Latest news with #Bulldogs
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart gets offseason win in Bulldogs-Florida rivalry with homegrown commit
The post Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart gets offseason win in Bulldogs-Florida rivalry with homegrown commit appeared first on ClutchPoints. Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart picked up an offseason win over Florida with the commitment of a coveted recruit. The Bulldogs are coming off a third SEC Championship under their program leader. Smart has built a Hall of Fame-caliber resume in Athens, already winning two national titles. The 49-year-old is not even close to calling it quits as he continues to add to his highly ranked recruiting classes. Advertisement On3's national recruiting/transfer portal reporter Hayes Fawcett confirmed that Class of 2026 edge rusher Corey Howard has committed to the Bulldogs. The Valdosta, Georgia native chose Smart's program over the likes of Florida. Howard is a 3-star recruit who is ranked 60th overall at his position. As Smart continues to bring in formidable recruiting classes, Georgia football is entering a new era at quarterback. Carson Beck is off to Miami, while Gunner Stockton takes over under center. The Tiger, Georgia native had to step in for an injured Beck toward the end of the season and filled in admirably. Stockton was critical in the Bulldogs' SEC Championship win over Texas and was not necessarily poor against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff. Still, the 2024 season came to a disappointing end for Georgia football by the hefty standards Kirby Smart has established during his tenure. And the Bulldogs again expect to contend for a national title and rebuild what looked like college football's next dynasty. Georgia football's schedule in 2025 won't be easy. While Gunner Stockton and company have a manageable nonconference slate, the SEC teams the Bulldogs will face are formidable. Georgia will clash with the likes of Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, and Texas, which all could be inside the top 25 and contending for a playoff spot. Advertisement One facet that this group will need to improve on is in the trenches, where the program has dominated during its recent past. Georgia struggled to run the ball in 2024, losing the line-of-scrimmage battle against a physical Notre Dame team. The twelve-team College Football Playoff has leveled the talent across the sport a little more, with more programs having a realistic shot of contending for a national title. Still, expectations are suitably high for the Bulldogs, as they should be. Even in a somewhat off year, Georgia football won the SEC Championship with newcomers like Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference. The argument can be made that the Bulldogs, alongside Ohio State, are the gold standard in college football. Still, there is much to prove for the 2025 team. Related: Arch Manning's dad gets brutally honest on Peyton, Eli's influence Related: EA College Football 26 – Top 25 Toughest Places To Play
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Georgia football secures massive 4-star commitment over Texas, Michigan
The post Georgia football secures massive 4-star commitment over Texas, Michigan appeared first on ClutchPoints. Kirby Smart and Georgia football didn't hang her heads for long after a disappointing finish to last season, as the Bulldogs were soundly beaten by Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Sugar Bowl. Instead, as he always does, Smart got right back to work building another contender for the 2025 season and beyond. Advertisement Georgia did some good work in the transfer portal to bolster the roster heading into next season, but they have also been hard at work on the recruiting trail stocking the cupboard for the future. Georgia got another big-time commitment in the class of 2026 on Friday, securing a commitment from four-star defensive back Chace Calicut, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports. 'BREAKING: Four-Star CB Chace Calicut has Committed to Georgia, he tells me for @on3recruits,' Fawcett wrote on X, formerly Twitter. 'The 6'3 195 CB from Houston, TX chose the Bulldogs over Texas and Michigan.' Calicut also sent a message to Bulldogs fans to celebrate his commitment. 'There's not a better program producing dbs than UGA,' he said. 'Dawg nation I'm home!' Advertisement Getting a talented defensive back is a big win for Smart and the Dawgs, but it will be even sweeter for them considering that Texas, one of their biggest rivals, was also in on the coveted corner. Calicut is a Texas native, so this is a very impressive feat for Smart to steal him away from Steve Sarkisian and company. Following this commitment, Georgia now has the No. 3 overall class in 2026, according to On3 Sports. That group is currently headlined by five-star quarterback Jared Curtis and includes a number of highly sought-after players all over the field. While it comes as no surprise to see the Bulldogs near the top of those rankings as they do seemingly every year, that doesn't make it any less impressive. In the meantime, Georgia football will be pushing for another national title in 2025 while Calicut plays his final season at North Shore High School. It certainly has the talent to do so, and now it is better set up to continue the run through the end of the decade. Related: South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers drops 'cool' take on lucrative NFL hype Related: Michigan football secures a pair of commits over Georgia, Texas, and SMU
The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Storm's Bellamy names arch-rivals as NRL benchmark
