ATHENS - Georgia’s August has looked a little different this year, and that change starts with the Bulldogs backing off just enough to keep something in reserve for later.
After another offseason spent hearing about College Football Playoff disappointments, Kirby Smart has adjusted how Georgia handles camp. The Bulldogs have kept practices shorter, a move tied partly to the heat, but also to a bigger idea: make sure the team still has juice when the season reaches its hardest stretch.
“You gotta push guys, but you also gotta make sure you get guys to the race on Saturday,” Georgia director of strength and conditioning Scott Sinclair said. “So load management is a big word we use, and making sure that they can be ready to go and handle the load for a Saturday.”
That approach has shown up most clearly with older players. Smart said veterans have been on pitch counts in practice, whether they’re banged up or not.
That group includes Drew Bobo and Gabe Harris, both of whom entered fall camp dealing with injuries. Bobo has a foot injury, and he has also suffered a finger injury on his non-snapping hand.
But the reduced workload is not just for the injured. Tight end Lawson Luckie and running back Nate Frazier have also seen fewer reps as Georgia spreads the work around and keeps its returning pieces fresh.
Smart said the plan is rooted in experience as much as health.
“Injured or not, those guys would have been on a pitch count this fall,” Smart said. “Because I think a couple of them are fifth years, and a couple of them are fourth years. And fifth and fourth years for us, if they’re a returning starter like Gabe (Harris) is, and Drew (Bobo) is, and I really count Jordan (Hall) in that group, you don’t take every snap.
“There’s not enough snaps to go around, so we spread them out more, and those guys have been on pitch counts in terms of snap counts for practices.”
The memory of Georgia’s postseason setbacks still hangs over the program. Harris and Bobo did not play in the College Football Playoff loss against Ole Miss, and Smart revisited that issue at SEC Media Days. He made clear then that he was not interested in excuses, but he also acknowledged how much the injuries hurt.
“We’re a grind-you-out, hard-nosed, culture team,” Smart said at SEC Media Days. “We’re physical.
We’re better when we’re playing in rhythm, when we have week after week after week and we have to rebound to play somebody. The breaks have probably affected us some.
And then, you know, realistically, honestly, the injuries, you know, the Gabe (Harris)-Drew (Bobo) thing was just really, really tough. But I don’t look for excuses.
Both those teams beat us in really tough ball games.
“Those games could have been week one, week five, or week 10 and the same thing could have happened. So it’s not like we’re looking for a complete overhaul. We’re just trying to do better.”
Georgia’s most important health question may be at quarterback, where Gunner Stockton carries enormous weight for a team that has also worked in more reps for Ryan Puglisi and Ryan Montgomery. Stockton’s workload has been lighter this August, and for good reason. He dealt with an oblique injury in the middle of last season, and he has taken some huge hits.
That experience matters now. After starting last season, Stockton knows what it takes to survive an SEC schedule, and Georgia has tried to build a plan that keeps him ready for the long haul.
“He did a really good job this summer of working on the main things but also some specific things that will help him as a quarterback,” Sinclair said. “We actually talked about a month ago of him getting an extra day in in-season this year to make sure he maintains what he’s built over the summer.
“And so I think he’s got a good plan. We’ve got a good plan for him this season coming up. And so it’s exciting to be able to watch what he’s gonna do.”
The reality for Georgia is simple: injuries are part of football, and plenty of teams are already dealing with them. South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee have all had key preseason setbacks.
So the Bulldogs are trying to be smarter about how they train, not just tougher. That matters because the schedule won’t allow them to ease in. Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Alabama are all in the top 15 of the preseason AP Poll, and Georgia will have to earn its way back into the College Football Playoff.
Still, the goal is bigger than surviving the regular season. Georgia wants to be built so it can hit its peak when the calendar turns.
“Trying to just be smart with the way we’re training them, because you wanna be able to get to December, January, and you wanna be explosive and powerful and fast there, just as much or more than you want to in August and September,” Sinclair said.
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