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Kirby Smart voices support for Georgia spring game, stops short of committing long-term

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe•about 18 hours•

JakeMRowe

Kirby Smart
Joshua L. Jones

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia spring practice and the G-Day game, if Kirby Smart can help it, isn’t going away any time soon. The 10th-year head coach opened UGA spring drills on Tuesday with his usual media-day press conference. When posed with the question, he got right to the point while also stating that a lot can happen that could change the situation.

“My approach has been that I like to have spring football games,” Smart said. “I would be remiss if I said we are dead set, 100 percent, going to have a spring game.”

Smart pointed to Kentucky’s situation last season as an example. The Wildcats’ injury situation prevented them from taking part in the event.

Smart’s comments come to no one’s surprise, especially J. Reid Parker director of athletics Josh Brooks. When he spoke with reporters last month, he made it known that there were no current plans to cancel the spring game. He did not, however, speak definitively on the future.

“We haven’t had any discussions,” Brooks said at the winter meeting of Georgia’s athletics board. “We’re still full-planning on G-Day this year. You know, you’ve got to take it year to year on things like that. I can say one thing I appreciate about Coach Smart is that he understands the value of the game, and it is an opportunity for some of our fans to come see what the players and they may or may have season tickets. It’s always been a special day, and I think it’s in the plans for this year. As everything goes, you take it day by day, month by month, year by year.”

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said earlier this year that he “highly doubts” that his team will have a traditional spring practice and spring game. He also gave a very direct and specific reason why.

Rhule says that after Nebraska’s televised spring game last year, other schools began contacting Cornhusker players through back channels for the purpose of luring to away from Lincoln in the spring transfer portal window.

The veteran coach no longer feels the need to showcase his players in the spring game if competitors are going to use that opportunity to come after them in the portal. But that also means the fans won’t get their spring football fix.

The same is expected to take place at Texas where Steve Sarkisian used two long football seasons to make his case. The Longhorns played in 14 games in 2023, losing in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

They made it to the semifinal again this year, which when you include and SEC Championship game in the eight-team format, means they played in 16 games. Sarkisian is concerned about wear and tear. USC and Florida State have since followed suit in cancelling spring games and more could be on the horizon.

Georgia is set to follow a Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday practice schedule over the next five weeks. The Bulldogs will hold 12 traditional practices and three scrimmages which usually take place on the final three Saturdays. The last one will be G-Day on April 12.

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