Coach Craig Bellamy says the absorbing Canterbury-Penrith contest has set a benchmark for NRL teams if they want premiership success. Ahead of his Melbourne team's Sunday clash with Cronulla, Bellamy lauded the performance of the competition-leading Bulldogs and reigning champions Panthers who are gunning for their fifth straight title. Thursday's showdown has been described as the game of the year, with Penrith skipper Nathan Cleary steering his team to a gripping 8-6 win. "Obviously, we know what Penrith have done over the last five years and the Bulldogs have been really consistent this year," Bellamy said at the Storm's captain's run at AAMI Park. "I think that's the sort of level we all need to get to if you want to have success this year." After a shocking start to the season which saw the Panthers at the bottom of the ladder, the reigning champions have now banked their fourth straight victory. "I think they've been back for a couple of weeks," Bellamy said of Penrith's resurgence. "Obviously early they had a few injuries and that as well but, yeah, they look like they're back to their best or close to their best. "The Bulldogs have been ultra consistent this year and that's probably been the difference in why they're leading the comp, or were leading the comp." Both Bellamy and Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon are both craving more consistency from their teams. Last round, the third-placed Storm had to scramble to secure a golden point win over South Sydney while the ninth-placed Sharks let a 28-12 second-half lead slip to fall to Brisbane. The Sharks had one of their best performances of the season to win their round-11 home clash with Melbourne. "We're just up and down, up and down," Bellamy said. "We just need to keep working at it and hopefully we can get back to somewhere as we see as our best. "At times we're at our best and at times we're not so we just need to get a bit more consistent with that. "Fitz (Fitzgibbon) is probably feeling the same sort of thing." Melbourne will be without barnstorming young centre Jack Howarth, who had his appendix removed through the week. It continues an interrupted season for the 23-year-old, who was also sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, with Grant Anderson again stepping in in the centres. "He's up and about and he was here on Thursday actually, so he showed us all the cuts on his stomach," Bellamy said of Howarth, who will also miss selection for Queensland's State of Origin squad. "It's not a great time for us, but it's certainly not a great time for Jack to have this to happen as he's sort of just started to get a little bit of consistency in his game. "It's a bit of a loss to us, so hopefully he can get back, start training soon and get back on the field." Coach Craig Bellamy says the absorbing Canterbury-Penrith contest has set a benchmark for NRL teams if they want premiership success. Ahead of his Melbourne team's Sunday clash with Cronulla, Bellamy lauded the performance of the competition-leading Bulldogs and reigning champions Panthers who are gunning for their fifth straight title. Thursday's showdown has been described as the game of the year, with Penrith skipper Nathan Cleary steering his team to a gripping 8-6 win. "Obviously, we know what Penrith have done over the last five years and the Bulldogs have been really consistent this year," Bellamy said at the Storm's captain's run at AAMI Park. "I think that's the sort of level we all need to get to if you want to have success this year." After a shocking start to the season which saw the Panthers at the bottom of the ladder, the reigning champions have now banked their fourth straight victory. "I think they've been back for a couple of weeks," Bellamy said of Penrith's resurgence. "Obviously early they had a few injuries and that as well but, yeah, they look like they're back to their best or close to their best. "The Bulldogs have been ultra consistent this year and that's probably been the difference in why they're leading the comp, or were leading the comp." Both Bellamy and Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon are both craving more consistency from their teams. Last round, the third-placed Storm had to scramble to secure a golden point win over South Sydney while the ninth-placed Sharks let a 28-12 second-half lead slip to fall to Brisbane. The Sharks had one of their best performances of the season to win their round-11 home clash with Melbourne. "We're just up and down, up and down," Bellamy said. "We just need to keep working at it and hopefully we can get back to somewhere as we see as our best. "At times we're at our best and at times we're not so we just need to get a bit more consistent with that. "Fitz (Fitzgibbon) is probably feeling the same sort of thing." Melbourne will be without barnstorming young centre Jack Howarth, who had his appendix removed through the week. It continues an interrupted season for the 23-year-old, who was also sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, with Grant Anderson again stepping in in the centres. "He's up and about and he was here on Thursday actually, so he showed us all the cuts on his stomach," Bellamy said of Howarth, who will also miss selection for Queensland's State of Origin squad. "It's not a great time for us, but it's certainly not a great time for Jack to have this to happen as he's sort of just started to get a little bit of consistency in his game. "It's a bit of a loss to us, so hopefully he can get back, start training soon and get back on the field." Coach Craig Bellamy says the absorbing Canterbury-Penrith contest has set a benchmark for NRL teams if they want premiership success. Ahead of his Melbourne team's Sunday clash with Cronulla, Bellamy lauded the performance of the competition-leading Bulldogs and reigning champions Panthers who are gunning for their fifth straight title. Thursday's showdown has been described as the game of the year, with Penrith skipper Nathan Cleary steering his team to a gripping 8-6 win. "Obviously, we know what Penrith have done over the last five years