Making the leap

5 Bulldogs who are poised to break out in 2023

Jared Smith

Last season, several Georgia players had breakout seasons, with linebackers Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon Jr. leading the way. Ahead of the 2023 G-Day game, here are some players to watch who could break out for Georgia this season.

#6

Daylen Everette

With former cornerback Kelee Ringo headed to the NFL, the Bulldogs will have a key spot to fill in their secondary for the upcoming season. Junior cornerback Kamari Lassiter played opposite Ringo and will likely return as a starter on their defense. The other cornerback spot is up for grabs, so the rising sophomore Everette could emerge as an extremely valuable piece in 2023.

Everette played in 14 games this past season, mainly contributing on special teams. He recorded 13 tackles and one pass breakup. The former five-star was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, landing as the sixth-best cornerback and a top-30 recruit in the 2022 class.

Bear Alexander

#99

It’s no secret that Georgia knows a thing or two about developing defensive linemen. In the 2022 NFL draft, three were selected in the first round — Travon Walker, Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt. In the upcoming draft, former Bulldog Jalen Carter will likely be selected early in the first round. Now, the rising sophomore Alexander looks to take on Carter’s role for the upcoming season.

While Alexander might not have light the stat sheet, he stepped up big late in the season. He finished the year with two sacks and nine tackles, though his best performance came on the biggest stage. Against TCU in the College Football Playoff National Championship, he totaled one sack and two tackles for a loss.

In high school, he rushed for 15 touchdowns and nearly 1,200 yards on 121 attempts in his final season. He was the highest-rated recruit in the state of Mississippi and a top-five running back in the 2022 recruiting class. Robinson saw action in 12 games in his first collegiate season, carrying the ball 68 times for 330 yards and three touchdowns.

Amarius Mims

#65

As Broderick Jones and Warren McClendon take their talents to the professional level, Georgia looks to replace both offensive tackles. Although they might be big shoes to fill, Mims is an extremely talented player and Georgia’s highest-rated offensive tackle recruit of all time. He was the best in the state of Georgia and UGA’s 2021 recruiting class, slightly nudging out rising junior quarterback Brock Vandagriff for the top spot. He comes in at 6-foot-7, 330-pounds, making him the largest offensive lineman on the team. Mims saw consistent action throughout the season, regularly rotating in at right tackle during games. He saw extended time in the lineup in the postseason as McClendon went down with an injury.

#13

Mykel Williams

Rising sophomore and defensive lineman Williams missed the majority of spring practice due to a nagging foot injury he suffered last season. He underwent surgery and will likely return by the start of fall camp.

Williams exploded onto the scene in his first year with the Bulldogs. He led the team in sacks with four and a half as a true freshman. At 6-foot-5, 265-pounds, he brings a lengthy and athletic frame to Georgia’s front seven. While he won’t be playing in G-Day, he’ll likely have a major impact in season.

Marvin Jones Jr.

#7

AT-LARGE MEMBERS Carson Barrett, Claire Han, Dawn Sawyer, Melanie Velasquez

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#22

Branson Robinson Running backs and rising seniors Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards both missed spring practice due to hamstring injuries. Because of that, second-year running back Robinson has seen an increased workload in practice and could have a featured role in Georgia’s annual intrasquad scrimmage. Coming in at 5-foot-10, 220-pounds, Robinson is a bruising back with real potential to get some minutes this year.

Rising sophomore outside linebacker Jones missed this year’s slate of spring practices because of a lingering shoulder injury that occurred last season. He underwent labrum surgery and looks to return sometime this summer. As such, Jones also won’t play on G-Day.

While there’s no definitive answer to who will take over for Nolan Smith, he brings immense upside, as one of the highest-rated pass rushers at that position. At 6-foot-5, 250-pounds, Jones was a fivestar prospect and the third-best edge rusher in his class. He played in 13 games last season and got a sack against Georgia Tech in the last game of the regular season.

Behind the lines

Olivia Sayer

Unsung heroes are the people you never knew existed but can’t live without. College football has plenty of unsung heroes, and the reigning national champions are no exception.

