Duke sucks!

Van Gorder to be DC at AU

The AJC just reported that Brian VanGorder is leaving the Falcons to be the DC at AU. That is a huge step up for AU at that position.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly - Outback Bowl

During the Outback Bowl against Michigan State there was a lot of good, a lot of bad, and way too much ugly. Here is how I saw it

The good: Aaron Murry throwing for 288 yards against a top five defense. Malcolm Mitchell 7 catches. Ken Malcome with 12 carries for 51 yards. Brandon Boykin with a safety, a punt return for a TD and pass catch for a TD. Tavarres King with a Georgia record 205 receiving yards and a remarkable 34.2 ypc on 6 catches. Jumping out to a 16 point lead. Bouncing back after blowing that lead twice to take the lead back both times. Forcing 3 turnovers against a team that seldom turns the ball over.

The bad: Averaging 1.3 yards per rush as a team. Allowing Hill 30.5 yards per return on his two kickoff returns (the other three Michigan State returns were for a combined 31 yards). Averaging only 15.7 yards per return on our own kickoff returns. Two for four on field goals. Nine carries for 0 yards. Yes I know Samuel was coming off a long layoff and the offensive line was not doing the running backs any favors but Malcome managed to average over 4 yards a carry behind the same line. I will touch on this more once the bowls and signing day have come and gone but after the UF game earlier this season I heard a lot of talk about Samuel coming into his own. He plays hard, I love the guy, he is a DGD, but he is not an SEC running back.

The ugly: Choosing to go for it on fourth in one early in the game then wishing you had those three points you could have taken in a game that went to overtime. Throwing a pick six up 16-0 with your defense dominating the game. Blowing a 16-0 lead. Blowing two fourth quarter leads. Missing a field goal to win the game in overtime. Missing a field goal to tie the game in overtime. Taking a knee for a loss to not give your struggling kicker an easier shot at a winning field goal. Speaking of which, in a year that the team as a whole bounced back from a dreadful 6-7 campaign what in the world happened to Walsh? He went from one of the best kickers in the country for two straight years to a guy who may have been the least reliable on the team and the worst (percentage wise) kicker in the conference. I hope he gets his head straightened out and catches on as a free agent for an NFL team.

The ugliest: Having negative total yards in overtime.

I am sure there are many things I missed

For everyone who loves to pass up 3 sure points

Everyone watching the game at my house with me kept telling me to shut up about us going for it on fourth down and passing up the short field goal. That type thing has a tendency to bite you in the ass. Hey at least the crowd that thought Richt screwed up last year by kicking a field goal early in the game instead of going for it can be happy. I am old school though, take the points when you can get them. There is a lot of other reasons we lost that game. Walsh missing two field goals in overtime hurt. Though maybe if we gain ANY yards he doesn't have to make 40+ yard field goals. Also with a 16-0 lead Murray should not have thrown that pass, take the yards he can get running slide and live to play another game. That play turned the game around. I will have more on it tomorrow for now I need another drink, or eight.

Finally it's game day - Keys to the game - Outback Bowl

Truthfully I think there is only two keys to this game, focus and motivation. The team that stayed the most focused during practice leading up to the game will have a big advantage after a layoff from games for a month. Without games to keep them sharp the two teams will have to rely on how well they used their practice time. 

Motivation is tied right in with focus. Which team feels this game is the most important to them? Which team feels the most disappointment over having lost their championship game? It is my guess that Michigan State who was coming off a strong year last year would be the more disappointed team as Georgia bounced back from a 6-7 season and ended up losing to an LSU team that no one has beaten. That though is just a guess and there is really no way to know until the game kicks off. 

So assuming the focus and motivation is there for both teams, who wins? I think in the end Georgia is the more talented team. 

Prediction - 27-17. 

Happy New Year and New Year's Eve games.

Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy New Year. Yesterday was so close to being as perfect a day of football as you can have when Georgia is not playing. First Franklin got put in his place as a coach with a losing record at Vandy. Georgia Tech lost despite the genius of Paul Johnson. Then Virginia had an early lead on Auburn. If the day had ended there all would have been perfect. Then Virginia's special teams because very special, in the wrong way. All in all though this bowl season has been a good one with most of the game close and entertaining. Not always great football but pretty entertaining.

