Hey y’all!

Please allow me to introduce myself — my name is Sarah Spencer, and I’m the newest member of DawgNation. I’m a Georgia graduate who has covered the Bulldogs plenty, from football to basketball to gymnastics, stretching back to my college days.

I have been at the AJC for nearly seven years and have worn many hats here, whether that’s starting out as a Hawks beat writer, doing sports video or writing features. I’m so excited to join the DN team and take over the newsletter!

Never fear, though: The amazing Brandon Adams is still on staff, so you’ll still get to watch him on DawgNation Daily, and he will continue to share thoughts in the newsletter from time to time. I know I have big shoes to fill.

Lately, I’ve been covering Georgia baseball for DN, writing about everything from catcher Daniel Jackson’s record-breaking season to how the Bulldogs don’t JUST hit home runs (though their power was on full display in the Athens Regional).

But that brings me to our next section:

Drama in regional final

Georgia baseball coach Wes Johnson and third baseman Tre Phelps were ejected Sunday during the Athens Regional final against Liberty.

Phelps was ejected for taunting while he was running the bases after hitting a two-run home run to put Georgia up 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Johnson was ejected after leaving the dugout and arguing with the umpires.

The Bulldogs went on to win the game 6-1 and will advance to super regionals.

“For the record, Tre’s family was sitting up in the stands,” Johnson said when addressing media after the game. “Tre was waving at his family. The umpires, whatever, I’m not an umpire. They thought he was talking to the dugout.”

Phelps will have to sit for Georgia’s next game, per Johnson, who clarified that the Bulldogs cannot appeal. Johnson faces no further penalty and can coach the next game.

Here’s what Liberty coach Bradley LeCroy had to say after the game about the ejection for Phelps:

“I don’t have anything to do with the ejection, but I’m going to protect our guys 100%. … He made remarks to our dugout and looked straight at our dugout,” LeCroy said.

LeCroy added that he didn’t know what Phelps said in the direction of the visiting dugout.

When asked if Phelps may have been interacting with his family, LeCroy said: “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. And if they were, like, hey, I wasn’t the one who ejected him, right? … If his family was above our dugout, great. They can go review it. The umpires can write a report. I’m not going to take the blame for him getting ejected.”

You can watch his full comments here.

Photo(s) of the day

… Because it’s hard to choose just one of this pivotal moment that both gave Georgia the lead and fired up a raucous Foley Field crowd.

Georgia coach Wes Johnson (center) reacts after the Bulldogs' Tre Phelps was ejected for excessive celebration during the sixth inning of their NCAA regional final game against Liberty on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at Foley Field in Athens. Johnson was also ejected. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Georgia infielder Tre Phelps (center) rounds the bases after his two-run home run in the sixth inning of the Bulldogs' NCAA regional final game against Liberty on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at Foley Field in Athens. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs

Drama aside, Georgia took care of business and swept the Athens Regional. We now know who the Bulldogs will face in super regionals: Mississippi State, winners of the Starkville Regional.

As the No. 3 national seed, Georgia will host.

After sweeping Mississippi State in the regular season and knocking Mississippi State out of the SEC Tournament, Georgia has to face a familiar foe yet again.

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Playoff expansion?

Switching gears to football!

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey put a cap on the SEC spring meetings Thursday, noting “effective” communication, even though no new bylaws were put in place or even voted on.

Sankey reiterated the SEC’s support of an expansion from the current 12-team College Football Playoff field to a 16-team field — which the league researched thoroughly — but noted the league is not necessarily against expanding to a 24- or 28-team playoff.

“We never stated opposition (to 24 or 28-team playoff),” Sankey said. “We stated support for 16.”

Sankey, in the wake of the SEC’s recent threat to “break away” with its own set of rules and enforcement, noted that, despite the lack of new bylaws at the spring meetings, there is a provision for something called “Commissioner’s Regulation,” which could open the door for immediate change if needed.

A trio of commitments

Tre Shields is now a Georgia Bulldog. The under-the-radar wideout at Flowery Branch has signed with UGA to be a part of the 2026 class.

He will report to UGA on Monday.

That’s after a whirlwind year that saw the former basketball player parlay his one season of high school football into 54 catches, 1,038 yards, 19.2 yards per catch and nine touchdowns.

NFL legacy DJ Dotson has moved quickly to secure his spot in Georgia’s 2027 recruiting class. The 3-star offensive tackle from Oak Grove in Mississippi announced his commitment to the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon

The decision comes right after the 6-foot-7, 340-pound rising senior took his official visit to check out the Bulldogs.

It only seemed like a matter of time between Georgia and 3-star wide receiver Taurean Rawlins.

When Rawlins told DawgNation earlier this spring about what it was like this winter when he was offered by receivers coach James Coley, it was clear the Bulldogs were going to be tough to beat.

They didn’t lose.

Rawlins has recently picked up competing offers from big-name schools like Indiana, Miami and Ohio State over the last few months. He still chose UGA.

Rawlins, fresh off his first official visit to check out UGA this weekend, released his commitment to the 2027 class this afternoon.

The position group with ‘real top-5 potential’

Georgia brings back one of the most talented teams in the country in 2026.

And one position that could spearhead a deep run in the College Football Playoff is Georgia’s defensive line.

This group brings back a lot of talent, with Christen Miller being the only significant loss this offseason. Miller was taken in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. ESPN’s Greg McElroy thinks Georgia has the No. 10 defensive line in the sport entering next season.

“There’s too much upside here to leave Georgia off this list,” McElroy said in a recent episode of the “Always College Football” podcast. “So at No. 10, it’s the Georgia Bulldogs with real top-five potential by November if this group develops into what they could become.”

Sophomore defensive tackle Elijah Griffin could be a big reason for that improvement in 2026. He was one of the top freshmen in the country last season and was downright unblockable at times this spring. Griffin isn’t the only piece with untapped upside. Gabe Harris and Joseph Jonah-Ajonye were also mentioned by McElroy as ascending players.