Perhaps the longest college football hype video of all time dropped yesterday.
That was Netflix’s seven-episode documentary, “SEC Football: Any Given Saturday.”
The documentary followed a majority of SEC programs throughout the ups and downs of the 2024 season. It was interesting to watch teams like LSU and South Carolina find late-season wins that could propel them into 2025.
It was also entertaining to watch UGA rivals like Florida and Auburn strain to climb the SEC ladder, often falling short of their lofty expectations. You know, just reliving last season.
It’s also a reminder to us Dawg fans that things could be much worse … the Georgia standard is a life that many other programs would do anything to reach.
And with that fun reminder, we invite you to check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
Which Georgia running back was penalized for a “Gator chomp” and a “throat slash” after scoring a touchdown against Florida last year?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Positive reports keep piling up for one UGA receiver
Noah Thomas and Zachariah Branch were brought in to shake things up in the Georgia pass game, and early reports sound like they’re doing their job.
Thomas, standing at a staggering 6-6, is an obvious target for deep balls and fade routes in the red zone. But the Texas A&M import has also shown he can make defenders miss as a route runner, including starting cornerback Daylen Everette.
Everette complimented Thomas as one of his favorite guys to face in 1-on-1 drills.
“He’s a real good player,” Everette told reporters at SEC Media Days. “I like going against him. Me and him, we go back and forth maybe like every day that we have 7-on-7 stuff. He’s just one of those guys, like, where he can do a lot.”
Thomas also seems to be getting along well with Gunner Stockton (which, in fairness, is probably easier than winning the Pac-12 right now).
“(Thomas has) been great. He brings a great positive energy,” Stockton said. “When he came up during spring, he didn’t complain or like do anything. You know, he just came up and worked. He’s done a great job so far … He’s one of the best and I can’t wait for him to play.”
Fellow transfer receiver Branch has also received his fair share of praise this spring. Reports on the speedy USC transfer can be found in the DawgNation story below.
Where Georgia’s defense needs to focus, according to one UGA LB
Everybody’s got an opinion, indeed, but some are absolutely worth more than others.
That goes for Georgia’s defense, too, as many questions have been posed about how the Bulldogs can replace so much NFL talent with a roster relatively lacking in SEC experience.
Third-year linebacker Raylen Wilson shared what he thought Georgia fans ought to focus on. His opinion already holds weight, given his position and tenure with the team, but his actual answer is what truly makes his opinion worth a look.
“Mostly, the main thing, the problem last year was just execution basically. I feel like we’re getting better at executing stuff,” Wilson said. “That’s what the fall camp is about, getting better at that day by day. Tackling, execution of the play call, and turnovers. That’s our main focus.”
For Wilson, it’s not about chasing the glory of a past defense or leading the SEC in sacks. It’s about the basics — doing the simple things well and letting everything else fall into place.
For a roster that doesn’t have a lot of returning starters, veterans like Wilson seem to be compensating with wisdom beyond their years.
Stockton tabbed ESPN’s second-most important CFB player
Some might not even consider Gunner Stockton to be the most important player on Georgia’s roster, much less the entire country. After all, Stockton is surrounded by a flurry of weapons at every offensive position, taking pressure off that other SEC quarterbacks have to bear in 2025.
But according to ESPN columnist Bill Connelly, only Texas quarterback Arch Manning is more important to this college football season than Stockton is.
“The small-town Georgia product and former blue-chipper found himself in an impossible situation, making his first career start in the 2024 CFP quarterfinals last season against Notre Dame,” Connelly wrote. “He made some fabulous throws, suffered a devastating sack-and-strip fumble and couldn’t quite get the job done. Now he has gotten an entire offseason to prepare for start No. 2 and beyond.
“Georgia has the highest floor in the sport, but the Dawgs’ ceiling will be defined by Stockton and a receiving corps that didn’t do nearly enough for its QBs last season.”
It’s likely true that at some point Georgia will only be able to go as far as Stockton can take it. So in that sense, especially if that time comes in another postseason setting, Stockton could be everything Connelly is building him up to be.
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Photo of the Day
Georgia linebackers Raylen Wilson (left) and CJ Allen celebrate Wilson's Pick-6 during the 2023 G-Day game.
Credit: Jeff Sentell
Quote of the Day
Kirby Smart on CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson’s leadership capacity at Georgia:
“CJ and Raylen have been leaders since they got here. They just haven’t had to be in the forefront. And last year, even with Smael’s injury, they were in the forefront more than a typical sophomore would be, and they both embraced that leadership role.”
Jon Gruden’s fiery message, all-time Georgia team selections
You might have seen by now that Georgia had a pretty notable visitor at fall practice the other day.
Super Bowl champion head coach Jon Gruden visited UGA with a head coach-level preseason message. Gruden’s passionate personality paired well with Smart’s mantra of fire, passion and energy.
“Don’t be afraid to showcase your emotion, man, get excited for the guy next to you,” Gruden said. “What kind of Dawgs are we? I think that’s the big question. We got to do this together. We’ve got to run as a pack. You got to believe in the program, buy in, and you can become all you can become.”
Gruden also took the time to pick an all-time UGA offense and defense. All his picks can be found in the embedded UGA football posts in the DawgNation story below.