Key players and matchups Michigan State edition

1. Aaron Murray versus Kirk Cousins - This season Murray threw for 9 more touchdowns than Cousins. Cousins threw for 5 fewer interceptions. The yardage was fairly close between them. The running game will still be important but I think the quarterback that is sharper will win the game. The leadership of both quarterbacks after a long layoff and let downs by both teams after losing their conference championship games will set the tone for both teams.

2. Georgia offensive tackles versus Michigan States pass rush - I think that the middle of Georgia's line will be fine. They have done a pretty good job this season no matter who has been playing the guards. The problem Georgia has had is with speed rushers coming off the edge. Glenn and Anderson are both really big bodies that do a great job once they get their hands on someone. The problem they both have is they are built more for interior play and struggle at times with cutting off the edge from some of the faster pass rushers. If they can give Murray time I think Georgia's depth of receivers and tight ends will be too much for Michigan State.

3. Cunningham and Martin versus Boykin, Commings, and Smith - The two top targets for Michigan State have combined for over half of the teams receptions and close to two thirds of their receiving yards. If Boykin, Commings and Smith can hold those two in check it will put a lot of pressure on Michigan State to find someone else to make plays for them.

Adjusted offense/defense rank for Georgia and Michigan State

Average rank of offense Georgia played was 82.30. Georgia finished 3rd in total defense.
82.30+3=85.30 divided by 2 for an adjusted total defensive rank of 42.65.
Average rank of offense MSU played was 66.23.  MSU finished 5th in total defense.
66.23+5=71.23 divided by 2 for an adjusted total defensive rank of 35.62.

Average rank of defense Georgia played was 47.85. Georgia finished 37th in total offense.
47.85+37=84.85 divided by 2 for an adjusted offensive rank of 42.43.
Average rank of defense MSU played was 57.46. MSU finished 60th in total offense.
57.46+60=117.46 divided by 2 for an adjusted total offensive rank of 58.73.

For anyone who hasn't read my previous adjusted stats posts I get them by averaging the rank of every team played adding the opposite stat (i.e. average offensive rank of opponents + defensive rank of team and dividing by 2) to adjust stats for relative quality of opponents. Any 1AA team is automatically given a rank of 120 (last) which is dead last if they were a 1A team.

When adjusted it raises Michigan State's defense slightly ahead of Georgia's. Georgia's offense already looked slightly better, 30 yards rushing per game while even in passing, and when adjusted Georgia pulls a bit further ahead of Michigan State. Again these appear to be two evenly matched opponents.

Michigan State: By the numbers

Here is a look at the raw data comparing Michigan State and Georgia.

	UGA	Nat. Rank	MSU	Nat. Rank
Passing yards	241.2	50	247.5	44
Passing yards allowed	165.1	8	168.4	12
Rushing yards	172.69	40	142.92	75
Rushing yards allowed	103.38	10	104.31	12
Total offense	413.8	39	390.4	60
Total defense	268.5	3	272.7	5
PPG scored	32.2	33	30.8	38
PPG allowed	19.6	16	17.5	9
Punt returns	6.68	81	11.7	24
Punt returns allowed	16.9	119	9.92	86
Punting average	43.46	22	39.47	75
Kickoff returns	22.4	48	24.31	13
Kickoff returns allowed	23.47	92	23.69	100
Kickoff average	65.68	18	65.17	26
First downs	21.6	38	19.8	67
First downs allowed	14.3	2	16.2	12
Sacks	2.62	18	3.15	7
Sacks allowed	2.23	83	1.23	26
Tackles for loss	7.23	18	6.85	27
Tackles for loss allowed	5.77	67	5.08	35
Turnovers gained	29	16	22	50
Turnovers lost	22	63	15	9
Turnover margin	7	23	7	23
3rd down %	43.50%	39	39.56%	74
Opponent 3rd down %	28.81%	3	33.70%	17
Red zone TD %	63.46%	42	60.78%	62
Red zone FG %	19.23%	69	21.57%	57
Red zone total %	82.69%	57	82.34	58
Redzone trips	52	36	51	39
Opp. Red Zone TD %	66.67%	94	60%	64
Opp. Red Zone FG %	22.22%	70	17.14%	33
Opp. Red Zone total %	88.89%	108	77.14%	30
Redzone trips allowed	27	6	35	20
FG%	60.60%	98	72.70%	47
Time of possession	33:48:38	6	31:27:69	27

Truthfully from a statistical point of view these two teams may be the best match up of the bowl season. Georgia averages about 30 more yards per game rushing. Outside of that the offenses and defenses put up nearly identical numbers. Michigan State appears to be slightly better all around in special teams but their numbers don't really blow me away. The one stat that concerns me quite a bit is the sacks and tackles for loss allowed by Georgia. Michigan State is one of the best in the country at getting sacks and tackles for loss. Georgia is in the bottom half of the country in giving them up. Georgia must improve in that area to give their offense a chance against will be one of the better defenses in the nation. All in all it should be a great game.

