ATHENS — The recent Georgia football staff shakeup has Will Muschamp back working with players on special teams, and the Bulldogs are expected to maintain the momentum built up in the offseason.
Sunday’s news that Scott Cochran is taking time away from the team to focus on his mental health shocked fans, even as the team had already been dealing with it for a few days.
RELATED: 5 things on Cochran departure, how Georgia is prepared to handle it
But football by its very nature is a game of resiliency, and the “next man up” mentality applies to coaches as well as players who fall injured or get sidetracked.
The Georgia football opening game with Clemson, at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 4 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., is closing in quickly.
Coach Kirby Smart has said his team will remain focused on itself before easing its way into more specific preparation for the Tigers.
Here’s a stock report on the team as it enters its first full week of fall camp after starting last Friday:
STOCK SOARING
Will Muschamp: Smart’s hire of his friend and the former South Carolina head coach has looked better each month from the time Muschamp began hanging out around the team during bowl prep. Muschamp has provided great assistance with the young secondary from his defensive analyst role, and already, he’s making an impact on special teams with Cochran’s unfortunate departure. Muschamp is already one of the most popular coaches in Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall.
RELATED: Georgia RB Derby heats up, James Cook on front burner with Clemson up next
Tate Ratledge: Beneath the hairstyle is a strong and capable football player emerging. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound redshirt freshman was a starter with the first-team offense in the G-Day game and has emerged as the most impactful lineman from the 2020 signing class to date. The offensive line isn’t settled yet, but Ratledge is in the mix.
RELATED: Kirby Smart says UGA ‘closing the gap’ on dynamic Alabama, LSU offenses
Nakobe Dean: There’s a reason for almost everything Smart does, so seeing Dean take the podium first and speak on behalf of the team last Friday was likely more than just a coincidence. Dean spoke of the team’s connected nature, a message that proved to carry more than surface weight with the program already dealing with a staff setback.
RELATED: Nakobe Dean says Georgia emphasizing ‘connection’ as camp opens
STOCK WATCH
Warren Ericson: By all counts the projected starting center, Ericson suffered a hand/wrist injury to some extent in practice and his status is not known. Smart isn’t scheduled to speak with the media again until next Saturday, and Georgia typically doesn’t issue injury updates unless they are of the season-ending variety.
