GAINESVILLE -- There may be dissent somewhere in the "Bulldog Nation," but you would never have known it from Tuesday's UGA Day gathering at the Gainesville Civic Center.
It was a warm and welcoming fan and alumni base that greeted Georgia football coach Mark Richt on one of his many spring stops at similar events around the state.
"I truly love the passion of the Georgia people," Richt told a packed house after receiving nothing but compliments, praise and a standing ovation during a question-and-answer session.
It was the kind of scene Richt says has been typical of his tour this spring -- despite a much-publicized and stark exchange between he and a fan during a Bulldog Club meeting on April 28 in Macon.
"I got on a guy a little bit and it got publicized; he just wanted to give his opinion, and I appreciate his passion. But that's the only time it's gotten testy this spring," Richt said. "If I had just said 'I know what the heck I'm doing,' it wouldn't even have been a story.
"Really this tour has been great. Everybody's excited about the future, and I think the recruiting class coming in has gotten people pumped up."
The "Dream Team" signing class that the Bulldogs netted in February -- which includes East Hall defensive end Sterling Bailey, along with a number of other highly-touted high school standouts -- was an impressive statement from Richt after suffering his worst season as Bulldogs head coach in 2010, going 6-7.
"Jobs are open," Richt told the crowd. "These new kids have got to earn it, but they will have opportunities. We all want better than what we had last year, and we're working hard on getting better."
The thought of young talent had a number of Georgia fans buzzing.
"We've got a great group of players coming in, and I think coach Richt is getting everybody fired up again," said longtime Bulldogs fan and Georgia graduate Abit Massey, who was in attendance Tuesday. "I think we're on the move. It's an exciting time, and we're looking forward to the future."
It was a sentiment shared by seemingly everyone dressed in red and black Tuesday -- though some weren't as certain about the chance for an immediate turnaround.
"I'm leaning more toward the wait-and-see side for next year," Georgia fan Ryan Hudson, a Gainesville resident said. "We're in the middle of the pack right now as a football program, and we should be top two or three in the league."
After putting Georgia in that position regularly over the first five of his 10 seasons in Athens, Richt certainly raised the bar on expectations.
"I think that's one of the reasons why he's received some criticism," Bulldogs fan and Gainesville resident Mike Lynch said. "I'm extremely happy with what he turned Georgia into, but expectations are really high now. You hate to hear anybody be down on him because he's such a great guy, but it's a results business too."
From the response on Tuesday, fans want Richt supplying those results.
-- HOUSTON MOVING UP ON OL?: After the University of Georgia announced Tuesday afternoon that back-up offensive tackle A.J. Harmon will be leaving the school for personal reasons, Richt discussed the possible changes that will engender.
"We feel good that Justin (Anderson) and Cordy (Glenn) can play at tackle," Richt said of his two projected starters at the positions. "Ken(arious) Gates can also play there if need be. But we're going to need to stay healthy."
Richt noted that if either Anderson or Glenn went down then it was likely that Gates would slide outside from his guard position and that Buford's Kolton Houston could then move into a starting role.
"I've got confidence in Kolton Houston's ability to play football and if something happened to one of the tackles and Gates had to go out there, Kolton would be the next guy inside," Richt said. "It would probably be Kolton moving up."
Richt said he anticipates no further roster losses this offseason.
-- CHARLES, KING TOP RECEIVERS: Richt noted that tight end Orson Charles was, "probably the best receiver we've got, followed closely by Tavarres King." The Habersham Central graduate King will slide over to the flanker spot vacated by first-round NFL draft pick A.J. Green for the 2011 season.
-- JONES, BOYKIN LEAD THE WAY: Richt noted that senior center Ben Jones is the team's, "number one leader. Everybody respects him, and they know he'll pay the price on and off the field."
Senior cornerback Brandon Boykin is in a similar position.
"He has the ear of the team," Richt said, also noting that Aaron Murray, Orson Charles and Christian Robinson play key roles in leading the offense and defense.
-- THIS ISN'T 2005 BOISE: Georgia opened the 2005 football season by battering Boise State 48-13 in Athens. Richt said the Bulldogs won't be facing a Broncos team even remotely similar to that one when the two teams face off on Sept. 3 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
"They're bigger, faster, tougher and are a more confident team now," Richt said. "They just shock people. They jump on people early and shock them."
-- ETC.: Richt said sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray now weighs in at 215 pounds after finishing last season at 195. ... Richt said that junior college defensive tackle signee Johnathan Jenkins -- whom he said was bigger than former Bulldogs offensive lineman Max-Jean Gilles -- and sophomore defensive tackle Kwame Geathers could very well play at the same time rather than sub exclusively for each other.
Monday
July 14th, 2025
9:05PM