Whether it’s the scout team players, equipment managers or assistant coaches who may not receive enough recognition, it takes a village to help the Georgia football program operate smoothly — the University of Georgia sports turf and grounds crew is one of them.

So many of the great moments on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium would not have been possible without this team working around the clock to maintain the space between the hedges.

Ethan Kain, the assistant director of sports turf and grounds at the University of Georgia, is an important part of the crew. Another is Kyle Odom, a groundskeeper for UGA.

While it might not seem like it, the grass affects every single player that steps onto the field. If not maintained correctly, the turf can cause injuries. The UGA Grounds Department certainly understands the magnitude of this.

“We’re really just worried about footing, playability and safety for the football players,” Kain said.

To ensure the safety and playability of Dooley Field, the sports turf and grounds crew are especially deliberate about the type of grass used on the field.

“Sanford stays 100% Bermuda grass all year,” Kain said.

According to Gerald Henry, a UGA professor of environmental and turfgrass science, Bermuda grass is one of the safest options because it helps avoid lower limb and non-contact injuries, such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) tears.

“That system is meant to act as a shock absorber — so when a player falls on the ground, that grass and that soil profile give way,” Henry said.

A lot goes into preparing the field for game week. The process officially begins the Sunday after the game. On this day, the crew gives the field its first mow of the week and blows off any debris remaining from the game. On Monday, the crew sprays it with a fertilizer that gives the grass the food and nutrients it needs to get through the week.

Tuesday is when the real fun begins, as the crew starts painting the yard lines. This requires precision because one wrong move could jeopardize the result of a game. The crew members run a string across the field to verify they are painting the lines straight and into their precisely measured places.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the painting continues after the field is given another mow. The crew paints the endzones, red border, coaches’ boxes, hashes, numbers and SEC logos. Friday, the last day before the game, is when the finishing touches are applied.

On the morning of the game, the crew will give the field another mow to make sure it is on point for the game. After that, they are “hands off,” according to Kain, to allow players space to prepare for the game. However, this does not mean the crew can kick their feet up and relax. They must be ready for any obstacles that arise during the game.

“We have people stationed on the field [during the game] just in case anything goes wrong,” Odom said.

Although the college football regular season ends in November, maintaining the field extends well past that. Cold months and temperature drops follow the Bulldogs’ last regular season game against Georgia Tech. To keep the field in tip-top shape, the UGA sports turf and grounds crew covers the field in growth blankets, which are thin pieces of fabric that allow sunlight to pass through them and into the soil.

One memorable event in Sanford Stadium this past season took place on Jan. 14, when the football team celebrated back-to-back national championships. When the game clock hit zero the previous Monday night in SoFi Stadium, the turf and grounds crew knew it had one final assignment for the football season.

Thursday Crossword - Answer Online FRIDAY, APRIL 14

Stadium Stats

X Sanford Stadium was named after Steadman v. Sanford, the former president of the university.

X The field at Sanford Stadium was renamed Dooley Field in 2019 after the team’s former head coach. Vince Dooley brought the Bulldogs their first championship in the 1981 season.

X The first football game at Sanford Stadium — a 15-0 victory against Yale — was played on Oct. 29, 1929.

X Sanford Stadium hosted a round of Olympic soccer games in 1996.

X Sanford Stadium has a capacity of 92,746, making it the tenth-largest college football stadium in the country.

Although many fans were already celebrating around halftime, the grounds crew stuck to its typical game week schedule. According to Odom, preparing the field was mostly the same process as a typical game week, except for two things. One was the paint colors and the other was the stencil, putting a national championship logo where the “Power G” would usually be.

Preparing Dooley Field for gamedays is something that requires a lot of hard work. Head football coach Kirby Smart often emphasizes how his program makes the week of practice harder than the game. The same could be said for Dooley Field’s game day preparation.

“The coolest thing that I guess people don’t realize is that most of our work [occurs during] the week,” Odom said. “So on gameday it is more of just making sure everything goes good for the game because our work is mostly done.” Even if just for a day, they get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. However, as soon as the game clock hits zero, it’s back to work on the field that brings Bulldog fans so many great memories on Saturdays in Athens.