Let’s start with a hypothetical:

Mark Richt and a prominent starter on the football team are suddenly suspended during the middle of the season “pending an academic eligibility review.” A few weeks later the student-athlete is allowed to return to competition, but Richt remains suspended. Well…sort of suspended. He is allowed to run practices, travel with the team, attend games, but he can’t coach the team from the sideline during a game.

This continues for one month. Two months. The football player in question has been competing for the past several weeks since being reinstated, but Richt’s suspension-lite continues. Georgia has a great season regardless, and the SEC Championship comes around. Georgia wins with Richt in the press box and not on the sideline. Assistant coaches represent the triumphant team in interviews. Georgia starts preparation for the BCS, and the coaching situation is no less clear.

The lingering suspension raises some eyebrows, so naturally athletics director Greg McGarity is asked about it several times. McGarity does little to resolve the questions and speaks in vague generalities. “I don’t know what the end date’s going to be on that…hopefully that will all come to an end very soon,” he says one month into the suspension. We never get an answer whether the suspension is the result of internal, SEC, or NCAA action.

Contrary to McGarity’s hopes, the matter doesn’t end very soon or at all. The media can’t file FOIA requests until whatever investigation is going on is deemed complete. There is no hint of NCAA interest or inquiry. It looks increasingly likely that the season will end without resolution or illumination.

It sounds implausible because the outcry from football fans would be deafening after one week, let alone after two months. Neither Richt nor McGarity would be able to walk across the parking lot without facing the media. But what I laid out above is exactly what’s gone on with legendary Georgia swim coach Jack Bauerle. Anyone vaguely familiar with Georgia athletics knows the name. Bauerle has been involved with Georgia swimming since 1979. He’s won multiple national and SEC titles, coached the US women’s national team at the 2008 Olympics, and has produced scores of All-Americans and Olympians.

Bauerle and men’s swimmer Chase Kalisz were withheld from the January 4th meet with N.C. State. Kalisz was reinstated later in January, but Bauerle remained barred from meets. That’s the way things have stayed in the two months since, and despite McGarity’s statement in early February that “hopefully that will all come to an end very soon,” it hasn’t. Georgia hosted the SEC Championships in late February with Bauerle watching from the stands and assistant coaches handling the press.

The media haven’t got very far in trying to find answers. As the Banner-Herald explains, an open records request is pointless because “under state law, documents cannot be released until 10 days after the investigation of a state employee concludes.” Coaches and team members have embraced an Omerta-like silence about the suspension, and McGarity has been reticent. The suspension will apparently continue through the end of the season: the women’s NCAA Championships take place this weekend, and Bauerle won’t make the trip. As Mark Richt said on Tuesday, “At Georgia, we’ve never tried to hide things. If somebody makes a mistake, we clean it up. We don’t hide it.” I would hope that McGarity is following the same principle here.

I don’t have it in for Bauerle – his legacy at Georgia has been magnificent, and he’s been enough of a household name and likable personality to have been included on the spring circuit right alongside the football coach. I really hope this is much more smoke than fire. I am a bit concerned though the longer this drags out. Regardless of the sport and the personalities involved, it’s tough to recall a more bizarre story coming out of the Butts-Mehre building. We don’t even know the details behind the story yet, but the stone wall of information and comment has been as remarkable as the bewildering quasi-suspension itself.

We’re left in the same place we were two months ago: a nearly three-month investigation that leaves a head coach suspended indefinitely. Academics are involved. That’s not an encouraging combination.

Georgia used a career-high 29 points from Charles Mann to overcome a 9-point second half deficit and defeat Vermont 63-56 in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday night. The Dawgs led by as many as 11 at the start of the second half, but Vermont put together a 21-2 stretch to erase Georgia’s lead and build one of their own. Georgia, largely thanks to Mann’s penetration, began to chop away at the lead inside of 9 minutes remaining and eventually pulled ahead for good inside of three minutes remaining.

As impressive as Mann’s second half offense was, his ballhandling was a part of the reason why Georgia found themselves in a hole. Mann committed 7 turnovers, and the team turned it over 22 times. When Georgia got a shot off they hit over 50%, but generally sloppy play kept the visitors close. Vermont was effective at guarding the perimeter, but many of Georgia’s turnovers were unforced.

While Mann carried the team down the stretch, Marcus Thornton did the work in the first half. Thornton ended up with a career high 16 points of his own. Mann and Thornton combined for an impressive 20-21 from the foul line, and free throws on both ends were a big part of the outcome. Georgia rebounded much better towards the end of the game and opened up a 31-18 edge on the boards.

General admission seating filled much of the lower bowl of Stegeman Coliseum, and the crowd of only about 4,000 made plenty of noise to help Georgia’s comeback.

The #2 seed Dawgs will face #3 seed Louisiana Tech on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. (ESPN). La. Tech had a close game themselves against Iona but pulled out a 89-88 win on their home court. The ticket policy will be the same as it was for Vermont: students get in free, and seating will be general admission. Tickets can be ordered online at georgiadogs.com or by calling 888-542-1231.

Georgia’s basketball season lives on. Saturday’s loss to Kentucky ended hopes of an NCAA bid, but the Bulldogs learned Sunday night that they had earned a spot in the 2014 postseason NIT. Georgia’s strong conference record and solid play down the stretch earned them a #2 seed in their 8-team group.

The Dawgs will host #7 seed Vermont in the opening round on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. in Athens (ESPNU will televise). The Catamounts are 22-10 this season and won the regular season America East championship with a 15-1 conference record. They fell to eventual tournament champion Albany in the semifinals of the America East tournament and earned an automatic bid to the NIT by virtue of their regular season title.

Vermont starts four seniors who have been a part of 90 wins over four seasons. The Catamounts have been to the postseason each year, participating in 2 NITs, the CBI last year, and the 2012 NCAA Tournament as a #16 seed. They’re a capable team from behind the arc – they still drilled 9 of 20 three-pointers in their loss to Albany. They’re not terribly effective inside, so Georgia should press its advantage on the boards on both ends of the court.