Breakdown of 2012 schedule

Most of you have probably already seen next year's schedule. Here it is in case you haven't with a few of my thoughts on how it breaks down.

Sept. 1: Buffalo Bulls - Easy cupcake to start the season with. Gives the new players on the offensive line a chance to break themselves into the starting lineup without a true threat of UGA losing the game.


Sept. 8: at Missouri Tigers - Tricky SEC opener. Missouri will not be as good as South Carolina next year but it will be a tricky game because there is no familiarity with Missouri and because it is a long road trip. Missouri's team and fans should be pumped as it will be their first SEC game. Georgia should win this game but they must take Missouri seriously or they will be in for a huge fight.
Sept. 15: Florida Atlantic Owls - Great timing for this game as the long road trip to Missouri could take a toll on the team. Another game for the offensive line starters and backups to get experience they will need.

Sept. 22: Vanderbilt Commodores - In the past a game Georgia may over look but with the way this years game went down Vandy will have Georgia's full attention.

Sept. 29: Tennessee Volunteers - Possibly a trap game between Vandy (did I just say that?) and South Carolina. Tennessee could be dangerous but until proven otherwise they seem to be a sinking ship.

Oct. 6: at South Carolina Gamecocks - At least on paper this game will be between the top two teams in the SEC East next year. I feel much better about this game with our offensive line having five games under their belt than I would if we played South Carolina in week two.

Oct. 13: open date - I actually like the bye here better than right before Florida. South Carolina is the most physical team we play during the regular season and probably the biggest game of the season as it is likely to decide the east. A week to recharge physically and mentally after this game is much needed.

Oct. 20: at Kentucky - Sandwich game between South Carolina and Florida could make this game more interesting than it should but the open date after South Carolina should help to do away with that.

Oct. 27: Florida Gators (at Jacksonville) - GA/FL is kinda a big deal. If Georgia can win it will be back to back wins against UF it will be 2 in a row, 3 out of 6, and 4 out of 9. While that is not something normally to get excited over that is light years better than only having 1 win from 1990 to 2003. In my mind it would put to rest talk of the past 20+ years of the rivalry and each years game would be measured on its own merit instead of in terms of demons of years gone by.

Nov. 3: Ole Miss - Another game that could be more interesting than it should be because it is between UF and AU but Georgia should be able to win this game comfortably anyways. Ole Miss is just not very good and will have travelled to Arkansas the week before heading to Athens. Pretty tough back to back road trips.

Nov. 10: at Auburn Tigers - The away team has a winning record in this series. Does AU continue its slide or does the youth on last years team start to show its growth and maturity? Although Richt has beaten AU regularly I don't like the idea of Auburn having a chance to ruin Georgia's shot at the SECCG so hopefully we will have it wrapped up by this game.

Nov. 17: Georgia Southern Eagles - Literally the Georgia Tech scout team complete with former Georgia Tech coaches. Perfect game to have before playing Tech.

Nov. 24: Georgia Tech - Georgia beats Tech that is just what happens. Teams with an extra week to prepare for Tech's option game fair pretty well against Tech. I can only imagine having a team that runs exactly the same offense can only have a positive effect on the game for Georgia.

Overall it is hard to look at the schedule and not think it is lined up great for Georgia. The only two things I see as possible negatives are traveling to Missouri for their first SEC game ever which should make for a very pumped up team and playing a stretch with 4 out of 5 games away from home. Manage those two obstacles and next year could (should?) be a special season for Georgia.  

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Here is hoping that you are able to celebrate the day with the ones you love. As for me my kids are only two and three so while they talk a good bit about Christmas and Santa they don't understand that they can wake up early and get their presents so all of the adults are awake but the kids are still sleeping. My biggest fear for the day is that once my son sees his Thomas the Train presents from Santa he will have no interest in opening any of his presents from anyone else. Anyways once again Merry Christmas.

