and sell all of the cattle.”
The USDA has allocated $100 million toward screwworm eradication efforts. In South Texas, federal officials are already releasing sterile flies, the same method used to eradicate the parasite in the 1960s.
Food supply not at risk
Despite the growing concern, both Sheppard and state officials say the food supply is not in danger.
“It does not affect the food supply,” Sheppard said. “The quality of the food has nothing to do with it… it only really affects those of us here producing it. And we just have to manage it the best we can.”
What to do if you suspect screwworm
The Georgia Department of Agriculture is urging farmers and pet owners to report any signs of screwworm immediately, including unusual wounds, maggots or strange behavior in livestock or animals.
To report a suspected case, contact the Office of the State Veterinarian:
- Phone: 404-656-3667
- Email: AnimalHealth@agr.georgia.gov
Copyright 2026 WTOC. All rights reserved.
PERRY, Ga. (WALB) — The Georgia National Fair announced ticket pricing changes for 2026 in a Facebook post.
Children ages 3-10 will now require a $5 admission ticket.
Adult tickets purchased with cash at the entry gate will cost $20, excluding discounted admission days. Adults paying with a card at the gate will pay $15.
All online transactions will include a processing fee.
Discounted admission days will be $10 for everyone. Seniors 60 and up are $10 every day.
For more ticket information and fair dates, visit https://www.georgianationalfair.com/p/getconnected/pricing.
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Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.
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