If Georgia advances, they’ll face the winner of #3 Louisiana Tech and #6 Iona on a date to be determined (between March 20-24), and Georgia could host that game as well. FSU and Georgetown round out the top four seeds in Georgia’s region.

The Bulldogs have one strong tie to the Vermont program. Tom Brennan played for the Dawgs and graduated in 1971. He became Vermont’s head coach in 1986 and stayed on until 2005. Brennan stepped down at the high point of his career after Vermont upset Syracuse in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, and he’s done national TV and radio work since. He’ll be making the trip down with the Vermont team.

Tickets

General admission tickets are $15 and can be ordered starting 9:00 a.m. Monday online at www.georgiadogs.com or by calling the Athletic Association ticket office 1-877-542-1231 between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Seating will be general admission for the first round of the National Invitational Tournament and filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Basketball Enhancement Fund contributors will receive the number of tickets requested to the first round of the National Invitational Tournament during the pre-order process and priority on seating in Sections D, E, F.

The first 500 UGA students will receive free admission to the game and must show their valid UGA ID Card at Stegeman Coliseum ticket windows to claim their free ticket. Once the free student tickets have been distributed, additional student tickets will be sold $4 each to all UGA students presenting their valid UGA ID Card at the Stegeman Coliseum ticket windows. UGA students can purchase their tickets with cash only.

The Bracket

Click here for the 2014 NIT Bracket

The SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament returns to the Gwinnett Arena in Duluth from Wednesday through Sunday this week. Since it’s right around the corner, we’ll be there for most sessions. Follow @dawgsonline for updates from the arena.

For the first time, all fourteen SEC teams will be involved in the tournament (Ole Miss held themselves out of the postseason last year.) With all teams participating, we’ll have two play-in games on Wednesday evening involving the bottom four teams to kick off a grueling five days of tournament play.

Call it parity or something less kind, but this has been a year of upheaval in the SEC. South Carolina won their first conference title. Alabama showed signed of life under a new coach. Preseason favorites LSU and Kentucky faltered – Kentucky dropped six games, and LSU finished the season losing 7 of 8. Eight of the fourteen teams have between 6 and 8 conference wins, and 8-8 was good enough for fifth place. Even Tennessee lost three SEC games, but they only finished one game out of first place and topped South Carolina on Sunday. It’s no surprise that this is the toughest conference in the nation, and the possibility of just about any of the top 10 seeds making a run should make for an interesting and entertaining tournament.

Few teams illustrate the turbulent state of the SEC better than Georgia. The Lady Dogs roared to a 12-1 start against a light nonconference schedule, but they dropped their first four conference games. They’ve spent the rest of the season fighting back to a .500 mark in the league but came up short. They found themselves in the middle of the pack with a number of tiebreakers against them – a win at Auburn a week ago would have earned them the fifth seed entering the tournament, but they spent Sunday afternoon sweating the possibility of falling into a Wednesday play-in game even after their impressive win.

Georgia’s Path Through the Tournament:

Wednesday: Bye
Thursday / First Round: #9 Georgia vs. #8 Vanderbilt: Noon ET. SportsSouth
Friday / Quarterfinals: vs. #1 South Carolina: Noon ET. SportsSouth
Saturday / Semifinals: Noon ET: ESPNU
Sunday / Finals: 3:30 p.m. ET. ESPN
Complete Bracket Here

The Field:

1. South Carolina (14-2, 26-3): Dawn Staley’s program has arrived. They made a Sweet 16 run in 2012 and made it to the Round of 32 a year ago. They navigated a fairly lightweight nonconference schedule and lost to their only ranked opponent, North Carolina. The Gamecocks rounded into form for conference play and dropped just one game in January and February – an overtime loss at Texas A&M. They had a number of close calls in January but won every game but one in February by double-digits as they reeled off a 10-game winning streak en route to the regular season title. Before falling at Tennessee to close the season, South Carolina was as high as #4 in the polls and a possible #1 NCAA Tournament seed.

The Gamecocks were picked to finish in the middle of the pack after losing some important seniors, but they’ve found success with a dominant frontcourt. Elem Ibiam and freshman Alaina Coates are outstanding posts, and junior forward Aleighsa Welch is the leader that has stepped up on a team with only one senior. Opponents can’t afford to focus only on the frontcourt; sophomore guard Tiffany Mitchell leads the team in scoring and has emerged as a go-to player. Staley’s teams have always been noted for the defensive toughness that mirrors the personality of their coach, and now they have a little bit of firepower to go along with the defense.

2. Tennessee (13-3, 24-5): Despite slipping from the national elite, Tennessee is still a high-performing, talented, and impressive team. South Carolina’s rise might’ve overshadowed a solid season by Tennessee, but this is a program that won the regular season title a year ago and just ended South Carolina’s winning streak. The Lady Vols know how to play under the pressure of a tournament, and they’ll have their usual army of fans to make the arena a virtual home court. There’s no reason not to consider them every bit as much of a favorite as South Carolina.

The Lady Vols look to their lone senior, guard Meighan Simmons, not only for scoring but also for the emotional intensity that fuels everything for which Tennessee is known. Tennessee’s identity is nothing new to SEC fans: they shoot well, play frenetic defense, and control the glass better than anyone in the conference. Starting point guard Ariel Massengale is doubtful for the tournament after missing the past ten games with an injury, but they’ve adjusted to life without Massengale just fine. Tennessee has won 10 of its last 11 games. Sophomore Andraya Carter has handled the point guard duties well. They can look inside to Isabelle Harrison for scoring and rebounding, and Burdick and Graves can be dangerous from the wings.

3. Texas A&M (13-3, 23-7): If it’s possible for a top-tier SEC team to be anonymous, this is the one. A&M won the national title a few years ago, won the SEC Tournament last season in the school’s first year of membership, are only one of two teams to beat South Carolina, and you have to remember to list them among the favorites to win this year’s tournament. They fell off the radar by losing four games – including some head-scratchers – in nonconference play, but in conference they’ve been as strong as anyone. There’s no shame in any of their three conference losses, and they have several quality wins.

