Georgia
Georgia begins spring practice looking to get back on top after falling just short in 2023
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Carson Beck returned for another season at Georgia to take care of some unfinished business.
He’s doing it in style, too.
The Bulldogs quarterback shrugged off his new ride — a $300,000 Lamborghini he called “just a car” — and began spring practice Tuesday focused on bringing another national title to Athens.
In Beck’s initial season as the starter, Georgia just missed a chance to become the first team in the Associated Press poll era to win three straight crowns with a three-point loss to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game.
That defeat influenced Beck’s decision to pass on the NFL draft and return to the Bulldogs for one more year.
“We had a really good year. Obviously our goal is always to win it all,” Beck said. “We didn’t achieve that goal. I’m coming back with that same mindset because we didn’t reach that goal.”
Of course, the NIL era has made it financially viable for many college athletes to spend additional time in school.
Look no further than Beck’s luxury Italian sports car.
“I’ve always been a huge car guy,” he said. “Being able to get that car, obviously it’s a blessing.”
Beck’s lucrative return is a big reason that Georgia should remain one of the nation’s top teams. After spending three years as a backup, he finally got his chance to start and took full advantage of it.
Leading the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record, he completed more than 72% of his passing attempts for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns, with just six interceptions.
“He has high standards. He has high expectations,” coach Kirby Smart said. “His decision to come back was built around doing something different, doing something special.”
For Beck, spring practice feels a whole lot different than a year ago, when he was battling for the starting job with Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton.
There’s no doubt who’s taking the snaps this season.
“Last year, I was coming in and wasn’t sure if I was going to be the starter or not,” Beck said. “Now, coming back, having been the starter, I can kind of hone in and focus more on what I need to improve on compared to just trying to compete against other guys. I can really focus on competing against myself.”
Coming in as a dethroned champion rather than a defending champion makes no difference to the way Smart is approaching the new season.
“Every year starts fresh,” the coach said. “For me it’s a fresh beginning with a new team. I’ve been trying since the last whistle to recreate this team. What does the 2024 team look like? That would be regardless as to how last year finished. Each season is independent of the previous.”
Even with stars such as Brock Bowers moving on to the NFL, Smart heads into his ninth season having built a program that is more about reloading than rebuilding. Another stellar recruiting class was augmented by a group of talented transfers, led by former Florida running back Trevor Etienne.
Etienne transferred to Athens after rushing for more than 700 yards each of the last two seasons with one of Georgia’s biggest rivals.
“Everything that we’ve heard about Etienne before he got here has held true,” Smart said. “He’s a tremendous leader, high-character kid. He immediately surges into a leadership role because he’s not a first-year player. He’s been in our league, in our conference. He has standards and expectations.”
Beck is looking forward to incorporating Etienne into the offense.
“It always helps to have a good running back,” Beck said. “You feel comfortable turning your back to the defense and handing it off.”
The Bulldogs are eager to tackle the challenge of an expanded SEC, which has added powerhouse programs Texas and Oklahoma to its already stacked lineup. Georgia faces a daunting schedule that includes road trips to Austin and Tuscaloosa.
“I’d be lying if I said if I wasn’t looking at any of that,” senior linebacker Smael Mondon said with a grin. “It’s real exciting to see the teams we’re getting to play next season. It’s every kid’s dream schedule. You want to play in those big games.”
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Georgia
HALFTIME: Georgia Bulldogs Lead Auburn in Low-Scoring Affair
The Georgia Bulldogs are halfway through their annual meeting in “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.” Here is how the game has played out so far.
The Georgia Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers have completed the first 30 minutes of their annual rendition of “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” with the Dawgs heading to the locker room with a 14-3 lead. As the second half approaches, here is a recap of everything that happened in the first half.
The Tigers began the game with the ball and marched for about 20 yards before the offense stalled out and was forced to punt. The Bulldogs offense then took the field and proceeded to march 75 yards for a touchdown on their first drive of the game. Auburn’s offense would respond with a field goal to cut the Dawgs lead to 7-3. The Bulldogs’ next offense drive would run out the remaining time in the quarter.
Georgia continued its second offensive drive of the game before stalling out around the 45-yard line and punting for the first time of the game. The Tigers were able to once again sustain a decent drive but were unable to produce any points and were once again forced to punt. Georgia took over inside its own 30 and pushed the ball down the field before an inopportune penalty forced the Bulldogs to punt just after the two-minute timeout. Auburn would be held to a three-in-out deep in their own territory and would give Georgia the ball back around the 50-yard line with just over a minute to work with. The Dawgs would cash in with a touchdown to give them a 14-3 lead.
