Kickoff countdown: Who wore it best? #96

UGASports is counting down the days until the Bulldogs’ 2024 season opener. For each day in our countdown, we will reveal our opinion of the best player in Georgia football’s history to wear that particular jersey number.

With 96 days before kickoff, UGASports selects Jack Podlesny as the best Georgia player to wear jersey number 96.

#96 JACK PODLESNY

Position: Placekicker

Hometown (High School): St. Simons Island, GA (Glynn Academy)

Height/Weight: 6-1, 180

Lettered: 2020-2022

Stats: 61-for-74 field goals (82.4%), 182-for-184 extra points (98.9%), 365 points

Career: Jack Podlesny had the tough task of replacing Rodrigo Blankenship and he did an amazing job. Podlesny walked onto the team in 2018 and waited patiently. He became the full-time kicker in 2020 and had immediate success ending the season by converting a 53-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to pull Georgia ahead of Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl. The Bulldogs won it all the next two seasons and Podlesny broke the records for most extra points made in a season as well as total points. He ended his career with the sixth most field goals in Dawg history and was only 0.04 percentage points away from Blankenship’s career field goal percentage record (minimum 30 attempts).

#96 Honorable Mention: This was another tough choice with my final two options being players that help lead the Bulldogs to national championships. At the end I picked the player with two national titles over the player with one. Dale Carver was another great choice for this number. He was a standout defensive end on the 1980 National Championship team and had huge games against both Clemson and Auburn as a senior in 1982.

Here is his game-winner against the Bearcats in the 2021 Peach Bowl...

(courtesy of ESPN)