Things have been a little tougher in the post-Kelsey Bone era, and the Aggies have survived a number of close calls. Senior Karla Gilbert has taken over for Bone inside, and JUCO transfer Achiri Ade adds some muscle and rebounding power to the frontcourt. A pair of Courtneys at guard, Courtney Walker and Courtney Williams lead the team in scoring. The team doesn’t shoot a lot of three pointers and hits under 30% from outside, so they rely a lot on penetration from the guards with PG Jordan Jones leading the league in assists. This is also a sound defensive team and can score in transition. They’ll be a tough out, and there’s potentially a Saturday game against Tennessee in a rematch of the 2013 semifinal that bounced the Lady Vols.

4. Kentucky (10-6, 22-7): It’s been an inconsistent season for what has been one of the SEC’s stronger programs. They have wins over Baylor, Tennessee, A&M, and Louisville, but they’ve also been swept by Florida, lost to Alabama, and sweated out wins over Auburn and Mississippi State. There’s no question that the team misses A’dia Mathis, the sparkplug during Kentucky’s rise to prominence. Scoring can be at a premium at times, especially from the backcourt. Guard Jennifer O’Neill comes off the bench to lead the team in scoring, but it’s tough to wear the go-to label that Mathis wore so well. The Cats have a pair of long, athletic forwards in DeNesha Stallworth and Samarie Walker who seems like she’s in her 9th season. The trademark frenetic Kentucky defense is still a factor, but this team’s ability to advance will depend on their offense. Awaiting them on Friday could likely be a team that’s already posted two wins over Kentucky this year.

5. Florida (8-8, 18-11): A sweep of Kentucky was enough to separate Florida from the rest of the pack in the middle of the standings and into the #5 seed. Aside from a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2012, Florida has been a perpetual bubble team. They’re back in that position again in 2014. Their finish in the SEC helps their case, but it hasn’t helped that they’ve lost 5 of 7 down the stretch. Florida’s games are likely to be high-scoring. They can get up the court on offense and don’t play especially great defense. Senior and leading scorer Jaterra Bonds personifies their style: she prefers not to shoot from outside but is very effective scoring and creating off the drive. It’s not a given that they’ll get past their opener, but if they do they might have to beat Kentucky for a third time to end any bubble talk.

6. Auburn (7-9, 16-13): Tiebreakers move Auburn to the front of the 7-9 pack. Terri Williams-Flournoy showed progress in her second season, but they’re still not to the point where a spot in the quarterfinals is a sure thing. The Tigers dropped four in a row to end January, but they won 5 of 7 before losing the season finale to Ole Miss. Auburn features tall guards that create both matchup problems on offense and a defensive press that’s tough to break. As a result of that press, Auburn leads the league in steals and relies on transition to create much of their offense. Senior forward Tyrese Tanner leads the team with over 17 points per game, and she gets help from freshman guard Brandy Montgomery.

7. Alabama (7-9, 14-15): It’s quite an achievement to see Alabama back in the top half of the standings. The Tide had been at or near the bottom of the conference for several seasons before gaining significant ground this year. Bama brought in accomplished coach Kristy Curry after successful stints at Texas Tech and Purdue, and the results have been immediate. The season started off slowly, but the Tide broke through in a big way with consecutive upset wins over Kentucky and Georgia. They’ve since added noteworthy wins over Venderbilt and LSU and have won 3 of 4 entering the tournament. Senior Shafontaye Myers leads the way, but it’s a balanced attack with two other players averaging in double figures. They’re punching a bit above their weight – Bama is at or near the bottom of most SEC offensive stats – but to their credit they’ve found a way to get to seven wins. Now can they get past a desperate LSU team in the tournament?

8. Vanderbilt (7-9, 18-11): SEC fans by now are very used to Vandy’s pesky, annoying, and very effective style. It’s no surprise that Melanie Balcomb’s roots go back to the Princeton system; other SEC teams like to run, but Vandy executes a disciplined and precise halfcourt offense. That offense is paced by two senior guards, Christina Foggie and Jasmine Lister. The two are among the tops in the SEC in both scoring and minutes played. The load on those two guards will be even greater now that sophomore forward Heather Bowe has been suspended for academic reasons. Bowe only scored 5 points per game but was second on the team in rebounds and started over 20 games. Even without Bowe, Vandy was still almost able to win at Kentucky in the last game.

In the SEC opener against Georgia, Vanderbilt broke open a close game in Nashville with a late run. Georgia led with just over 6 minutes left, but a 14-5 run put the game away. Georgia has been hit-or-miss in close games for much of the season, and the play down the stretch by the seniors Lister and Foggie in that meeting provided a sharp contrast in poise. Vandy will be hurt by the hit to their frontcourt depth, but will they have the mental advantage again in another close game?

9. Georgia (7-9, 19-10): With losses to three of the four other teams that finished 6-9, the Lady Dogs slid to the #9 seed. The four losses to start the season dug a deep hole, and the team could never find enough momentum to claw back above .500. That job was made more difficult by the team’s performance on the road. The Lady Dogs won just 1 of 8 conference road games (Florida), and the 6-2 home mark wasn’t enough to overcome it. That lack of focus on the road might be the sign of a young team; there are only three regular players who are upperclassmen. Finding the leadership and go-to players under those circumstances has been an ongoing experiment made more difficult with the loss of an accomplished senior class from last season’s Elite Eight team.

When Georgia is at their best, they are hitting jumpshots within the flow of the offense, getting contributions from the forwards, and creating transition opportunities with stifling defense. When they’ve struggled, they rush shots, become stagnant around the perimeter, and commit scores of unnecessary fouls. Fouls on both ends have been an adventure for the team all season – they are at the bottom of the SEC at free throw shooting, and forwards in particular have been prone to a rapid accumulation of fouls.

