Georgia
Georgia’s Defense has Stars at all Three Levels
Georgia needs its stars to step up on defense this fall. Luckily, the Bulldogs have plenty of contenders to fill those roles.
Last season was a regression for Georgia’s typically elite defense. The Bulldogs finished ninth in team defense, 66th in sacks per game, and 69th in takeaways with just 17 on the season.
Georgia simply wasn’t as dominant on the defensive side of the ball and a lot of that had to do with a lack of standout performances from individual players. They had a lot of excellent players on the defensive side of the ball, but none made the individual impact like the Jalen Carters, Roquan Smiths, and Jordan Davis’ of recent seasons.
Saturday, during Georgia’s annual G-Day spring game, we saw a few players who look primed to fill that void at each level of the defense.
Perhaps the biggest standout was defensive end Mykel Williams. The junior rushed the passer well and had two pass deflections, including one he caught himself for an interception off of Carson Beck. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has spoken about unleashing Williams as an edge rusher, standing him up on the outside instead of down in a three-point stance. The Bulldogs desperatly need pressure from the defensive front and Williams looks to be the guy.
At linebacker, CJ Allen continued to build on a very successful freshman season. Physically, the true sophomore is built in the mold of former Georgia greats Roquan Smith and Odell Thurman. He made a sensational play on Saturday, baiting Carson Beck and intercepting a pass over the middle. He has a shot to be Georgia’s next Butkus Award winner.
Though he didn’t play on Saturday, Malaki Starks is a known commodity. The junior was a freshman All-American in 2022 and followed that up with an All-American season last year. Entering his third season, he very well may be the best safety Kirby Smart has coached at Georgia. This season is about winning for Starks, but its also likely his final season to put together some elite tape for NFL scouts.
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Georgia
Defendants in Georgia 'Cop City' Case Say They Are in Limbo as Trial Delays Continue

Georgia
Attorneys working to get bond for Georgia teen being held by ICE

DALTON, Ga. – A Dalton teen and her father remain in ICE custody after getting arrested during separate traffic stops.
19-year-old Ximena Arias-Cristobal’s attorneys are working to get her a bond hearing. Arias-Cristobal was arrested on Monday for not having a valid license.
“It’s just terrible how she ended up in this situation … wrong turn and she ends up in ICE custody,” said attorney Dustin Baxter, who represents Arias-Cristobal.
Baxter said he is confident the teen will get a bond.
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“She has no criminal history, she has the support of her community, she’s in class,” he said.
Arias-Cristobal’s dad, 43-year-old Arias Tovar, is at the same detention facility after he was taken into custody for speeding and not having a license. Both Arias-Cristobal and Tovar are undocumented, but the 19-year-old has been in the United States since she was four.
“She does face deportation proceedings even if she’s bonded out, so it’s going to be our job to find a way to keep her here based on her circumstances,” Baxter said. “What she has going on in her personal life and whether or not she has fear of returning to Mexico, her home country.”
The family’s case has received a lot of attention. In a social media post on X, Homeland Security wrote that Tovar had a chance to seek a legal way to citizenship but chose not to.

“I hope that people will see this with a little more empathy, if they can relate with Ximena,” he said.
On Friday, many gathered on Buford Hwy. to rally for the release of Arias-Cristobal. The rally lasted a little over an hour, but the dozens who showed up hope the message resonates much longer with the community.
Signs and chants in Brookhaven called for ICE to release the daughter and her dad from custody.
Organizers of Friday’s rally hope that it will lead to Arias-Cristobal and her dad’s freedom and give the community a chance to unite against recent deportation efforts from the Trump administration.

One person said he believes the administration is unwilling to hear from the people.
“That dialogue is a like a dialogue between the sword and the neck,” said Miles Wetherington, one of the rally’s organizers. “What’s important is we need to build working-class power. As working-class people, we recognize the connections that we have with the immigrant community, and we need to show solidarity with them.”
Another participant in the rally, Jessica Salazar, traveled to Friday’s rally, pushing for Ximena’s freedom. She says she went to high school with Ximena in Dalton and understands the pain of this deportation process. Salazar says her mother was deported back to Mexico seven years ago.
“I graduated without her, so it is really hard,” Salaza said. “We shouldn’t live in fear. It shouldn’t be something everyone lives by day by day, in fear. Ximena was really young.
“It’s scary because Ximena did absolutely nothing wrong.”
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Georgia
Weather Update on Georgia at Alabama Baseball Series

Inclement weather affected the baseball series this weekend between No. 23 Alabama and No. 6 Georgia before a pitch was even thrown. Said weather has now forced another schedule change. No baseball will be played on Saturday, with Friday’s suspended game and the finale moving to Sunday.
Due to rain in the Tuscaloosa area, Friday was set to feature a doubleheader instead of just the series opener, a decision announced Friday morning. The second game of the night was not completed, as rain forced a pause in the action with one out in the top of the fifth inning and Alabama leading 6-2.
That suspended game will resume on Sunday morning with a 10 a.m. CT first pitch time. The third game in the series has been shortened to seven innings and is set to be played approximately 30 minutes after the suspended game concludes.
Georgia (40-11, 16-9 SEC) won the first game on Friday by a blowout 19-3 score. That contest only went seven innings due to the SEC mercy rule. If the Crimson Tide (37-13, 13-12 SEC) finishes the suspended game as the winner, Sunday’s second game will be contested for the series.
Alabama has lost four of its past five SEC series. The suspended game from Friday night was tentatively rescheduled for Saturday, but no start time was announced as the forecast for the day was shrouded with rain.
Sunday’s Mother’s Day games will be live streamed on SEC Network+. The series finale, Alabama’s last home game of the regular season, was initially scheduled to air on SEC Network.
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