A Christmas Story

I have been taking a few days off from blogging to spend time out of town with the in laws and friends in South Carolina. Back home now but spending time with my family and enjoying having some time away from work. One Christmas tradition that we love is TBS showing "A Christmas Story" for 24 hours. We usually watch it once all the way through and other than that just catch parts of it over and over as it is on in the background throughout the 24 hours from 8 to 8. One thing that I just saw on TV though is that the rating on the show preview has it rated it as a 3 star show. If four stars is the highest rating then "A Christmas Story" is at least 5 stars. If you disagree with me I'll shoot your eye out.

McGarity's influence paying off for more than just football.

Earlier this year I posted about McGarity and the positve effects of McGarity on Mark Richt and the football team. Now this article does not directly state anything about McGarity. It actually gives all the credit to Andy Landers for instituting the program this season. However it is hard to believe that with Landers having coached women's basketball at Georgia for 32 seasons and never having put the emphasis on this before that it was not at least partially McGarity's doing. What makes it even better to me is that McGarity seems to have set it up to make it look like the entire idea was Landers. He is helping the coach improve his team but also helping out with the coach's PR.

This is coming on the heals of hearing about how our previous athletic director held back funds from people that Richt believed deserved more money despite the fact the program was was finacially one of the best in the country. In the article that talks mostly about how Richt paid out of his own pocket to give money to people he felt deserved it there is this bit

And regarding these extension talks now underway with McGarity, Richt indicated that the discussion wasn’t just about his own compensation.
“There are other things that we talk about too,” Richt said, “student-athlete welfare stuff or maybe we can do this or that. He might see something that he would like me to improve and I might say we want to work on some kind of facility issue. What I'm saying is we've just had some great talks, not only about extending my contract, but what can we do to be the 'Best in America' type talks too, which is exciting.”

Richt has in the past asked for certain things, like an indoor practice field, and it was pushed off or scaled down. Even when Richt finally did get the indoor practice field it was only a 20x60 yard field. In fact it was actually smaller than the recent indoor field built at Georgia Tech. With the facility being so new I doubt McGarity will push hard for another one to be built but I have a hard time believing he would have settled for something that is not even the best in the state. The short term effects have been seen with slimming down from the nutrition program, Richt having more time to concentrate on the field instead of off, and various other small things. I continue to expect that as time goes by the benefits of the changes made by McGarity will pay off more and not just for football but for the entire athletic program.

Another domino falling into place for Georgia next year.

Looking at all the teams in the SEC East right now it would appear that going into next year Georgia and South Carolina are the favorites to battle it out for division title. Kentucky was awful this year and has never come close to winning the division. Tennessee lost to Kentucky. Vanderbilt is improving but still has a long ways to go and by the way they are Vanderbilt. Florida was a mess this season and will have a new offensive coordinator for the third time in three seasons as well as a new starting quarterback. Missouri is a bit of a wild card but they were a pedestrian 7-5 in the Big 12(-2) this past season. They have had some success as of late but will be adjusting to life in the SEC.

That leaves the race really down to the two favorites I stated above, Georgia and South Carolina. South Carolina's best player will be coming off an ACL tear and now losing a major part of their success. Despite Spurrier being the head coach at South Carolina they have been a team that has won by playing great defense. They are 4th in total defense and 12th in scoring defense this season. Losing Ellis,the guy who put together that defense, will hurt them. It will hurt them more because there are not many coaches of his caliber that run the 4-2-5. Here is an old but pretty good break down of his version of the 4-2-5, the players named don't fit but the scheme is still what they run today. With Ellis Johnson leaving South Carolina will have two choices: hire from within to keep the same defense or change schemes. Hiring from within runs the risk of a position coach getting in over his head as a coordinator, think Willie Martinez. Bringing in someone who runs a different scheme runs the risk of an adjustment period as the team adapts to the new scheme, think Grantham's first year at Georgia. These may not turn out to be huge issues for South Carolina but it should be expected to set the defense back at least some next year. That should give Georgia at least some advantage when playing South Carolina.

Georgia's biggest recruits for next season are already on the team

By that I am talking about the underclassmen who have declared for the draft. Here is a list of every player, to the best of my knowledge, that could declare to leave for the 2012 NFL draft:
Richard Samuel IV, Marlon Brown, Ty Frix, Shawn Williams, Carlton Thomas, Orson Charles, Arthur Lynch, Kwame Geathers, John Jenkins, Chris Burnette, Dallas Lee, Reuben Falougi, Jarvis Jones, Chase Vassser, Cornelius Washington, Austin Long, Trinton Sturdivant, Aaron Murray, Ben Reynolds, Sanders Commings, Jordan Love, Blake Sailors, Braden Smith, Abry Jones, Derrick Lott, Tavarres King, Rantavious Wooten, Baccari Rambo, Michael Gilliard,  and Christian Robinson.