While forward Merritt Hempe certainly can have the occasional big night (she just outplayed Mississippi State’s Alwal), Georgia’s identity on offense rests with the guards and wings. Shacobia Barbee leads the scoring, but on a given night the team is just as likely to be led by Erika Ford or Khaalidah Miller or Tiaria Griffin. Miller spent her first three years as an outside specialist, but she’s had to take over point guard duties as a senior. Ford has emerged as a clutch scorer, and the team has started to look to her down the stretch when they need a basket. Barbee isn’t just the team’s leading scorer; she leads in rebounds, steals, and is just one off the team lead in assists. Griffin comes off the bench but is capable of instant offense and quick hands on defense.

It’s tough to read Georgia’s chances in the tournament, and that’s been the story of the season. They haven’t done all that well against their neighbors in the standings, yet they swept Florida, beat Kentucky and LSU, and took A&M to overtime. Is that a focus thing? If they need motivation, their tournament opener against Vanderbilt is a must-win: it would get them to 20 wins and add another quality win to the ledger. But they’ll have to overcome their lack of success away from home and find a way to contain the most experienced guard duo in the league.

10. LSU (7-9, 18-11): No team heads into the postseason with worse momentum. LSU defeated West Virginia, NC State, and Tennessee early in the season, started SEC play 6-2, but have since lost 7 of their final 8 games. It’s usually the case for LSU that there are strengths at a couple of positions and a weak supporting cast, and this team falls into line. Forward Theresa Plaisance is versatile enough to do damage inside or outside. Jeanne Kenney is a dangerous streaky shooter. After that, there’s just not much consistent production. Freshman guard Danielle Ballard has faded. Defending Plaisance and Kenney is easier said than done, but teams have figured out that they’re in good shape if they can limit the damage to those two. The team has plenty of fight and nearly came back from big deficits against both Georgia and Tennessee. They ended the season with a bad 78-60 loss at Alabama, and they’ll get a chance to get that taste out of their mouth with their first round rematch against the Tide. They’re still a darling of the computer metrics, but they really could use another win to feel a lot more sure about their postseason chances.

11. Arkansas (6-10, 19-10): How soft was Arkansas’ nonconference schedule? They went a perfect 13-0 and didn’t merit a spot in the polls. That’s not to say that this isn’t a dangerous team. As the SEC’s leading scoring defense, they’re often able to keep games close enough to have a chance to win. They went 2-6 to start SEC play but lost those games by an average of just six points. Since then they’ve finished 4-4 but haven’t been able to put together consecutive wins. It’s rarely a good sign when your leading scorer is a freshman, but wing Jessica Jackson has had an outstanding freshman season and averages over 16 points per game. Senior Keira Peak sets the tone for the team’s formidable defense.

12. Missouri (6-10, 17-12): Missouri lives and dies with the three-pointer. Last year they set a school record with 253 made three-pointers. They eclipsed that total this year with 277. They attempt over 25 three-pointers per game and are knocking them down at a 37.6% clip. That’s been enough to carry them to wins over Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Florida, but it hasn’t moved them further up the standings. Watch for Bri Kulas, Morgan Eye, and Morgan Stock to bomb away.

13. Mississippi St. (5-11, 18-12): When you watch this team play, you’d expect them to finish higher than they did, but the wins never came. There were some successes against Georgia and Vanderbilt, and they came within four points of Tennessee. Martha Alwal is one of the better post players in the conference and can score as well as block shots on the other end. MSU is at their best when the inside-outside game is working well, but they need more consistent perimeter play. If their press defense is working, life can be difficult for opponents.

14. Ole Miss (2-14, 11-19): Following a year of turmoil that left them ineligible for the 2013 tournament, the Rebels are back. First-year coach Matt Insell has a rebuilding job ahead of him, and he’s trying to import some of the Kentucky philospohy to Oxford. They have the speed to get up and down the court with anyone, and an overtime win over Auburn is a nice way to head into the postseason. Senior Valencia McFarland is a creative guard, and Tia Faleru leads the conference in rebounding. They’re not an automatic out in the play-in game.

The issue of attendance – especially student attendance – seems to be on a lot of minds. We’ve been critical of student support for the football team, and we’ve been encouraged by some of the steps taken. The school has reduced the size of the student section but also introduced a well-received Young Alumni program to help bridge the transition from student to a lifelong fan.

But the issues of attendance persist. It’s not just a Georgia problem. Games are all televised now, and often there are one or two games that are as compelling (or more so) than the one going on in town. It’s tough to drag someone away from the HDTV, climate-controlled environment, and refreshments to sit in the elements with spotty cell coverage for four hours. Short of playing the game in the backyard, you’re not going to overcome the advantages of watching from home. The in-person experience needs to press its own advantages rather than trying to duplicate the amenities of home.

Granted, it’s a tough problem. The macro nation-wide trends aren’t going away anytime soon. I have to question the wisdom of any program investing in additional seating in this reality. We know why they’re doing it, but the arms race doesn’t make much financial sense in the short or long term. That’s not to argue against facilities improvements that address the fan experience (see Gate 6 or Reed Alley); you just can’t convince me that more seats is a good idea for anyone right now.

So faced with the job of trying to swim against the current, I don’t blame administrators for taking small bites around the edges. It’s not a problem that’s going to be solved in one swallow. Some of these ideas will be minor successes, and some will prove to be horrible.

This doesn’t seem like one of the good ideas. SEC rules have been relaxed to allow schools to pump in music between plays. Schools may already use recorded music during breaks; we’ve seen that at Sanford Stadium for years. The relaxed rules would apply, say, before a big third down play.

SEC administrators, including Georgia’s Greg McGarity, are optimistic about this rules change creating “more excitement across the conference” and enhancing the fan experience. Is this really what’s been missing from Georgia home games? Is the jock jam genre the siren song that will fill the student section?

McGarity cites the Clemson game last year. I admit that I wasn’t paying much attention to the in-game experience around me. There was a matter of a close game of national importance between two highly-ranked rivals to keep my focus. You know what really got the Clemson crowd going? Watching the team ride a bus around the stadium and rub a rock. Has Georgia considered exploring the entire spectrum of human-rock contact in order to fill and engage the stadium? Whatever Georgia is lacking relative to Clemson didn’t seem to detract from the experience against LSU. On the other hand, when you welcome three non-conference cupcakes to Sanford Stadium, anything short of a live Outkast concert isn’t going to bring people in.

