The Natty must still be haunting Kirby Smart in his dreams. The beginning of this year opened on a really bad note for the Georgia Bulldogs head coach. As his National Championship got crushed during the Sugar Bowl, Smart also lost his father, Sonny Smart, after suffering from complications from hip surgery. Turns out that the times ahead look to be bright for Smart, professionally. The Bulldogs are now prepping for their annual spring game scrimmage, also known as the “G-Day.” That’s when the Georgia insider tried his hands in cooking some fear potion to feed defending champions, Ryan Day’s Ohio State and the 126 college football rivals.
Georgia football will be back between the Sanford Stadium hedges on Saturday, April 12, as it concludes spring practice. Buckle up, it’s G-Day, folks! Yes, this year, the spring scrimmage will not be broadcasted on television. However, Smart expects the event to look like it traditionally has. Georgia’s G-Day game has long been a spectacle for Georgia fans to get familiar with the upcoming season’s team. Over the years, Georgia has used the game as an opportunity for a tune-up before the fall season gets underway. Their first G-Day dates back to March 8, 1941, when 2,500 spectators, who paid 50 cents each, filed into the stands of Sanford Stadium. So, this marks their 80th G-Day. As they are yet to hit the gridiron for their special day, a Georgia insider created an atmosphere of fear for the contenders.
According to FanDuel, the Georgia Bulldogs have received the second-highest championship odds at +650 behind only the Ohio State Buckeyes. Yes, Day’s Ohio State still comes off as the favorite; that’s because this season, Smart is yet to figure out a lot of things. For instance, he will be breaking in a first-year starter in the form of Gunner Stockton. The Bulldogs will be replacing likely first-round picks like Malaki Starks, Mykel Williams, and Jalon Walker on the defensive side. But Georgia loyal Dean Legge paints a colorful future for Smart and Co. On the April 11 episode of the UGA Football on Dawg Post podcast, he said, “This team can win the national championship. This is a really talented bunch of players.”
Georgia’s competitors are Day’s Ohio State, Texas Longhorns, Penn State, and LSU. Both the Buckeyes and Texas are replacing their quarterbacks, whereas LSU has got a returning quarterback. But to Legge, the only two programs that have got the calibre to fight against Smart’s squad are Texas and Penn State. But even then, the analyst sounded all confident, “Penn State’s not higher favor than Georgia to win at all.” The G-Day will give the final answer to all. As Legge stated, “Saturday is basically what it’s going to be, and you have to say for Georgia the portal has worked in its advantage this fall.” Smart signed the No. 2 overall recruiting class in the 2025 cycle. The Georgia Bulldogs had three of their transfer additions make the top 30 impact players list.
This year, they snagged former Texas A&M wide receiver Noah Thomas and former USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch, among a bunch of others. Now, who will be the showstoppers in Smart’s squad during the G-Day?
Kirby Smart’s new recruits to watch during G-Day
For Smart’s quarterback, Stockton, it’s going to be his fourth G-Day. But it’s time for the new ones to shine. Georgia’s highly-touted freshman class is to show what they’ve got. The most buzz this spring has been around defensive tackle Elijah Griffin. After all, he has been Georgia’s top-ranked signee in the class of 2025. The pressure is on the player since Smart’s squad lost a ton of front-seven production this offseason (over 75% of 2024 sack production) and needs players like Griffin to step up.
Next up in line is Georgia redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Puglisi. The Puglisi hype has hit the accelerator. Even though he does not carry as much experience as Stockton, he definitely has wooed analyst Brandon Adams with his USP. As he shared, “Puglisi’s ball just flies off the fingertips. He’s got a rocket of an arm.” The young chap understood the assignment. Puglisi had a bold message for Smart. “I definitely think I can, I could (be UGA’s starting quarterback) right now, definitely. I think if you’re at the quarterback position and you don’t believe that you could play, you should probably do something else, because you need some confidence.”
Well, not to forget wide receiver Zachariah Branch. The former USC Trojans star came up with 823 yards and 3 touchdowns in Lincoln Riley’s squad. With Mike Bobo at the head of Kirby Smart’s offense, Georgia needs to maximize his producton, getting him the pigskin in space. The weather report for G-Day calls for sunny skies and fairly cool conditions with a high of 68° and a low of 39°. Is this a sign from the universe?
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