Obviously the vast marjority of those guys are not even considering going pro right now so I will focus on the ones that either are seriously considering it. Despite turning his paper work in for evaluation by the NFL Murray is not going pro this season, will not happen. So who do I think the guys are that are at least giving it some thought? Shawn Williams, Orson Charles, John Jenkins, Cornelius Washingon, Sanders Commings, and Baccari Rambo would be at the top of my list. I don't think that Williams or Commmings will hear anything from the NFL to really temp them. Washington I only put on this list because he may look at the other linebackers and think that he playing time may be limited which might hurt his draft stock next year. He would hurt depth next year and Georgia would be losing a good player as he was starting to emerge before his suspension set him back.

That leaves Jenkins, Rambo and Charles as the three that Richt will have to recruit the hardest to come back next year. I think all are truly tempted by the NFL but I don't know them personally so it is hard to speak in terms of will they stay or go. What I want to focus on is the order of importance each has to the team. I rank them as Rambo, Jenkins and finally Charles. This is not to say that is the order of talent but instead the who would be the biggest loss THIS off season.

Rambo would be the biggest loss because there is little to no experience behind him at safety. This season the first guy to play safety behind the starters was Commings. It was a luxary Georgia could afford because they had Boykin and Smith to play the corners. With Boykin gone next year Commings will most likely be needed fulltime at corner. Rambo was one of two all-americans on the defense this year. He led the team in interceptions and if he came back it would be a huge boost to next years team.

The second biggest loss would be Jenkins. If Geathers were not coming back this would be the number one guy we needed back. With Geathers as insurance his rank drops down to number two. By the end of the year Jenkins had surpassed Geathers as the starter but both were playing about the same number of snaps when Geathers was healthy. However having both available is big as it allows Georgia to keep the keystone of the 3-4, a dominant nose, fresh throughout games and for the season.

Of the three most likely to leave I think Charles may be the most talented but also the guy we could most afford to lose. He led the team in receptions this season although Mitchell probably would have had he not missed a few games with a pulled hamstring. Having him makes Georgia a more dangerous offensive team but Georgia returns all of its wide receivers. Also despite losing fellow tight end Aron White to graduation the tight end position Georgia has Lynch who has a lot of experience and Jay Rome who was considered the best tight end in the country coming out of high school. Having Charles back would be nice but it is not a position of need as much as safety and nose tackle are to next years team.

It is wishful thinking to picture everyone coming back for next season but I really hope that it happens. There are reasons beyond simple wishing that they might. For one Jarvis Jones has already stated he will be in the defensive players ears about staying. He is a leader and the peer pressure from him might be enough to sway them to stay. The other reason is that the players on the team this year seemed to have good chemistry and with most of a team that won ten games and played for the SEC title this season coming back the thought of winning the SEC title next year with an outside shot at a national title has to be appealling to them.

Pet Peeve of mine with announcers

I don't know when it went from the occasional announcer doing these things to it being accepted as the right way of doing things but there are two things that announcers do that really drive me crazy. The first is when they say someone is out with a hamstring. You could put any body part into that sentence and it would drive me crazy. Is it a pulled hamstring? Torn? Does the guy only have one hamstring because that would certainly explain why he is out of the game. Simply stating "he is out with an ankle" is stupid. Even if you don't know what the injury is you could say something like he is out with an ankle injury. You are paid to talk. Is it that hard to say the one extra word? Is ESPN paying the announcers by the word and telling them to cut out as many words as possible? If they are paying by the word then why the hell is Mark May on TV at all? Actually why is he on TV at all? Ok sorry for that tangent. The point is simply stating a body part as a reason a guy is out drives me crazy.

The second announcers do these days is use the word defensed. "They really defensed that played well". You have a great defense but you defend a play well. You do not defense a play. Do we defense our country against invaders? No we defend it against them. The castle was not defensed well, it was well defended. It may even be proper grammar to say "he defensed the play" but it just sounds better to say defended.

