Coach Got Slammed By The Former Bulldogs Player
Following Georgia football’s defeat to Alabama, Pat McAfee of ESPN makes fun of the team’s supporters.
The Georgia Bulldogs of 2023 are officially over, or at least the team that made it to an SEC Championship Game. With one bowl game left against the Florida State Seminoles, who are still unbeaten, the Bulldogs are focusing on improving for their next chance at a national championship.
They can’t accomplish that without facing some trolling from everyone in the country’s media landscape. During his appearance on ESPN’s First Take this morning, Pat McAfee, the host of the Pat McAfee Show and co-host of College Gameday on ESPN, told Georgia fans to go to hell one last time.
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Ladd McConkey ‘not sure’ about NFL Draft, says decision has not been made
The wide receiver for Georgia has not decided if he will play again in his senior year.
Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey has dealt with multiple injuries this season, and played in the SEC Championship against Alabama with back and ankle issues. McConkey had three catches for 38 yards in the 27-24 loss. Now, as the team prepares to take on Florida State in the Orange Bowl, many are wondering about whether McConkey will return for the 2024 season or depart early for the NFL Draft. Speaking at the National Football Foundation on Tuesday as a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, McConkey revealed his choice remains a work in progress.
“I am not sure,” McConkey said. “I have some eligibility left. See what happens this next month and go from there. We will see. I don’t know yet. I haven’t completely made a decision.”
ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates ranks McConkey No. 5 among wide receivers for the 2024 NFL Draft.
“I am a massive fan of McConkey and would take him on my team every day of the week,” Yates said. “The NFL will typically lean toward players with great physical traits, and at 6-foot and 185 pounds, McConkey is smaller than several of the wideouts who missed my top five. That tells you just how bullish I am on his suddenness, route running and open-field speed. He has 26 catches for 418 yards but has missed time.”
Due to an ankle injury suffered in practice, McConkey played sparingly in the win over Tennessee and ended the game with no receptions on six snaps. The junior wideout would be held out of the win over Georgia Tech.
“Brock and Ladd, those guys battle and compete,” Kirby Smart said Saturday following the SEC Championship. “They’ve been in rehab every morning. They wanted to play so bad against Georgia Tech and they couldn’t. They were going to be close today. They were out there limping around, not 100%. But the game matters to them. The team matters to them.”
McConkey credits the culture Smart has built in Athens for why Georgia has been so successful during his time there, even if this season did not end the way they wanted.
We really just have a group of really good guys,” McConkey said. “Everyone loves each other. I know you can sit there and say that, but it is true where we are at. Our DNA traits are connection, toughness, composure, and resilience, and we live by that. Everybody leans on one another and we just play for one another. I feel like it shows up on the field.”
If McConkey has played his last down between the hedges, he will remember it fondly.
“It is a special place, especially when you walk in to Sanford on gameday with 95,000 going crazy,” McConkey said. “Super thankful for that place.”
McConkey had established a strong connection with Stetson Bennett during the 2021 season, and that paid major dividends in 2022. McConkey was named to the Coaches All-SEC second team after catching 58 passes for 762 yards and 7 touchdowns, all of which led the way for Georgia’s wide receivers. His 7 touchdown receptions tied Brock Bowers for the team lead. McConkey ended the 2022 season on a high note thanks to a strong performance in the national title game against TCU. The redshirt sophomore caught 5 passes for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns, the first being a wide-open 37-yard score in the first quarter and a 14-yard catch late in the third quarter.