Here is the Aug. 12 edition of The Daily Recap presented by JFQ Lending.
Donnan’s ready to see Gilbert and Bowers
Count former Georgia head coach Jim Donnan among those ready to see what both Arik Gilbert and Brock Bowers can bring to the 2021 offense. On this week’s episode of UGASports Live, Donnan said he’s never been as excited to see two players who have never played a down for UGA as he is with Gilbert and Bowers.
The buzz about those two pass catchers is that strong.
“We haven’t had two guys who've never caught a pass here that make my mouth water any more than Gilbert and Brock Bowers,” Donnan said.
With practice closed to the media for the time being, reporters aren’t able to see a pecking order for a depth chart. But as of now, it doesn’t appear Gilbert, who played his first season at LSU before transferring to Georgia, is running with the first team. Even so, Donnan believes big things are in store for the talented former tight end who Georgia is listing as a receiver.
“He may not be listed on any depth charts, but I can tell you this much,” Donnan said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out he’s going to be a big part of what we do.”
Podcast: Donnan sits down with Swinney
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney joined Donnan and Dayne Young to discuss the Georgia-Clemson game, Derion Kendrick, the state of college football and much more. Swinney shared how Clemson has built a legacy of quarterback excellence in the last decade and how the clearance of star wideout Justyn Ross was an emotional boost for the Tigers.
Swinney also discussed his philanthropic work through his foundation and his friendship with Donnan.
Swinney on Kendrick: ‘He’s a baller’
During his conversation with Donnan, Swinney expressed his love for Derion Kendrick, Georgia’s transfer cornerback who was dismissed from Clemson earlier this offseason.
“I love DK, he’s a baller, there is no doubt about that. DK loves to practice and he loves to play,” Swinney said. “Sometimes in a relationship you need a change, you need a fresh start and that’s kind of where we were. I’m happy for him.”
Kendrick started eight games for Clemson in 2020 and finished with 20 tackles, six pass breakups, one sack, one interception and a fumble recovery that was returned for a touchdown.
Swinney knows it will be a challenge facing him in Clemson’s season-opener against Georgia.
“I hate we’ve got to play him because he’s a great player, but I’m happy that he’s at a good place where he can finish up the right way,” Swinney said. “Hopefully, he’s grown to the process and can be the best version of himself this year. He’s a baller, there’s no doubt about that.”
‘Competitive atmosphere’
Defensive coordinator Dan Lanning said his goal this preseason is to challenge his unit through competition.
“One of the goals coming into fall camp was to create that competitive atmosphere on both sides of the ball,” Lanning said. “I’d say they’ve certainly won some, and we’ve certainly won some, but it’s fun when you have a side of the ball that’s really talented. I think Coach (Todd)Monken and his side of the ball do a phenomenal job of getting those guys ready to play. They’re doing a lot of things that stress us defensively which is good. I’d rather see that now than when we get to the season.”
Lanning said that going against a deep receiving unit in practice will only help the defense when the season begins.
“All those tight ends and wideouts we have obviously creates a lot of issues. We’ve got of big bodies who can go down and catch the ball in space. I think the biggest thing is they make contested catches and they run really, really well,” Lanning said. “For Darnell (Washington), being a guy who is over 270 and able to move like he moves is pretty impressive with a big catch radius. Even when you’re playing tight coverage, that may not be enough, so that’s something we’re battling every day and it’s good for us to go against those guys in practice.”
Georgia’s preseason ranking
Mike Farrell believes the preseason coaches poll votes committed an error by ranking Georgia fifth in the nation to start the year. Farrell thinks Georgia should be ranked higher.
The preseason college football poll was released Tuesday, and UGA came in at No. 5 behind Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State, which is tough to believe. Clemson and Ohio State have a ton of talent but are breaking in new quarterbacks. Alabama is always great but the Tide lost so much I expected them to be behind UGA. In fact, I have Georgia as my preseason No. 1 and am surprised others don’t as well. The Bulldogs don’t have a weakness and only a very conservative approach by Kirby Smart would stop them this season.
Georgia’s prioritizing Bolden
Class of 2024 receiver KJ Bolden (Buford/Buford, Ga.) feels like Georgia has prioritized him in the early going of his recruitment. Receivers coach Cortez Hankton has played a big role thus far.
"Coach Hank, Coach Kirby—Georgia is a very top school for me,” Bolden said. “They will be in my top five. I love Georgia. They're a really great school."
Maria Taylor returns to her alma mater
Eric Stokes is ready to work
‘Love you too’
Outside the Vent
Five freshmen to watch in the ACC this season.
Will Iowa be better than Iowa State this season?
Five college football teams poised to improve in 2021.
Clemson’s new quarterback signed a NIL deal with Dr. Pepper.
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