It’s great to be back after a couple of days off for spring break. As always, there will be a lot to discuss on DawgNation Daily.
It was fun to watch former Georgia Bulldog Russell Henley make a charge on Sunday at the Masters. Although he came up a bit short, there were plenty of cheers from the UGA fans among the patrons, and Henley’s connection to Georgia got a mention from the CBS broadcast as well.
Unfortunately, the news wasn’t quite as good for the Diamond Dawgs, who lost an SEC series for the first time this season at the hands of Florida. The culprit for the outcome was a familiar one for UGA fans. Another rough outing from a starting pitcher in a series finale created a deficit too significant to overcome.
On the football front, former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Steve Smith’s recent criticism of how Georgia used wide receiver Zachariah Branch got a lot of attention this weekend. There are some facts regarding this situation that Smith seems unaware of, but overall, his critique of the Bulldogs offense is possibly a reminder why Georgia has renewed its focus this spring on creating more explosive plays.
It will be interesting to see this fall if those efforts prove successful.
See you later this morning for DawgNation Daily, and please check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
Georgia baseball’s 11-4 record in conference play is its best start since when?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
National media agrees which Georgia position group will define 2026
Georgia has made the College Football Playoff in each of the last two seasons and hopes to do so for a third consecutive year.
No position was hit harder in terms of personnel departures than the Georgia wide receiver room.
With Branch, Dillon Bell, Colbie Young and Noah Thomas moving on, the Bulldogs have major questions at the position.
The national media is watching to see how Georgia’s replacements step into their larger roles.
“London Humphries is the only returning piece from that group,” Chip Patterson of CBS Sports said. “Isiah Canion transferred in from Georgia Tech and could compete for starting snaps, but he’s been held out of spring practice with an ankle injury. That’s opened the door for a lot of attention on some young stars who hope to bring some more explosiveness to the pass game.”
With Georgia only bringing in Canion from the transfer portal, the Bulldogs place a rather large bet on their high school signees to help the wide receiver room.
In 1960, Loran Smith stood behind the 18th green at the Masters as a college student, waiting for Arnold Palmer to putt.
Palmer was a stroke away from winning his second of four green jackets. Suspense built as he backed away and requested silence.
“I thought all of that was the most fabulous drama,” said Smith. “I was close enough I could hear him talking.”
Smith, a longtime columnist and Georgia Bulldogs football broadcaster, has attended every Masters since.
During Thursday’s opening round of the 90th edition of the tournament, Smith, 87, roamed the clubhouse looking to catch a moment with Gary Player. He later returned to the media center to write a column on Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, who hit the ceremonial tee shots that morning.
The late sports writer Dan Jenkins holds the record, having covered 68 Masters. After watching Palmer’s 1960 win as a patron, Smith has attended the past 66 as a credentialed media member. He intends to keep returning in hopes of matching Jenkins’ mark.
“If the good Lord will keep me around, I plan to,” Smith said.
Russell Henley greets his caddie Andrew Sanders at the end of the final round of the Masters, at Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Augusta. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Quote of the day
Russell Henley on facing other Georgia golfers in the Masters:
“They’re all friends of mine. I’m trying to beat everybody, not just the guys from Georgia.”
Georgia leads all colleges with 4 former players in final round of Masters
Through 22 holes at the Masters, the only place University of Georgia graduate Brian Harman appeared to be going was back home to St. Simons.
There wasn’t a whole lot of “woofing” going on.
Harman shot 79 the first day and was 10 over par after a second-round bogey at No. 4. Then, nothing changed, except the results. Harman recovered to shoot 69 — 10 shots lower than Thursday — and continued to build the momentum on Saturday with a personal-best 67.
“I believe in myself,” he said. “I know it’s always right around the corner. It’s hard to keep telling yourself that sometimes when you haven’t seen a lot of evidence, but I’ve got 15 years to show you that right around the corner is pretty good.”
The veteran left-hander started the last round at 1 over par — not close enough to win the tournament, but definitely good enough to contend for the honor of being the low Bulldog.
“It’s nice to see a couple of good rounds around here,” Harman said. “Just trying to have another good round tomorrow and see if I can’t catch lightning here one year.”
