Greetings from the Butts-Mehre building, where we are in place for the roll out of the 2011 Georgia football team.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to start preseason practice this afternoon at about 4:20 p.m. Coach Mark Richt will hold a news conference at lunchtime. Some players will be available later.
Keep checking back here and at Twitter.com/marcweiszer all day for updates.
Of course, today will be the first practice for the “Dream Team” recruiting class.
Here are the numbers and updated heights and weights for the 2011 signing class.
Note that Nick Marshall is listed as an “athlete”
61 OL David Andrews 6-2, 280
58 OLB Sterling Bailey 6-3 259
37 DB Devin Bowman 6-0 175
31 WR Chris Conley 6-3 202
1 RB Isaiah Crowell 5-11 215
78 OL Watts Dantzler 6-7 310
76 OL Zach DeBell 6-6 273
47 OLB Ray Drew 6-5 263
43 DB Quintavius Harrow 5-11 183
52 LB Amarlo Herrera 6-2 231
6 NG Jonathan Jenkins 6-3 351
16 QB Christian LeMay 6-2 198
66 OL Hunter Long 6-4 300
27 ATH Nick Marshall 6-1 195
26 WR Malcolm Mitchell 6-1 184
39 DB Corey Moore 6-2 207
87 TE Jay Rome 6-6 254
8 DB Chris Sanders 6-1 180
86 WR Justin Scott-Wesley 5-11, 218
84 WR Sanford Seay 6-2 196
5 DB Damian Swann 5-11 177
59 LS/OL Nathan Theus 6-3 254
63 OL Xzavier Ward 6-7 264
51 LB Ramik Wilson 6-2 224
Some tidbits from the Richt news conference:
On practicing in sweltering heat: “It’s certainly smoking hot right now.”
He said the team will add “an extra break or two. …If a kid is in a drill…student trainers are right there with water, powerade. They can hydrate.”
The team will stop practice for five minutes four times.
–Having the grass practice fields available instead of FieldTurf will help.
“There is a breeze up there more than on the FieldTurf,” he said.
–On No.22 ranking in coaches’ poll: “I didn’t know. That came out today? …It’s nice to be mentioned in the preseason polls without any doubt. It’s more important where you are at the end, no doubt about it.”
–On a speech he gave to the team last night that quarterback Aaron Murray told us was his favorite in his three years at Georgia.
“I was in this room (team meeting room) last night and I actually referred to the 2002 season and the preseason and some of the things that we talked about,” Murray said. “We talked a little bit about the mindset of the team and the program going into 2002. We talked about why it had been 20 years (since winning an SEC title).”
Here’s what Murray said: “I told Coach Bobo afterwards that was my favorite speech Coach Richt has given in three years. He was pumped up and energized, motivating. I walked out of the room like `Wow.’ I know as players we’re ready to go, but Coach Richt is ready to go fight someone right now. I talked to some of the players and they loved it, too.”
Murray did not want to go into details on what he said was a 20-minute speech. “What happens in the team meeting room stays in the team meeting room.”
Murray said: I went out of there ready to play Boise State at 10 o’clock last night.”
–Talking about the attrition of scholarship players, Richt said that defensive coordinator Todd Grantham “is so used to playing on a 53-man roster,” in the NFL.
–On the freshman: “I’ve told all of them you’re goal is to learn what to do. …We’re going at veteran pace not rookie pace. The rookies heads are spinning already.
–On seeing the freshmen today: “Today will be the first time where we get to see what they look like in a Southeastern Conference practice. We’re excited about it.”
–On offensive weapons: “I think this is the season where there will be multiple guys. It won’t be get the ball to A.J.”
–Richt said that Georgia is still waiting on word on freshman linebacker Kent Turene from the NCAA Clearingouse. He has not reported.
–Richt said that Georgia has submitted what it has found in its investigation into linebacker Jarvis Jones and the Columbus AAU team to the SEC offices. He did not provide details.
Georgia also sent this in response to an open records request filed by the Athens Banner-Herald on the case.
“On the advice of the University of Georgia Office of Legal Affairs, it is the University’s decision that information you have requested would directly identify a particular student and, therefore, is exempt from release under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 (a) (1), specifically the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. Section 1232g.”
–Richt is not optimistic that Dexter Morant will be able to contribute much this season coming off two shoulder surgeries.
Some observations for the half hour or so of practice that was open to reporters today:
–Freshman tailback Isaiah Crowell’s long hair flows from his helmet. How’s that?
Not much else to see from the limited time out there watching him in shorts and a helmet.
I did see the tailbacks working in this order in a pass catching drill: Richard Samuel Brandon Harton, Crowell, Ken Malcome and Carlton Thomas (suspended first game.).
–In an early drill, freshman Corey Moore was lined up as a second-team safety behind Shawn Williams, with Jakar Hamilton behind Bacarri Rambo.
–Outside linebacker T.J. Stripling looked like he is moving well coming off his knee injury.
–Freshman receiver Malcolm Mitchell caught everything thrown his way in the few balls I saw tossed his way.
–After hearing how fast nose guard John Jenkins was for his size, I noticed he was third to the cone in a drill after Garrison Smith and Mike Thornton. That probably means nothing.
“Come on, Jenkins, run,” Mark Richt encouraged him as he went to the next spot on the field.
UPDATE: Jenkins was later helped off the field with what might have been a heat-related issue.
–No surprise that freshmen Sterling Bailey (shoulder) and Xzavier Ward (knee) were working on the side in a green non-contact jersey. So was defensive end (leg) Derrick Lott.
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