and the Bulldogs have been really consistent this year," Bellamy said at the Storm's captain's run at AAMI Park. "I think that's the sort of level we all need to get to if you want to have success this year." After a shocking start to the season which saw the Panthers at the bottom of the ladder, the reigning champions have now banked their fourth straight victory. "I think they've been back for a couple of weeks," Bellamy said of Penrith's resurgence. "Obviously early they had a few injuries and that as well but, yeah, they look like they're back to their best or close to their best. "The Bulldogs have been ultra consistent this year and that's probably been the difference in why they're leading the comp, or were leading the comp." Both Bellamy and Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon are both craving more consistency from their teams. Last round, the third-placed Storm had to scramble to secure a golden point win over South Sydney while the ninth-placed Sharks let a 28-12 second-half lead slip to fall to Brisbane. The Sharks had one of their best performances of the season to win their round-11 home clash with Melbourne. "We're just up and down, up and down," Bellamy said. "We just need to keep working at it and hopefully we can get back to somewhere as we see as our best. "At times we're at our best and at times we're not so we just need to get a bit more consistent with that. "Fitz (Fitzgibbon) is probably feeling the same sort of thing." Melbourne will be without barnstorming young centre Jack Howarth, who had his appendix removed through the week. It continues an interrupted season for the 23-year-old, who was also sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, with Grant Anderson again stepping in in the centres. "He's up and about and he was here on Thursday actually, so he showed us all the cuts on his stomach," Bellamy said of Howarth, who will also miss selection for Queensland's State of Origin squad. "It's not a great time for us, but it's certainly not a great time for Jack to have this to happen as he's sort of just started to get a little bit of consistency in his game. "It's a bit of a loss to us, so hopefully he can get back, start training soon and get back on the field."
USA Today
15 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Georgia's overall rating for College Football 26 revealed
The Georgia Bulldogs have an overall rating of 88 in College Football 26. Georgia has the sixth-highest team rating in the popular EA Sports video game. The Bulldogs are one of seven different teams rated as 88 overall. EA Sports ranks the Alabama Crimson Tide as the top team in the country with a rating of 89. Alabama has the nation's top defensive rating (96) in the country. The Crimson Tide are rated 89 on offense. Georgia has the nation's fourth-best defense with a rating of 92. The Bulldogs have the No. 13 offense with a rating of 87. College Football 26 will be released on July 10 with some players being able to access the game as early as July 7. Last year, EA Sports' beloved video game returned for the first time in over a decade for College Football 25. Last year, Georgia the highest overall rating of any college football team (95) when the game was initially released. The Dawgs started with the top ranked offense and the second-best defense. The 10 highest rated teams in College Football 26 Follow UGAWire on Instagram or Threads!
Perth Now
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Swans narrow focus as Bulldogs chew AFL finals hopes
Sydney coach Dean Cox concedes he can't look further than next week after the Swans were dealt a massive blow in their unlikely bid to gatecrash the AFL finals. After a horror start to the year, Sydney had looked to have revived their season this month with consecutive wins and the return of guns Errol Gulden, Callum Mills and Tom Papley. But the resurrection was brought to a halt in a 16.9 (105) to 14.12 (96) defeat to the Western Bulldogs at the SCG on Friday night. It left last year's beaten grand finalists nursing a 6-9 record ahead of another difficult home assignment against top-eight side Fremantle in round 17. "I can't look too far ahead at the moment," first-year coach Cox said. "We've got Fremantle, who are another team like the Bulldogs. "They've won five in a row ... they're playing some really good footy. "So we'll make sure that we get as much as we can out of learning from this game and then our attention will go straight onto Fremantle to try to quell their influence and get the result we're after." Set shot goal-kicking is bound to be on Cox's agenda after inaccuracy again plagued Sydney against the Bulldogs. They kicked 4.10 from set shots to the Dogs' 8.5, which proved costly in a tight contest. It came six days after the Swans posted a total of 9.17 (71) in a win over Port Adelaide. "The last two weeks it's been an issue. It's something that we need to train," Cox said. "We need to make sure that we're also having shots from decent spots on the ground to give ourselves the best chance to maximise that. "But having said that, when we do get our chance, we need to take control and execute." Sydney should regain Tom McCartin for the Fremantle clash, after the key defender was a late withdrawal against the Bulldogs through illness. But there are concerns over Dane Rampe, who was subbed out with calf tightness, while Aaron Francis faces scrutiny over a swinging arm to Lachie Bramble's body. There is also a watch on the SCG surface, which has been below its best since a concert at the venue by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in April. Players repeatedly slipped over on the patchy surface at the Paddington end of the ground during the Swans-Dogs clash. "There's been some challenges with the surface throughout the year, but I look in at other things," Cox said. "That's where I spend my time, things that I can try and control."