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Georgia
2026 Four Star Safety Cortez Redding Lists Georgia Tech As One of His Top 12 Schools
It is never too early to look ahead to the 2026 class. Georgia Tech already has the interest and attention of a heavily coveted safety prospect Cortez Redding. The Yellow Jackets don’t have any commitments from the 2026 class yet, but it is a good sign they are in the running for a high-end prospect.
Cortez Redding plays for the Jonesboro Cardinals in Jonesboro, Georgia. He is one of the best safety prospects in the country. According to 247Sports Composite, Redding is rated as the No. 16 safety, the No. 23 player in Georgia, and the No. 197 player nationally. Before narrowing down his list on Friday, Redding had 42 offers before cutting down his list of schools. His top 12 include Florida, Oregon, Kentucky, UNC, USC, Tennessee, LSU, Missouri, NC State, Florida State, Auburn, and Georgia Tech.
Redding is a hard-hitter who loves to play in the box and make disruptive plays. He is known for making sticks and causing opposing ball carriers to fumble the football. He is also an excellent open-field tackler. Redding can also play centerfield, run from one side of the field to the other, and make a play on the ball. A rare trait you see from safeties, only the elite ones can do this at a high level consistently. Think Ed Reed potential here. I don’t say this lightly, I’ve seen Redding play a few times in person.
One of them was during the spring. I was making a tour of different high school football teams in the peach state to see how teams looked. I interviewed Redding after a spring game win against rival Lovejoy. I asked him about his best attribute on the field.
“My best attribute is my IQ and physicality. I feel like I can tackle anybody and guard anybody,” said Redding.
Redding is also a multisport athlete who is also a high-level basketball player and a great all-around player on the court. As a sophomore for the Cardinals, Redding averaged 11.4 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds. He nearly tripled his scoring numbers from the year before.
The Yellow Jackets got on Redding early and was one of the first schools to offer him last September before he blew up in recruiting. Redding would be a great addition to the Yellow Jackets if they could keep him home. He has great instincts and would fit the defensive backfield seamlessly and make a big impact in that area. It is still early but a recruitment to continue to watch as teams jock for positioning in the late winter and early spring.
I also got a chance to do an exclusive interview with Redding and some of his teammates back in the summer in a rare uncut and unfiltered interview. It was just Redding being his natural self in his element which was cool to see. One thing that is impressive about him is how hard he works and how much he wants to be great. He goes above and beyond and constantly challenges himself to be the best on the field every time he steps on it.
Georgia
Irish Fall To No. 19 Georgia Tech In Five Sets
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish fell in a tough five-set battle to the No. 19 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at home on Friday night (25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 17-25, 13-15).
Morgan Gaerte finished with a career-high 18 kills, followed by Sydney Palazzolo with 15 kills and 14 digs. Lucy Trump, Anna Bjork, and Phyona Schrader each tallied eight kills a piece and Grace Langer finished with a team-best five blocks.
The Irish had their strongest offensive production in set one to start things off, hitting .333 and recording 17 kills as a team led Notre Dame to a 25-22 win in the first set. Tied at 18-all, the Irish would take a 22-18 advantage to force a Yellow Jacket timeout. Georgia Tech responded with a 3-0 run to force a Notre Dame timeout in return, but kills from Schrader and Trump coupled with a block from the freshman duo of Gaerte and Bjork secured the win.
It was back and forth between the Irish and Yellow Jackets in set two as there were nine ties and three lead changes. With Georgia Tech in front 18-17, the Irish were working to close the gap, but the Yellow Jackets would even the playing field at 1-1 as they took the second set 25-21.
Notre Dame recorded another strong offensive set in the third, tallying another 16 kills as a team and hitting at a clip of .325. Posting a lead of 17-10, the Irish forced a Georgia Tech timeout, but the Yellow Jackets responded as they closed the gap to three at 20-17 and forced an Irish timeout in return. Gaetre sent home another kill to seal the deal on set three as Notre Dame took a 2-1 advantage by winning the third 25-20.
It was another close start in the fourth as the Yellow Jackets led by just one at 10-9 before going on a 6-0 run to extend their lead 16-9. The Irish closed the gap to three at 17-14, but Georgia Tech would close it out with an 8-3 run to take it to a fifth set.
With Georgia Tech up 7-5 in the final set, the Irish called a timeout and responded with a 5-1 run to take the lead 10-8 and force the Yellow Jacket timeout. With Notre Dame leading 12-9, the Yellow Jackets strung together four straight points to make it 13-12 as the Irish called their second timeout. A kill from Trump tied it up at 13-all, but the ranked Georgia Tech squad would score the final two points to take the last set 15-13.
The Irish are back in action on Sunday as they host the Clemson Tigers at 1:00 pm at Purcell Pavilion.
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