As a former Redcoat, I admit that a large part of my concern here is the marginalization of a great spirit organization. The band is no small budget item – both in terms of its expense and also the opportunity cost of several hundred unsold seats. In this day of the arms race and the number crunchers, every dollar is on the table. I should note though that the athletic association (not to mention Coach Richt) has consistently been a big supporter in both words and funds of the Redcoats, and I’m assured that the Redcoats have a place at the table in these discussions to improve the in-game experience at Sanford Stadium. They too have a duty to keep their stands repertoire fresh and entertaining, and they’ve done so over the past several seasons. You never get optimistic when it looks as if the consultants are in charge, but it looks as if we’ll see Georgia try to take advantage of this new rule.

Athletic director Greg McGarity announced on Friday that a 2016 game with Georgia Southern would be moved up a year to 2015. The move fills a hole in the 2015 football schedule and completes the non-conference portion of the slate. After a couple of years with some high-profile non-conference opponents early in the season, 2015 will be much less ambitious.

A game against Georgia Southern has recently provided the Dawgs with an opportunity to work on the triple option in advance of the Georgia Tech game, and new coach Willie Fritz will keep some version of that offense in Statesboro.

Tech preparation aside (assuming they are still running the option), it’s a fairly lackluster non-conference schedule lined up for 2015. November in particular will offer no compelling home games. The only appealing non-conference game, Tech, will be on the road. Here’s the lineup:

• Southern University (Sept. 5)
• Louisana-Monroe (Nov. 7)
• Georgia Southern (Nov. 21)
• @ Georgia Tech (Nov. 28)

The SEC portion of the home schedule doesn’t look terribly hot at the moment either. Following the current scheduling rotation, Georgia should expect to see South Carolina, Missouri, and Kentucky from the East. There should also be a game against an SEC West opponent, but the SEC is still setting the schedule as it goes year-to-year.

The quality of the 2015 home schedule will depend a lot on that final unnamed SEC West opponent. It’s not likely to be recent visitors LSU or Ole Miss. Will it be a return visit from Arkansas? A game against Alabama or Texas A&M’s first SEC visit to Athens would improve the home slate. It’s also a remote possibility, but one worth noting, that the SEC could come out with a 9-game schedule by then. If so, which of the three non-conference games gets dropped?

Georgia signed 20 student-athletes on Wednesday to join early enrollee Jacob Park in the incoming 2014 class. The group was rated #7 nationally by Rivals.com, #12 by Scout, #9 by ESPN, and #8 by 24-7. As usual, a Top 10 class in the SEC means that you’re only keeping up – ESPN had 7 SEC schools among its national Top 10.

The class met some important needs – the tailback depth looks fantastic, the QB pipeline is replenished, the tight end position got some needed attention, there’s another outstanding pass rusher, and there is a much-needed injection of talent at cornerback. Georgia even took the interesting opportunity to sign a player specifically targeted as a return specialist.

It was a relatively small class (no SEC school signed fewer), but we expected that given a light graduating senior class. In fact, Georgia oversigned slightly and will have to have some attrition to meet the NCAA limit of 85 scholarship players. Mark Richt wasn’t concerned about that problem, and the numbers always work themselves out. 21

There wasn’t much drama on Signing Day – at least as far as the big announcements went. Georgia got their most important Signing Day target, defensive end Lorenzo Carter, and they missed out on another uncommitted prospect with whom they became involved with late.

While Signing Day itself was fairly calm, Georgia had a flurry of activity in the 10 days leading up to the big day. Georgia added nearly a quarter of its class during this late push.

• On January 27th, Tucker defensive back Dominick Sanders committed.
• On February 3rd, Shaquille Jones announced his flip from Louisville to Georgia.
• Georgia added three more to the class on Signing Day.
  • We had heard about return specialist Isaiah “The Human Joystick” McKenzie earlier in the week, and he put speculation to rest early on Wednesday.
  • If there was one big Signing Day Surprise, it was the unexpected flip of in-state tight end Hunter Atkinson from Cincinnati. Atkinson is a big, physical tight end who has the frame to develop into an offensive lineman (Adam Meadows for those old enough to remember), but Atkinson has the receiving skills to be an imposing tight end at his current size.
  • The announcement of Lorenzo Carter was the most anticipated of the day, but most pundits felt confident in Georgia’s chances. The uncertainty about Georgia’s defensive staff gave Carter a reason to seriously consider LSU, but the hirings of Jeremy Pruitt and Tracy Rocker were enough to keep Carter in-state.

Those hirings helped to smooth over what could have been a very rough time for the staff. Despite turnover of the entire defensive staff, it didn’t cost Georgia a single commitment. Not only that, the newcomers to the staff solidified Carter’s preference and helped to sway Jones and Sanders at the 11th hour. Some additional effort didn’t bear fruit, but it shouldn’t go unrecognized that the new staff made up tremendous ground with a handful of additional defensive prospects.

When you have a small class, there will necessarily be areas that come up short. That’s most evident up the middle of the defense. Georgia signed one defensive tackle, one interior linebacker, and its only safety commitment signed with Marshall. That would be a concern if those positions needed immediate help in 2014, but they don’t. It does make those positions a little more important for the 2015 class, and top defensive prospects like DT Trent Thompson become high priorities.

About $63 million in improvements are slated for Jacksonville’s EverBank Field, host site of the Georgia-Florida football game. The improvements include a reconfiguration of the north and south open ends of the stadium with giant video scoreboards “among the largest of their kind in the world”, a “party deck” fan pavilion, and even a water feature.

The work is expected to be done in time for the 2014 NFL season.

While the new video boards will be a welcome improvement for Georgia and Florida fans, the biggest change will be to the seating in the north endzone (opposite the river.) According to Jaguars President Mark Lamping, the project will require the removal of nearly 7,000 permanent seats in the 200 and 300 levels to build a platform that extends out over the lower-level seats. These seats to be removed are usually tarped over for Jaguar games but are needed for the Georgia-Florida game. To account for the lost seats, the stadium will remove temporary structures from the new platform and put up 7,000 temporary seats for the Georgia-Florida game, similar to those temporary seats currently used in the south endzone sections.

