UGA defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has been named one of the nation's Top 25 recruiters. (University of Georgia) The gray skies outside have reflected too much of how my winter has gone so far, so it’s time for a few mood brighteners, of the red and black variety. Some might choose to be focusing on those potential signees that Georgia didn’t manage to flip last week, but the Dogs still ...

A personal note: Many of you will recall my writing about my Dad, who raised me as a Georgia Bulldog from as early as I can remember, sent all three of his sons to the University of Georgia, and who, even at the age of 89, has continued to wear his collection of UGA caps proudly. Well, I’m sorry to report that Dad is in failing health in Athens and I’m shuttling back and forth between there and ...

Time to dip into some of this week’s Junkyard Mail. … MonroeDawg writes: Did you see the latest from South Carolina? They’re so upset about losing the SEC East to Georgia that their athletic department is petitioning the SEC to change the rules so that games against your own division count a whole game while games against the other division only count half a game. They still can’t ge ...

Mark Richt has some work ahead of him if he wants to have another celebration like this in 2012. (Associated Press) Outside the Bulldog Nation, Mark Richt’s 2012 team is being viewed as a preseason Top 10 lock, thanks to returning talent (including virtually the entire defense) and a favorable schedule. But all that enthusiasm is being tempered among many Dogs fans by concerns about some of the things ...

Can Aaron Murray become an elite quarterback for Georgia? (Associated Press) It’s tough finding a consensus lately among Georgia fans on quarterback Aaron Murray. In his second season behind center for the Dogs, Murray completed 218 of 371 passes for 2,861 yards (a 58.8 percent completion rate) and broke the single-season school record for touchdown throws with 33. He also ran for two scores, giving h ...

Would Richard Samuel be a good fit at fullback? (Associated Press) All in all, it was a pretty good week for the Georgia Bulldogs — football variety, at least. Todd Grantham’s defense will be intact next season, and Grantham apparently rebuffed interest from the Falcons; the Dogs lost only one player to the NFL draft; backup QB Hutson Mason decided to redshirt rather than transfer; and Mark Richt got ...

Shawn Williams says all the juniors on Georgia's defense will be back next season. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC) If defense wins championships, as the saying goes, then the latest reports out of Athens mean Georgia should be looking good this coming season. First, Bacarri Rambo announced that he would be returning for his senior season at UGA rather than enter the NFL draft and now fellow safety Shawn William ...

Brandon Boykin won the Paul Hornung Award. (Associated Press) Mark Richt’s Georgia Bulldogs fared better in the final college football rankings than I had feared, managing to stay in the Top 20 of both polls despite losing their last two games. UGA was No. 19 in the final AP poll and No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches poll. Of course, it probably didn’t hurt Georgia that one of those final two loss ...

Some fans would like to see a more aggressive Mark Richt. (Jason Getz / AJC) There’s nothing like losing a bowl game you should have won to stir up the fan base, even after a 10-win season and division title. And it’s true, as Greg McGarity has noted, that had Blair Walsh made that field goal, fans overall would be extremely happy even though the same problems facing the team would still need re ...

Georgia returns a lot of talent, including Aaron Murray, but still has some major concerns to deal with in 2012. (Associated Press) A week ago, in the wake of the SEC’s 2012 schedule being announced, optimism was running wild in the Bulldog Nation. This week, after watching the Dogs again collapse in the second half amid continued problems with special teams play and establishing a running game, many ...

Brandon Boykin had a career day against Michigan State — but it wasn't enough. (Associated Press) Mark Richt’s Bulldogs didn’t have to find any new ways to lose in the Outback Bowl — instead, they simply let lots of familiar problems resurface in suffering another second-half collapse and dropping a three-overtime battle with Michigan State. Again, the Dogs wasted a superlative first-half de ...

The battle of the quarterbacks will pit Georgia's Aaron Murray ... (Associated Press) Two very similar, evenly matched teams are meeting Monday in the Outback Bowl’s pairing of conference runners-up, which is why Georgia’s favored by a slim 3.5 points. Both teams are strong defensively, with Georgia ranked third in the nation and Michigan State ranked fifth. Both teams have capable passing g ...

UGA fared pretty well in the revamped 2012 SEC football schedule released Wednesday morning. It’s official that Georgia travels to Missouri Sept. 8 and the South Carolina game, traditionally the conference opener for the Dogs the past couple of decades, moves to Oct. 6, replacing the previously scheduled trip to Alabama. The Dogs lose the open date ahead of Florida as the visit to Kentucky, originally ...

Brandon Boykin goes 80 yards against Boise State. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC) If you haven’t been over to Georgiadogs.com lately, they’ve got a vote going to pick fans’ favorite plays from UGA’s 2011 football season. They’ve compiled 25 plays (or performances), which are represented by video clips complete with Scott Howard’s play-by-play description — which makes for some ve ...

Isaiah Crowell is talking the right talk. (Associated Press) Coming back from a week’s vacation, there’s plenty to talk about, even if there thankfully wasn’t any major news in Athens amid the continuing coaching upheaval in the SEC, with South Carolina losing Ellis Johnson the latest development. The rumor mill was working overtime about Mark Richt and Isaiah Crowell, but Richt’s no ...