NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Less than 50 days until the Georgia Bulldogs kick off the 2023 football season in Athens. Today, in Nashville, they gave a sneak peek at what's been going on in the offseason.
Kirby Smart addressed media for the first time this morning, preaching in his words, that "retention is the key to success," pointing out the fact that every member of this year's coaching staff was a part of last year's championship team.
Maybe a year ago it was Georgia trying to prove the doubters wrong. Now, it's Georgia trying to live up to a new standard, along with a new threat to this program.
"The threat for us is complacency," Smart said. "The first thing you have to do is acknowledge that it's a threat. Like if you acknowledge the complacency is a threat, it's the first step towards stomping it out. // That's not what we do at Georgia. That's not what we bring into our place. That's not what we bring into the culture we want to have. We want selfless people who love football, and that's what we build around."
On Baldwin County's Javon Bullard, who is new to the role of safety, Smart said, "JB, that's a guy that he comes to work in day-in, day-out." "He's the same guy every day, a hard worker, first-guy-in, last-guy-out type of guy, and he attacks everything with the same mindset and same heart."
Tight end Brock Bowers, defensive back Kamari Lassiter and offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran represented Georgia players at Media Days in Nashville.
Another guy out of the 478, Bleckley County native and offensive lineman Amarius Mims. Mims entered the transfer portal before last season unsure of what he wanted to do next, safe to say he's happy he stuck around.
Sedrick Van Pran said of Mims, "He's the guy that provides comic relief whenever things are getting serious and hot." He continued, "You know, you may be a hundred degrees and running guys are ready to get after it, and he says something funny to kind of calm guys down. He's that kind of guy."
Georgia kicks off again UT-Martin on September 2 in Athens.
'11:35 a.m. Tuesday: "I think he fits in as a goofball"
Sedrick Van Pran says Bleckley County alum Ammarius Mims "fits in as a goofball." Van Pran continued saying "He is the guy who provides comical relief when things get serious."
11:25 a.m. Tuesday: 'He loves to eat off the floor."
When asked about Milledgeville native Javon Bullard, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said, "He loves to eat off the floor," meaning he is a hard worker that overcomes a lot.
"He's got that chip on his shoulder, he's another not highly recruited guy," Smart said.
10:50 a.m. Tuesday: Kirby Smart says the biggest threat in 2023 is "complacency"
Kirby Smart just took the main stage to address the season ahead with the media. He says the biggest threat to the Bulldogs in 2023 as a potential three-peat national championship looms is complacency.
10 a.m. Tuesday: Kamari Lassiter says Javon Bullard "attacks everything with the same mindset and same heart"
13WMAZ's Connor Hines asked Kamari Lassiter about Milledgeville native Javon Bullard as he transitions to safety. Here is what he had to say:
Monday: Greg Sankey, SEC Commissioner
Monday morning, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey took to the podium to discuss all things football and the Southeastern Conference. Among the topics was whether or not the football championship will remain in Atlanta with the opening of a new stadium in Nashville.
"We are going to focus our football game on what is really the envy of the college football championship world, and that's what we do in Atlanta," Sankey said. "So that's where our focus, is for that particular championship. We obviously have what is and will be a longstanding relationship with Bridgestone Arena in basketball.
"One of my favorite books is titled The Art of Possibility, and what Nashville is doing is opens up the art of possibility here, around football opportunities, basketball opportunities on a national scale," Sankey continued. Those are very much on my mind. In fact, I've communicated that locally on repeated occasions."
Commissioner Sankey got down to business as well, calling for federal action on the name, image, and likeness laws in the United States.
“Our student-athletes deserve something better than a race to the bottom at the state legislature level,” Sankey said. “As the efforts are made to create what are perceived as a competitive edge through state laws that are not overseen.”
He continued, “If states will not enforce the laws, and states are going to prohibit the NCAA or conferences from enforcing these reasonable policies, Congressional action is then the only way to provide a national uniform standard for name, image, and likeness activity and to draw the lines around the boundaries that do not become simply pay for play.”
Also on Monday, a moment to recognize the passing of Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach last December.
SEC Media Days
Fresh off of back-to-back national championships, Head Coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are gearing up for the 2023 season. Schools from across the SEC will join Smart and Georgia players for SEC Media Days to preview the fall.
In January, Georgia handily defeated the TCU Horned Frogs in the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship, 65-7, capping off an undefeated season.
Georgia has made plenty of headlines in the off-season with speculation as to who will take over Stetson Bennett's role in the quarterback position, along with multiple players being arrested since the title-winning season came to a close.
The Bulldogs will also be taking the field for the first time since player Devon Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a crash the night after the national championship celebration. Just last week, one of the survivors filed a lawsuit partially blaming the incident on the university's athletics association.
In addition to the athletic association, the lawsuit also throws blame at football player Jalen Carter and staff member Chandler LeCroy, who was killed after the Jan. 15 crash. It alleges both were driving at "extreme speeds" of "at least 104.2 mph, while engaged in street racing for 45 seconds before the crash."
2023 Football Schedule
- September 2: vs. UT Martin
- September 9: vs. Ball State
- September 16: vs. South Carolina
- September 23: vs. UAB
- September 30: at Auburn (Auburn, Ala.)
- October 7: vs. Kentucky
- October 14: at Vanderbilt (Nashville, Tenn.)
- October 28: vs. Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.)
- November 4: vs. Missouri
- November 11: vs. Ole Miss
- November 18: at Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.)
- November 25: at Georgia Tech (Atlanta, Ga.)
The 2023 season will be the last of the traditional SEC East and West schedule layout as Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC in 2024. As a result, Georgia will no longer play certain teams each year.
In 2024, Georgia will play Auburn, Mississippi State, and Tennessee at home. The Bulldogs will travel to Kentucky, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Texas. The Georgia-Florida game will remain at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.