For 25 players, Saturday’s Senior Day festivities before No. 5 Georgia entertains Georgia Tech (Noon, SEC Network) will be a day they won’t soon forget.
Take linebacker Natrez Patrick for example.
Patrick’s career has certainly had its share of ups and downs, both on and off the field. But with his Georgia career almost at an end, he plans on relishing the time he has left.
“It’s definitely a bitter-sweet feeling—my last time playing in Sanford,” Patrick said. “Emotions are high.”
Senior center Lamont Gaillard is more focused on the game itself, but admits that when the time comes for him to be introduced during the pregame ceremony, it’s probably the significance of his final home game will probably hit him.
“I’m not feeling it now, but once the time comes Saturday, I’m sure I will,” said Gaillard, whose influence on the team goes beyond just his teammates on the offensive line.
“Lamont’s made everything for me so easy,” running back Elijah Holyfield said. “The protection he gives enables me to be able to run the ball. Lamont has been a great role model for a lot of guys to follow.”
This year’s senior class certainly has much to be proud of.
As a group, Georgia’s seniors have been part of 41 victories, the 2017 and 2018 SEC East Division titles, along with victories in the 2017 SEC Championship, the Rose Bowl, and an appearance in the National Championship.
“I am excited for the senior class. I think you always remember your last game in Sanford Stadium, I certainly remember mine. It's a special opportunity for these guys to thank their families, and for our fans to thank a senior class that's really been a special one,” Kirby Smart said. “They've had a chance to finish in, maybe, the top five or six in the history of Georgia's senior classes, in terms of wins. That's a pretty remarkable stat when you think about the senior classes that have been through here."
Outside linebacker D’Andre Walker certainly hopes Saturday’s game will be a memorable one.
“It is going to be a big game for me,” Walker said. “I want to make sure I cherish it and live in the moment to really enjoy it.”
Smart hopes all his seniors will do exactly that.
"They've done a great job for our program, certainly for me personally, and for our staff," Smart said. "This is kind of the group we came in with as freshmen and rising sophomores. They're heading out, and we’re proud of what they've been able to accomplish."
Senior playing in their last home game with the Bulldogs
Deandre Baker, DB, Miami, FL; Kendall Baker, OT, Atlanta; Michael Chigbu, WR, New Orleans, LA; Ahkil Crumpton , WR, Philadelphia, PA; Sean Fogarty, OL, Savannah; Lamont Gaillard, C, Fayetteville, NC; Terry Godwin, II, WR, Hogansville; Sage Harden, OL, Atlanta; Jackson Harris, TE, Columbia, TN; DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle, DL, Atlanta; Jay Hayes, DL, Brooklyn, NY; Jonathan Ledbetter, DE, Tucker; Sam Madden, OL, Barnegat, NJ; Isaac Mize, LS, Gainesville; Nick Moore, LS, Snellville; Natrez Patrick, LB, Atlanta; Wyatt Payne, WR, Dublin; Keyon Richardson, LB, Wauchula, FL; Rashad Roundtree, DB, Evans; Jayson Stanley, WR, Fairburn; Landon Stratton, P, Russellville, KY; Juwan Taylor, LB, Hollywood, FL; Steven Van Tiflin, WR, Saginaw, MI; D’Andre Walker, LB, Fairburn; Jarvis Wilson, SAF, Tupelo, MS.
