This Saturday will mark Georgia football’s 75th G-Day game—an annual spring affair which has evolved from once literally deciding starting positions between Bulldog players to more like a glorified scrimmage. Yet, whereas the significance of G-Day as it relates to the team has seemingly diminished over three-fourths of a century, the game’s attendance has ironically climbed to unimaginable heights.
It wasn’t too long ago, like only a decade, when G-Day attracted under 20,000 spectators in 2008. Beginning the following year when admission to the game was free, the intrasquad contest’s annual attendance averaged just under 44,000 through 2015.
Then, Kirby Smart became the Bulldogs’ head coach, generating a brand-new emphasis on a game thought of as merely the team’s third scrimmage of the spring.
"Mostly, I remember it felt like a real game. Seeing all the fans in the stands, it gave me chills,” said junior defensive end David Marshall regarding the 2016 G-Day game. At the time, Marshall was a senior in high school who had recently signed with the Bulldogs. “It proves that everybody at Georgia is like a family and our fans support us so much.”
With the spring game from two years ago billed as “93K Day,” Georgia fans indeed provided much support, overflowing Sanford Stadium’s 92,746-seat capacity while establishing an official attendance of 93,000—a figure which could have been even higher.
"It was a crazy experience. I had never been to a Georgia game before, so it was my first experience in Sanford Stadium,” said sophomore offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, who was then a junior at Pace Academy in Atlanta. “So many people were there, and then I heard they even had to deny some people coming in because there were so many.”
It was estimated the 2016 G-Day crowd was probably nearer to 100,000 before fans were actually turned away at the stadium gates. Still, the 93,000 mark remains the highest ever for an SEC spring game, and the fourth-highest in college football history, trailing three Ohio State spring games in the last ten years.
Yet, beyond any attendance records and rankings, the size of a G-Day crowd is greatly significant as it relates to only a small portion of those attending—seeing that the bigger the crowd, the bigger the impression made on football prospects who are considering attending Georgia.
“It was a crazy atmosphere, and it did help sway my decision [where to attend college] early on,” Thomas added regarding the 2016 G-Day game. “That's what started getting me to like [Georgia] more."
For Thomas, the No. 10 overall prospect in the state for the 2017 class, he ultimately decided on Georgia over Clemson and Notre Dame, committing to the Bulldogs roughly three months after G-Day.
Last year, G-Day was not publicized as 93K Day—in fact, there was little promotion for the game compared to the year before. Nevertheless, Georgia’s official attendance for its 2017 spring contest was 66,133—well short of the previous year’s record-establishing mark, but still a big crowd.
“Coming in as an early enrollee last year, it was a good experience to get in front of all the fans, and play in front of a crowd that big,” said sophomore linebacker Monty Rice. Playing before the start of his freshman season, Rice totaled three tackles in the 2017 G-Day game.
For this Saturday’s spring game, a construction project in the West End Zone of Sanford Stadium will keep that portion of the facility empty. Still, although not at the stadium’s capacity, another large crowd is expected for G-Day.
“We love it. Anytime we get to see our fans, we’re excited,” junior running back Elijah Holyfield said regarding the impact a big G-Day crowd has on the Bulldog players. “We practice hard to play for them, so we’re looking forward to it and hope everyone comes.”
Although not quite everyone, this year’s edition of G-Day apparently will attract as many as 82,000 spectators, or the total that “would be the expected capacity” of the stadium considering the construction project, according to a representative from UGA’s sports information office. Notably, Florida State currently tops all schools in spring-game attendance this year at 60,934. In the SEC, Florida has attracted the most spectators with an attendance of 53,015 for its spring game.
Accordingly, don’t be surprised if the large crowd expected for Saturday’s G-Day establishes another top ranking in annual spring-game attendance. Regardless, more significant than rankings, a large crowd promises to make a lasting impression with the Georgia players on the field, and the potential future Bulldogs on the sidelines and in the stands.