With a significant number of starters returning on both sides of the ball, Georgia has only a handful of positions that should provide much preseason drama. Replacing three offensive line starters is probably the biggest job, but the depth is there to make it an area of interest rather than panic. We’ll also be watching how a number of talented players work back in to their respective positions after injuries, but those stories might not play out until August.

One position that has come to the forefront is safety. Georgia returns everyone but Connor Norman and Marc Deas, and several of the players who ended up with most of the playing time in 2013 were underclassmen. At first glance, it’s not a position where you’d expect much turnover or recruiting emphasis.

Mauger and Matthews were thrown to the fire as true freshmen, and each had the ups and downs you’d expect. Moore is the most experienced, but he now enters his senior year without a firm grip on a starting spot. Harvey-Clemons made an impact at the hybrid “star” position in his first season with significant playing time. Matthews and Harvey-Clemons have the recruiting pedigree to suggest that they’re the future of the position, but even they have some uncertainty.

The first uncertainty is size. We saw it with Alec Ogletree, eventually with Thomas Davis in the NFL, and even with Paris Bostick, a 2013 incoming freshman safety. As defensive ends sometimes grow into tackles, big safeties can become quick linebackers. Matthews doesn’t plan on moving to linebacker, but he admits that has the frame to get bigger and will have to concentrate on adding lean muscle. Harvey-Clemons is already imposing at 6’5″ and handled some linebacker responsibilities in his “star” role. If Pruitt approaches the “star” position differently or prefers a more typical nickel back, Harvey-Clemons could find himself in a tweener spot between safety and linebacker, and the reasonable course there is to put on the size needed to move to linebacker.

The other uncertainty is more unpleasant, but it’s a reality that we also had to face with Ogletree. Harvey-Clemons will miss the first three games as part of a four-game suspension that kept him out of the bowl game. He had already missed the 2013 season opener as the result of a one-game suspension. If this most recent suspension is also drug-related, Harvey-Clemons has two strikes before he’s even started his junior season. Hopefully he’ll get the help he needs and eventually graduate, but another incident could create a tough decision for Mark Richt. As it is now, Richt and Pruitt have to come up with a Plan B for at least the first three games.

During bowl practices we learned that redshirt freshman Tramel Terry would move from receiver to safety. Terry spent the 2013 recovering from knee surgery, but he was one of the bigger signings of the 2013 recruiting class. His versatility and athleticism made him a candidate to contribute on either side of the ball, a la Malcolm Mitchell. Terry spent the regular season as a receiver during his rehab. Coach Richt indicated that the move to safety was permanent – at least as far as these things go.

About the same time as Terry’s move, we learned that JUCO transfer Shaquille Fluker would leave the program in search of playing time. Georgia’s medical staff was concerned about Fluker’s condition after a seizure and would not clear him to participate. Fluker didn’t play in 2013, but his medical status and ultimate transfer cost Georgia a more experienced option at safety.

There have also been some developments in recruiting. Georgia has a single safety commitment, Kendall Gant of Lakeland, Fla, alongside three and possibly four cornerback commitments. Gant is reported to have academic concerns and might be headed for prep school. Since the arrival of new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, the Dawgs have turned up the heat on a couple of safety prospects. Tavon Ross is a Missouri commitment from Bleckley County who has emerged as a priority. The Dawgs are also trying to make a late push with Tampa’s T.J. Harrell but will have ground to make up against Louisville and Michigan St. Georgia just recently offered and got a commitment from Tucker’s Dominick Sanders who could play either cornerback or safety but is most likely a cornerback. Whether it’s the uncertainty of Gant’s academics or a need perceived by the new staff after evaluating the current roster, the addition of another safety to the recruiting class has become a priority.

Improving the secondary is one of the biggest tasks for Pruitt as both the coordinator and the defensive backs coach. Due to suspensions and injuries, we saw new combinations at safety in nearly every game. We’ll see more of that in the first month of the 2014 season as Harvey-Clemons serves his suspension. Beyond that, can Pruitt bring some consistency to the position and develop the kind of sustained production we’ve seen from some of Mark Richt’s better secondaries?

Mark it down – it doesn’t happen often: the Bulldog Nation is in accord about not one but two points on the hiring of Jeremy Pruitt as Georgia’s defensive coordinator.

1 – It’s a fantastic hire. Everyone – from the players to the media to the crustiest “FIRE THEM ALL” fans – seems to love this news. About the only thing you can say to temper the enthusiasm is that expectations on the defense will be unfairly high right away.

2 – It’s too good to be true. Even after you parse the relationships involved, note the terms of the contract, and account for the fact that Mark Richt is a pretty good guy to work for, there’s near-universal bewilderment that the first-year coordinator of the national champion would make a lateral move to an 8-5 program stuck right in the middle of the nation’s toughest conference. Yes, the hot girl just dumped the quarterback and would rather be with you. Georgia fans, used to being played for salary increases by unserious candidates, couldn’t believe it until they saw the press conference.

But here we are. It’s official. Pruitt was introduced on Wednesday as the new defensive coordinator at an event that will leave Georgia fans with a smile that will last until September. The quotes are pure red meat to fans. It doesn’t sound as if it’ll take much to get the defensive players to buy in.

A lot of fans insitinctivly went for Kirby Smart when the position came open. I get the appeal, but I wasn’t as sold on the preference as much as a lot of people seemed to be. One of the concerns about Smart was the fact that he hadn’t proven himself apart from Saban. Pruitt had the opportunity to do that last year at FSU. With Jimbo Fisher’s background on offense, Pruitt’s defense was built in his image. While the personnel and opponents will be different in Athens, we at least have a better understanding with Pruitt of how he’ll go about things.

