Mark Richt

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SEC Media Days: Day 2 With Georgia

HOOVER, Ala.--Welcome to Day 2 of SEC Media Days. Georgia is up today along with Arkansas, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

We’ll be focused, of course, on the Bulldogs.

Coach Mark Richt will be joined by receiver A.J. Green, punter Drew Butler and fullback Shuan Chapas.

The local beat writers and some national scribes will meet with Richt shortly. The NCAA inquiry at Georgia and the issue of improper contacts between agents and players in college football are sure to come up.

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Richt wouldn't concede that the NCAA inquiry is bad news for Georgia.

"I don’t know if it is or not quite frankly," he said. "I don’t necessarily think it is bad news."

He added: "I’m sure they’re gathering information, but we’ll see what they gather."

Asked whether the NCAA wanted to talk to one or more Georgia players, Richt said
"I don’t know at all. I’m actually asked to not make any comment about it."

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License issues continue for Bulldogs

Of the half dozen misdemeanor charges facing Georgia running back Dontavius Jackson from his Saturday morning arrest, violating the conditions of a learner’s permit would certainly rank well below a DUI and a hit and run.

Still, more than eight months after coach Mark Richt said he was “highly frustrated” with driver’s license issues for some of his players arrested, they apparently still remain.

According to the police incident report from the weekend in which receiver Tavarres King was also charged with underage possession of alcohol, Jackson was asked if he was aware that he had a Class D provisional license. He stated that “he was aware and that he had not had a chance to renew it yet.” The officer “then asked the driver if he was aware that he was not supposed to be driving at this time of night on a Class D license and he stated that he was aware.”

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Richt on Evans' resignation, Crumley and impact on his future

Georgia football coach Mark Richt answered questions from reporters Wednesday afternoon for the first time since athletic director Damon Evans' resignation. He spoke in the hallway on the third floor of the Butts-Mehre Building. Here are some of excerpts.

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Richt hoping for hot summer

MACON—Georgia football coach Mark Richt is happy to have some earlier starts for his team this season, but he would like to make some adjustments if he could.

“I’d like to have the night games in September and then have the noon games in November,” Richt said today at the Peach State Pigskin Preview. “I’m just saying that because of the weather. It’s going to be excruciatingly hot and humid. I can just picture what it’s going to be like those first three ballgames.”

Georgia had six night games last season, but the Sept. 11 game at South Carolina and the Sept. 18 game at home against Arkansas are set for noon kickoffs on ESPN or ESPN2. The game time for the Sept. 4 opener against Louisiana-Lafayette in Athens has not been set yet, but seems likely for an early afternoon start.

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UGA AD Evans: Richt `not on a hot seat'

DESTIN, Fla.--For all the speculation that Georgia football coach Mark Richt is on the “hot seat” following an 8-5 season, Bulldogs athletic director Damon Evans and university president Michael Adams see it differently.

“I think when people see a little adversity, people just want to jump on it and attack it,” Evans said this morning at the SEC spring meetings. “There’s no need for that because he’s not on a hot seat. Mark is in a good place with us and I’m glad he’s here.”

Richt is 90-27 in nine seasons, with the third highest winning percentage among active coaches in college football, but questions about his job security have come up this offseason by some observers.

“Mark’s been here what? Is it 10 years now? Is it nine years?” Evans said. “He’s had a great track record here.”

Adams indicated that Richt’s job isn’t in jeopardy even after his worst season in Athens.

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Green in spotlight, Richt `on the bubble'

A.J. Green will be getting tons of attention in the months to come.

Like this. The Georgia junior wide receiver is on the cover of The Sporting News preseason college football magazine. He shares the cover with Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt in one of 17 regional editions.

In case you’re wondering, Georgia quarterback Joe Cox and South Carolina's Stephen Garcia were cover boys last year.

Green has been rated as a top 10 pick for next year’s NFL draft by most projections.

The National Football Post rates Green as the No. 2 junior wideout behind Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd.

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Will schedule mean more wins for Georgia?

A big topic last year at this time was Georgia’s rugged schedule heading into the 2009 season.

Guess that wasn’t much ado about nothing. The Bulldogs, after all, went 8-5 last year, the worst season in coach Mark Richt’s nine in Athens.

Good-bye Oklahoma State, LSU and Arizona State. Hello Colorado, Mississippi State and Louisiana-Lafayette. (I figure Idaho State for Tennessee Tech is a wash, right?).

Before you pencil in 9 or 10 wins this season, Richt provides a cautionary tale for those that think the schedule sets up nicely: 2006.

“I don’t know, we had a year in ’06, people wanted to say that season that schedule was one of the better schedules before the season began, but it wasn’t like we took advantage of it, if in fact it was,” Richt said.

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Georgia’s changes now include a Touch of Gray

Let’s see if I can get this straight.

Running back Richard Samuel is now a linebacker.

Offensive lineman Justin Anderson is now on the defensive line playing nose.

Linebacker Nick Williams is now at safety.

And quarterback Logan Gray may actually see more time as a wide receiver.

Those position changes don’t even include defensive ends Justin Houston and Cornelius Washington becoming outside linebackers because of a scheme change on defense under new coordinator Todd Grantham from a 4-3 to a 3-4.

Which of the other players that will play new positions this season will make the most impact? Heck if I know.

The guess here is that it won’t be Gray.

Georgia looks like it will lean heavily at receiver on A.J. Green and Kris Durham and there’s still Rantavious Wooten and Tavarres King. And a deep tight end corps that all but begs for two tight end sets.

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Changes likely to CSS rebroadcast; Dooley's endorsement; Finebaum on Richt

Georgia’s rebroadcast of its football games likely will have a different look this coming season.

Well, actually a familiar look.

CSS is likely to re-air the original broadcast of the Saturday Georgia games by taking the SEC feed that already aired on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or The SEC Network and add UGA/CSS graphics, according to Georgia associate athletic director Alan Thomas.

Under that scenario, the replay showings on CSS—shown last year on Sundays and Wednesdays--wouldn’t have Matt Stewart or Bob Neal on play-by-play or Buck Belue doing the color commentary, and the channel that serves more than six million customers wouldn’t need to produce a different broadcast.

“Our goal is to make sure there’s another opportunity to catch Saturday’s game,” Thomas said. “Certainly we do like the opportunities to have a Georgia slant that goes with that, but we also certainly understand the business world of how the production’s not free.”

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The impact of off-field issues

Georgia's off-field issues under the watch of coach Mark Richt have gotten the attention of columnists in Macon and Montgomery.

Bill Shanks, who hosts a sports talk show on Fox Sports 1670 in Macon, wonders about the timing of Georgia House Speaker David Ralston's resolution recognizing Richt last week after the Bulldogs’ 8-5 2009 season and a spring when player arrests have made headlines.

He writes in the Macon Telegaph:

“At first, when I got the press release, I was a little confused. Had the Bulldogs won a national championship when I wasn’t looking?
Wait, Georgia was 8-5 last season, the worst season in Richt’s nine years as head coach. And he was being honored by the Georgia Speaker of the House?

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