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@navydawg...yes, I know a lot of these players struggle with academics. Remember the Jan Kemp situation? I don't think that will change, but there are some guys that are definitely getting a degree and graduating with good grades. Few of these players will go to the NB FL, so they'd better have a backup plan for a career or at least a decent job.

Good point about the off-field antics. Fine them accordingly...that should be in the contract.

Apparently young Jontavious was never about the football….it'll be NIL, sunshine, thonged iguanas and a cupcake season.

As a Dawgs fan you gotta love Kirby Smart !! If 10 means the very epitome of elite KS would say we’re at a 5 !! And that’s Good !!

Hope he carries through the summer and fall !! Now he does dish out a little praise When it’s deserved to keep morale up, but he wants his players to be Hungry for Elite !! Showing them where they are and where they Could be.

KS is a smart cookie, he knows what he has and how to get them where they need to be. Be very assured my fellow Dawgs fans this 2025 Dawgs Team will be Hot in the mix of winning another Natty !! Never underestimate Kirby Smart !! Go Dawgs !!

Good questions and comments !! I may sound crazy ( allot of people think I am 🤣). But I don’t see the need for these guys to attend classes and get a “degree” any longer. It’s semi-pro ball now. It’s not Really student athlete.

Allot of these guys have to be heavily tutored just to make the minimum grade points to stay eligible. We don’t read that in sports articles because it’s embarrassing for any and all schools not just UGA. The Truth is allot of these guys are tutored all through HS and continued when they get to college.

No not All of them maybe not even Most of them but are Allot of them. If we’re honest it stopped being about “student athlete” in particular CFB years ago. So we’re finally where we saw coming a long time ago, semi-pro football under university programs and logos.

I’m gonna continue to watch Dawgs football as I’ve been a fan far too long, but the face of CFB has radically changed Forever !! I’ve also got a question in line with MontanaDawg’s question about accountability, are these guys gonna suffer financial punishment for off field antics like the NFL does ?? I hope so !!

The biggest things I want to know when the dust clears is this:

• Are there any enforceable rules (that can stand up in court) in these NIL "contracts" and player payments that apply accountability to the players?? Rules for playing in post-season games, transfer rules (including paying back monies if you leave the program)??
• Will scholarships (as we know them today) be completely gone?

Obviously, the teams with the deepest pockets and corporate sponsors backing players (think Nike and Oracle) will be the ones with the biggest advantages. I don't see the Dawgs being in that bucket. I see us being an elite program with a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to monies. However, we're still going to be in a better situation than 95% of the teams out there. Like Kirby, I'd hate to have the University have to cut other good sports programs just because we don't have enough cash to go around. But, that will probably end up being the case.

Ohio State spent $20M to build a Championship team. Most of that money went to retaining players - not to bring in new ones like Judkins and Howard. I still think that is where most of the best team's money is going to go - retention & experience - rather than bringing in new blood from the portal that could potentially be a bad fit and disruptive. The risk is real. We've seen it firsthand.

Love this young man’s attitude and work ethic !! Sounds like the Dawgs have a very good QB here !!

Thanks for the update Mike. Sounds good. A 6’7” receiver is difficult to cover. Heck, I could throw it to him. WRs are better than last season. The question for me is the O-line.

Bold prediction, Gunner is going to be ‘better than expected’ by many and our receiving corps will no longer be a CFB leader in ‘dropped’ passes… meanwhile, at Miami ‘drops’ become an issue. 😉

Aaaaah....thanks Mike. I needed that. 1st real football article of the 2025 Season. Lol

IMO....Gunner, Puglisi and the rest…are only gonna look as good as the personnel around them. It being Spring Training and all….i'm sure there's no a full cast of characters. And, the ones that ARE there….are shuffling in and out, which doesn't allow for any kind of offensive rhythm.

Right now…I think, it's more about teaching the boys how to practice and working on individual technique, strength and conditioning. When the peddle meets the metal and the Dawgs are putting together their front line troops, in August....THAT'S when you start evaluating QB's....IMHO.

To me…2025 isn't so much, about how good UGA's gonna be. They'll be to-standard by the time they play the 1st SEC Game. I have no doubt.

It's more about…who & how many teams in the SEC, will also be playing to a higher standard?. Texas?...LSU?...Bama?. Over half the Conference? Will there be similar high quality parity…as with the SEC Baseball and Basketball teams? Who knows, at this point.

Go get em Big Red!

Another great, insightful, fact-filled article from MG.

First time in a little while I've gotten goosebumps from an article about Dawgs Football, as this really paints a picture of rapid development amongst a highly talented (though still "fresh") group of young men... is there hope for a more promising 2025 run than some of us might have thought?

Will still love our Dawgs, regardless, but hope springs eternal!