Pruitt will have a chance right away to make his mark on the Georgia program. Though Mark Richt left the door open for Georgia’s two remaining defensive position coaches to remain on the staff, it appears as if Kirk Olivadotti and Chris Wilson will take positions elsewhere. Those moves make Pruitt, in his second day on the job, the senior man on Georgia’s defensive staff. Pruitt will oversee defensive backs, so that leaves openings on the defensive line and at linebacker. With a 3-4 scheme, you’d expect one defensive line coach and then two linebackers coaches (for inside and outside.)

It didn’t take long for the giddiness over the arrival of Pruitt to turn to a more sober realization that the work starts right away. All of the advantages Richt counted on with the continuity he stressed when it looked as if the staff would remain intact are long gone, though at least the basic scheme won’t be changing much. The ability to assemble an ideal staff is a tremendous opportunity (it’s more or less what FSU had to do last year.) But with less than three weeks until Signing Day, there’s also a small bit of urgency to bring in a group of coaches that will not only bring about improvement on the defense but also finish the job of recruiting. Pruitt sounded as if he was already quite familiar with Georgia’s recruiting board, and he’ll take some time evaluating the current list of offers. This is a fairly light weekend for official visits, but things really ramp up over the next two weeks. We should expect to have a staff in place and on the ground by then.

• Georgia will remain a 3-4 defense. Pruitt noted the need to be multiple and versatile based on the varied offenses they’d face and the need to get the best people on the field. Different alignments and personnel groups out of the base 3-4 were common under Grantham as well.
• Though Pruitt offered to help with Georgia’s struggling special teams, Richt guessed that the staff would add someone with “a string special teams background.” That wouldn’t be a prerequisite for the job, but now with three openings Pruitt and Richt will have a little more flexibility to add a position coach with some special teams expertise.
• “If you can’t execute it, we’re not going to call it.”
• “We want be sound, we want to be aggressive, but we want to make the other team earn it.”
• “We’re gonna be simple enough where you’ll be able to turn it loose and play football.”

Only a few weeks ago, fans were not in a very good place after an 8-5 season. Sure, there were injuries to consider, and everyone expected that a new and inexperienced defense would struggle. It helps that those 8 wins included the opponents they did. But the whole “continuity” theme seemed to be stretching it, and it was hard to get excited about more of the same on defense when so many little things were slipping. The universal praise of Pruitt’s arrival seems to have jolted not only the fans but also the players out of their postseason doldrums. That excitement will have to turn into a great deal of hard work and tough decisions over the next seven months, but the first step has been taken, and it’s on very solid ground.

As first reported by ESPN on Sunday afternoon, Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is leaving the program after four seasons to take the same position with Bobby Petrino’s new Louisville staff. You can almost hear the collective shrug of the shoulders from the Bulldog Nation.

Grantham was hired for the 2010 season to turn around a defense that had finished 63rd in the nation in scoring defense in 2009 and 38th in total defense. Georgia reached out to Grantham for his NFL experience and his knowledge of the 3-4 scheme that was coming back in style thanks to Alabama’s ascent.

The 2010 season was a transition year, and the Dawgs didn’t quite have all of the pieces to implement the 3-4 yet. Grantham won fans over with a confident and aggressive tone even as the Dawgs started 1-4 and finished with the only losing record posted by a Mark Richt team. The development of Justin Houston into one of the nation’s top pass rush threats showed the promise of the new scheme.

Grantham also began hitting the recruiting trail hard in 2010, forming relationships that would bear fruit with several key defensive signings in the 2011 “Dream Team” class. Most importantly for Grantham, that class included JUCO defensive lineman John Jenkins. Jenkins was a prototype nose guard for the 3-4 and would anchor the interior of the defense for his two seasons in Athens. With a year of experience in the system and more pieces in place, the 2011 defense finished #5 in the nation in total defense and helped lead the team to the SEC East title. Jarvis Jones became an All-American outside linebacker, and Georgia’s defense was among the ten best in takeaways. After allowing 80 points in the first two games, the Dawgs only allowed more than 20 points once over the rest of the 2011 regular season.

The return of key draft-eligible underclassmen for 2012 sent expectations through the roof, and Grantham received a hefty extension heading into the season. That heralded defense failed to materialize thanks to a slew of off-season incidents that left defensive starters suspended through, in some cases, the first four games of the season. As a result, the Dawgs gave up at least 20 points in each of their first seven games with the exception of a dominant performance against Vanderbilt. Georgia survived a shootout with Tennessee, got embarrassed at South Carolina, and narrowly escaped at Kentucky.

It took a passionate appeal from senior safety Shawn Williams to turn around the under-performing defense. Georgia held opponents to an average of 8.6 points per game over the final five regular season games, including a shutout of Auburn and a six-takeaway, nine-point effort against Florida. Grantham’s defense had come into its own, and Georgia went from a midseason flop to a national title contender.

But as impressively as the regular seasons ended, the 2011 and 2012 postseasons weren’t kind to Grantham’s defenses. The 2011 defense faded in the second half of losses to LSU and Michigan State. In 2012 the defense yielded an average of 294 rushing yards to Alabama and Nebraska. These difficulties with a loaded roster against good opponents were enough to plant the seeds of doubt that turned into quite a bit of discontent in 2013.

Georgia had some issues with injuries and suspensions on defense in 2013, but the wholesale inexperience of the unit was the big story. There were new starters at nearly every position, and several freshmen saw starts and significant minutes out of necessity. The defense struggled from start to finish, and Grantham – right or wrong – took the heat. The defense generated alarmingly few takeaways, struggled when put on the field after a “quick change” situation like a turnover, and gave up several memorable long conversions. Fundamentals like tackling were inconsistent, and signs of improvement throughout the year were sporadic.

From the start there were questions raised about the complexity of Grantham’s scheme. NFL coaches have much more time to work with players than college coaches. That became less of an issue with the more veteran defenses in 2011 and 2012, but confusion reigned in 2013. Defenders began to hear from alums in the NFL about less-complex playbooks at the next level. The team struggled to get lined up, blown assignments were common, and timeouts were spent at key moments.

