What You Need to Know: Wednesday Edition
What You Need to Know: Wednesday Edition
Some tidbits from Georgia's Tuesday media availability and more
Jalen Carter (No. 88) during the Bulldogs’ practice session in Athens, Ga., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. (Photo by Tony Walsh)
Jalen Carter is moving around
Last season, as a freshman, Georgia’s Jalen Carter played in all 10 games at defensive tackle.
Out of high school, Carter was a five-star grab for head coach Kirby Smart and his staff. Per the 247Sports Composite, Carter was ranked the No. 18 overall player in the country, No. 4 defensive tackle and No. 3 prospect out of Florida.
On Tuesday, rising junior Travon Walker told reporters that Carter was getting some reps at defensive end during spring drills.
“Jalen (Carter) has been out there with me a lot, and he’s growing tremendously,” he said. “Not just as a player, but learning the scheme of the defense. You could tell he’s really learning how to play the game of football at the collegiate level.”
In 2020, Carter racked up 14 total tackles. three tackles for loss and 13 quarterback pressures. He also had a blocked kick and caught a two-point conversion in Georgia’s win over Tennessee.
Carter was the primary backup to redshirt senior Devonte Wyatt last season. Going into this upcoming season, the Bulldogs are pretty stacked on the defensive line with the return of Wyatt and fan-favorite Jordan Davis. So, Carter may see some snaps on the exterior of the defensive line.
Right tackle Warren McClendon noted that the first-team offensive line and defensive lines have been doing some ‘good-on-good’ reps at practice. He added that Carter has been tough to face day-in-and-day-out.
“Jalen is a good player, and it’s battle going against him every day,” McClendon said. “He’s pretty good. It’s always a good battle.”
Senior offensive lineman Justin Shaffer wasn’t surprised by the news.
“In my opinion, he has the ability to play anywhere on the defensive line, because he’s so athletic and strong,” Shaffer said. “He gets off the ball really good.”
Georgia gets commitment from an Aussie punter
Smart and his staff have been on a recruiting hot streak as of late.
On Wednesday, news broke on Twitter that Brett Thorson, a 21-year-old Australian native, committed to Georgia.
In the last week, Georgia has landed five-star athlete Malaki Starks, followed by four-star outside linebacker Jalon Walker and running back Jordan James. Thorson’s commitment makes four in the past six days for the Bulldogs.
Georiga tight ends coach Todd Hartley was the lead recruiter.
“Right from the start coach (Todd) Hartley made me feel like a part of the family and that trend followed when talking to coach (Scott) Cochran and coach (Kirby) Smart as well,” Thorson said. “They made a big effort in their personal time due to the time difference between Australia and the United States and I really appreciated that. That along with the history of the program, the chance to compete for a national championship, further my education, and playing at the University of Georgia made it an easy decision for me.”
According to 247Dawgs, Thorson says he will be enrolling early at UGA.
“I will report to Athens in January of 2022,” he said.” I have done a fair bit of research on the program the last few weeks and gained as much knowledge off of coach Hartley as I can, but I feel I truly won’t understand the magnitude and significance of the program until I arrive in Athens. I can’t wait to be a part of the 2022 recruiting class, which is already full of elite talent. Another important thing will be getting to Athens, meeting the best fans in the nation as a part of this team.”
Home-and-home scheduled with Louisville
News also broke Wednesday that Georgia has scheduled a series with the University of Louiseville.
The home-and-home series will take place in 2026 and 2027. The Bulldogs will travel to Louisville in 2026, while the Cardinals visit Athens in 2027.
Georgia is no stranger to scheduling Power 5 non-conference opponents as Louisville becomes the eighth in the coming years. It all starts with Clemson in September at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. In fact, over the next 12 years, the Bulldogs and Tigers play six times.
Here is a breakdown of Georgia’s Power 5 non-conference opponents coming up:
2021 Clemson (Charlotte), at Georgia Tech
2022 Oregon (Atlanta), Georgia Tech
2023 At Oklahoma, at Georgia Tech
2024 Clemson (Atlanta), Georgia Tech
2025 At UCLA, at Georgia Tech
2026 UCLA, at Louisville, Georgia Tech
2027 At Florida State, Louisville, at Georgia Tech
2028 Florida State, at Texas, Georgia Tech
2029 Texas, at Clemson, at Georgia Tech
2030 Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia Tech
2031 Oklahoma, at Ohio State, at Georgia Tech
2032 Clemson, Georgia Tech
2033 At Clemson, at Georgia Tech
Interviews:
Warren McClendon
Travon Walker
Justin Shaffer