I am not sure when these two things took over. At first it was a guy or two here and there. I chalked it up to a slip of the tongue. Now someone has decided that every announcer must declare a guy is out with a leg after defensing a play well. I want to meet that someone and kick him so hard that the rest of his life he would wear a cup to defense his nut sack.

Please don't change the bowls.

I know that in recent years people have been wanting a change to the college football post season, most notably the way the national title is decided. I will save that argument for another time. There is also a lot of people who think that there are too many bowl games. Thirty-five is probably too many but some of the best games are the ones that wouldn't be played if not for the high number of games. Watching the La-Lafayette game against San Diego State game last night was to me all that is right with college football. The game was hard fought by both teams, it had drama and the pure excitement that you rarely see at the pro level. ULL hit a 50 yard field goal to win it as time expired and the joy the players and coaches showed made it look like they just won the Super Bowl. You know why? To them it was the Super Bowl. It was their first bowl game. Games like these are why I hope the bowl system stays around forever. They are also the reason why I will watch every bowl game my schedule allows.

Urban Meyer recruiting advantage

This news is about a week old but I the more I think about it the more it bugs me. The waiver states that Ohio State may keep its full outgoing coaching staff for coaching the players while he hires new coaches that can recruit. It does not allow for more than 10 coaches total at any one time but that gives them a three coach advantage over their competition. Do you not think that coaches at other schools would love to have 3 coaches dedicated full time to recruiting while not losing anything on the practice field? Does anyone not believe that Meyer will be telling recruits that other coaches are ignoring them while he is paying them 100% attention despite the fact that the reason the other coach is not spending them time on them is because he happens to be actually coaching his team?

The ruling also states that no more than seven coaches may be recruiting at one time. Does that mean that 7 can recruit one day and 7 the next? What is defined at one time? Do they not believe that Meyer, or any coach for that matter, will not push the envelope of what is allowed under the special waiver?

The article also says the NCAA grants this type waiver all the time. Is it just for entirely new coaching staffs? Would it be granted for a head coach that stays but hires several new coaches because he fired old ones or they left for better jobs? Is Auburn eligible for the waiver since they are looking for a new OC and DC? What about when Georgia had grad assistants coaching the defense? Something just smells fishy to me that a team would be allowed this type of advantage in recruiting from an organization that had rules about the condiments that can be given to players to go on their bagels.

To finish it off, isn't Ohio State in this position because they broke rules and had to fire their head coach as a result? Why shouldn't it be hard on them to have to deal with the transition? If this type waiver is granted frequently maybe it explains the number of coaches that have huge success in their second year at a new program.

Gone over to the dark side.

For a long time I resisted getting a twitter account. I have no interest in knowing where people ate breakfast or any of the other trivial stuff that I expect gets put on twitter. I however have realized how much information is out there about sports, in particular about Georgia sports. I am not sure how much I will actually be tweeeting but I do plan on using it to keep up with things that are going on in the world of sports. If anyone would like to follow me feel free to @dawg3fan4 . If anyone has any suggestions of who to follow feel free to suggest them to me in the comments or through my twitter account. Also if anyone has any ideas on how to best use twitter, such as how to post my new blog posts to it, please feel free to help me out. Thanks and have a great Friday.

This years John Jenkins?

During last year's season it was obvious that one of the biggest immediate fixes for the team needed to be at the nose on defense and running back on offense. Richt and company recruited two of the best possible fixes for that by bringing in a top running back as well as a top junior college transfer to fill the holes needed to win right away. This off season we again have a hole at running back and so Richt again has brought in one of the nations best at running back in Keith Marshall. Another huge need for next year is along the offensive line as Georgia lost three starters including both tackles. Georgia had already gotten commitments from Chester Brown, Greg Pyke and top rated offensive tackle John Theus. Many believe that Theus will be ready to come in and compete for a starting position as a freshman. Tackle however is a very hard position for a freshman to excel at in a freshman season. Richt in order to provide more competition and depth at tackle went out and got one of the best junior college tackles in Mark Beard. The advantage of a juco player is that their bodies have had time to mature more and while juco strength and conditioning programs are not as good as a division 1 programs they are a step ahead of most high school programs. With a huge number of players returning for next year if Beard can have half the impact that Jenkins did last year it could be another huge step forward for Georgia. One advantage that Beard will have over Jenkins is that he will be enrolling in January giving him longer to learn the schemes and be a part of Georgia's strength and conditioning program for an entire off season.