Following the season Mark Richt cited the inexperience of the defensive roster and stressed the benefits of “continuity.” He had faith that another year of development under a stable staff would yield improvement in 2014.

With the departure of half of the defensive staff in the past week, that continuity is out the window. Even if the rest of the staff is retained, three of the four defensive coaches will be in their first or second year with the program.

Since the eventual hire is rarely on the lists of candidates that everyone comes up with (no, Bud Foster or Ed Orgeron will not be Georgia’s defensive coordinator), we won’t try our hand at speculation. There are a few things to think about, though:

• Scrap the 3-4? Grantham’s results with the 3-4 were mixed. (To be correct, Georgia’s defense was multiple and often used five defensive backs due to the number of opponents running spread offenses.) At the same time, Richt is counting on the experience of the past season paying off as young players develop. Do you look for someone with 3-4 experience who might do a better job relating it to college players, or do you take the hit and bring in a new scheme? With what’s at stake in 2014, I can’t see Richt writing off another transition year.
• What about the rest of the staff? The new defensive coordinator will likely have the opportunity to build his staff, but should the two remaining position coaches be retained? The defensive line was one of the strong points of the 2013 defense, and first-year line coach Chris Wilson got positive reviews. He might even be a candidate for the coordinator position. Football aside, it would suck to see Olivadotti let go just as his family begins to see light at the end of the tunnel.
• Special teams? Again, new arrivals on the staff offer the potential for new outlooks on Georgia’s under-performing special teams units. What can new blood do in those areas?
• How soon? Signing Day is just a little over three weeks away. Georgia’s new defensive staff will have to shore up current commitments and continue to the work to close on several important uncommitted prospects. The sooner that work can begin, the better.

Georgia defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos has resigned, citing “personal reasons.” Lakatos intends on coaching elsewhere next season, so hopefully those personal issues can be worked out in the meantime. We wish him great success and luck wherever he ends up.

Lakatos came to Georgia during the defensive staff reorganization in 2010. Hiring a northeastern coach with few connections to the Georgia area was a head-scratcher for Georgia fans, but we soon learned of the connection between Lakatos and new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. It’s tough to separate the secondary from the entire defense for evaluation, but Lakatos helped continue what has become a golden age of Georgia defensive backs. Even with a good deal of attrition, the unit has produced several NFL players. There was a step back in 2013 of course, but injuries and suspensions to a young group made consistency difficult.

Lakatos states that “there’s no story here,” but there might be one if we step back and look at the entire staff. Lakatos’s personal issues, whatever they are (and we can leave it at that), are serious enough to make him step away from a fairly stable staff and take on the uncertainty of a job search and move. The Olivadotti family has faced their own trial over the past few years. Thankfully there is wonderful news to report on that front, but anyone who has faced a similar ordeal knows how life gets turned upside-down. You saw the emotional strain get to Mark Richt after the LSU game in the aftermath of Paul Oliver’s death. To paraphrase Bull Durham, we’re dealing with a lot of stuff here.

Hardly anyone knows the extent to which these serious events distracted the coaches or impacted their ability to do their jobs, but I wouldn’t blame any of them if it did. These jobs are demanding, stressful, and require a lot of time outside of 9-to-5. I hope even the most passionate fan can appreciate that football becomes a secondary priority when someone or a family member is going through a serious life event. So of the three defensive position coaches, you had a new defensive line coach and two others going through significant personal battles. That’s not to lay the performance of the 2013 defense on distracted coaches, but it’s not the recipe you’d follow for a cohesive and focused group.

The search to replace Lakatos will also be an interesting story. How much input is Grantham allowed in the decision? Certainly you want the position coaches on the same page with the coordinator, but Lakatos was hired almost solely on the recommendation of Grantham. While Grantham might not be as bulletproof as he was when he arrived, he’s still the coordinator with a very clear vision of what he wants his defense to be. If Grantham is working the phones with “NFL guys”, he might be taking the lead in the search. That would give us a hint as to the influence of Grantham within the program four years in, and it would also do a lot to squash persistent rumors about Grantham’s future with the program.

You can campaign all you want for the first official polls to be released mid-season, but the positioning for the 2014 season started last night:

• CBS Sports: first guess at a preseason top 25
• ESPN: Schlabach’s way-too-early preseason top 25

The consensus is already building and the narratives are already forming.

(Both of those polls have Georgia around 10 or 11. With the returning talent on offense, a year’s growth by the defense, and a more favorable schedule, that seems like a good starting point.)

Shaquille Fluker never played a down for Georgia. As a promising JUCO safety who chose Georgia over Texas, Nebraska, and others, Fluker was expected to contribute in Georgia’s thin and inexperienced defensive backfield early in the 2013 season.

Fluker never saw the field, ultimately sidelined for the year with what was only listed as an undisclosed “illness.” He hasn’t practiced since early October. Seeing Georgia’s reluctance even to allow him to practice, Fluker has decided to leave the program and will try to play elsewhere.

It sounds as if Fluker is going the Jarvis Jones route – Georgia wouldn’t clear him to play, and now he’ll try to find a program that will. We shouldn’t go much further with the comparison to Jones just yet – we don’t (and likely won’t) know the true extent of Fluker’s health, and he’ll still have to be evaluated by the medical staff of his transfer destination.

Unfortunately Fluker made his departure about opportunity and playing time. He maintains that his issues had to do with dehydration and not a more serious underlying condition. HIPAA regulations restrict what Georgia can say about a student-athlete’s medical condition, so Fluker’s side of the story is likely all we’re going to hear. If Fluker’s goal is to play at another school, it’s in his best interests to paint his condition in the best possible light, even if that means making the Georgia program look unnecessarily cautious and restrictive.

We know that player safety is and should be a top concern, and Georgia has one of the best heading up its sports medicine program. Fluker might disagree with their assessment, but we should be fairly confident that no stone was unturned in treating Fluker and determining his fitness for participation. We wish Fluker the best as he chases his dream of playing Division 1 football.

The production of these videos has been outstanding all season, and this one shown at Saturday night’s year-end gala is no exception. Enjoy.

One Dream from Georgia Football on Vimeo.