“May you live in interesting times.”

Perhaps you’ve heard that phrase before. I always assumed it was a famous quote from an important person.

Apparently, I was only half right. The phrase is well known, but no one seems to know where it started or who it’s attributed to.

It’s also a statement with a double meaning. At first, it seems like a blessing, but it’s commonly used as a kind of sarcastic curse.

In that way, it could be a fitting description for this year’s Georgia football team.

We don’t yet know how good UGA will be, but we’re sure that what we’ll see from the Bulldogs will be interesting.

ESPN recently ranked the top 10 SEC games for the upcoming season and Georgia is involved in four of them. This is great for our entertainment level, but probably not good for Kirby Smart’s stress level.

Can UGA shake off its well-documented shortcomings and rise to the occasion against such a difficult schedule? Or will the Bulldogs recede into the background of a sport that seems to have more parity than ever before?

One way or another, we’re about to find out.

Check out the rest of the coverage below.

Trivia time

Who was the first player to score a touchdown in the Smart era? (Hint: He plays for the Houston Texans.)

Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.

Preseason Superlatives: Who are Georgia’s go-to guys?

Yesterday, we focused on the top 10 names we’ll be talking about the most for the next few weeks of fall camp.

But what names are we going to call from the couch in October when Georgia’s facing a third-and-long? What about when the Bulldogs need a stop on fourth-and-short?

Georgia football preseason individual predictions: Who are the go-to guys?

For that, we take a look at Monday night’s “On The Beat” show, where DawgNation’s Mike Griffith and Cody Chaffins each nominated Bulldogs for preseason superlatives.

Some of the academy’s results are below. You can catch all the superlatives — along with an exclusive interview with Mark Richt — on the newest “On the Beat” here.

Most likely to convert a third-and-7:

MG: Zachariah Branch, Cash Jones, Lawson Luckie

CC: Lawson Luckie

Most likely to sack the QB on third-and-7:

MG: Chris Cole, Elijah Griffin, Raylen Wilson

CC: CJ Allen

Most attractive (red zone target):

MG: Oscar Delp, Colbie Young, Noah Thomas

CC: Noah Thomas, Oscar Delp

Old Dawg, New Trick — Offense:

MG: Dillon Bell

CC: Micah Morris

Old Dawg, New Trick — Defense:

MG: Joenel Aguero

CC: Christen Miller

Fantastic Freshman — Offense:

MG: CJ Wiley

CC: Bo Walker

Fantastic Freshman - Defense:

MG: Elijah Griffin

CC: Elijah Griffin

Key position battles to know for fall camp

So much is yet to be set in stone before the Bulldogs kick their season off on Aug. 30.

But perhaps nothing is more important than the position battles that have continued to rage into fall practice. Many starting positions are considered locked up, but there are several key positions that still don’t have a clear alpha in the room.

DawgNation’s Connor Riley laid out the seven position battles to keep an eye on as we start getting reports from fall camp. Riley’s analysis can be found in the DawgNation story below.

From quarterback to cornerback, these are the key position battles to know for Georgia

• QB: Gunner Stockton vs. Ryan Puglisi
• RB2: Josh McCray vs. Roderick Robinson vs. Bo Walker
• RG: Daniel Calhoun vs. Michael Uini vs. Juan Gaston
• OLB: Gabe Harris vs. Elo Modozie
• CB2: Daniel Harris vs. Ellis Robinson
• S: JaCorey Thomas vs. Zion Branch
• STAR: Joenel Aguero vs. Adrian Maddox

Nick Abrams: The unsung stud of Georgia’s ’26 recruiting class

As DawgNation’s Jeff Sentell pointed out, the timing of Nick Abrams’ commitment to Georgia made the fan base’s reaction rather underwhelming.

Not 24 hours prior, Georgia had lost the recruitment of 5-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson to Texas. So when the 4-star Abrams committed, it felt like a “consolation prize” of sorts to many.

The reality is, this isn’t the first time Georgia didn’t get its elite linebacker of the future on the first go-round. Nakobe Dean, Smael Mondon Jr., Xavian Sorey Jr., Chris Cole and Justin Williams all committed to Georgia after other 5-star targets chose other schools.

Nick Abrams: The two Roquan Smith connections to the Georgia LB commit

Abrams doesn’t have the fifth star that those other four names do, but he does have a higher ceiling. The Maryland product has only been playing tackle football since eighth grade, so his football IQ has more growing to do than the average blue-chip linebacker.

Abrams also sees himself as a versatile linebacker — a joker — kind of like Jalon Walker was. Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann sees that same versatility.

“He said I was different just based on my length and my ability to be so versatile,” Abrams said. “Like I could be the Jalon Walker, I could rush the passer. I could be the Chris Cole. I could be in coverage, covering either a back or a tight end. I can do anything on the field. I can run with a receiver. Stop the run. Rush the passer.

“All that stuff and then having the size and length to do it, especially with the speed I have and the fact that I’m still growing, so that was a big thing for him.”

Advertisement

Photo of the Day

Georgia running back Nate Frazier (3) reacts after scoring a two-yard touchdown run against Florida last November.

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Quote of the Day

SEC Network analyst, former Florida receiver Chris Doering on Zachariah Branch:

“I’m really excited about Branch and what he can bring to this offense coming over from USC. I wonder if he can be a Mecole Hardman-type player in this offense. Mike Bobo’s going to have a field day with him.

“He plays at two different speeds. He’s good at being patient until he sees it and once he hits it, he’s the fastest guy on the field, maybe the fastest guy in the country.”

RELATED: Georgia Football Podcast: SEC Network analyst ‘tired’ of UGA WR narrative

National outlet ranks UGA’s SEC strength of schedule near bottom

Georgia fans might look at the SEC schedule this year and feel like it gets tougher every season.

An SEC debut at Tennessee, a neutral site bout with Florida and home dates with Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss don’t exactly spell S-O-F-T.

But according to CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello, at least, it’s getting tougher for pretty much everyone. As tough as Georgia’s schedule may seem, Marcello ranked it 14th out of the 16 teams in the conference.

Georgia’s strength of schedule has always taken a hit in the SEC simply because it doesn’t play itself. But the fact that UGA also gets two bottom-dwellers in Mississippi State and Kentucky also figures to bump it down the list some.

“Any schedule with Alabama, Tennessee and Texas is difficult, but the setup is about as good as it can get for Georgia,” Marcello wrote. “The Bulldogs travel only to Tennessee, Auburn and Mississippi State, and do not have back-to-back road games. The Bulldogs also get a week to rest and prepare for Alabama (Sept. 27) after traveling to Tennessee (Sept. 13).”

Advertisement

Trivia answer

Nick Chubb