Latest / Talking Dawgs / 2026 Talking Dawgs Fall Camp Preview!!! Best and worst case...
Transcript
- Daniel: Alright, Clint, jump right in. ⁓ Georgia Bulldogs enter fall camp ⁓ this week. ⁓ the long nightmare is The bad man can't hurt you anymore, Clint. It's football season is officially here. It's happening. Let me be the first to welcome you into the world in which football players for the twenty twenty six Georgia football team are practicing football on a football field in anticipation of a football game that's going to be played in just a couple of weeks. Welcome. Clint: Hmm. Not anymore. Mm, thank you. Look at Look at that. I'm glad to be here. Glad you're here. And listener, glad you're here as well. ⁓ it's often said that God saves his mightiest battles for his mightiest soldiers, Daniel. And I'll tell you what. we we have battled through some scum. Texas fan, how you doing? We've battled looking at you, Texas. Florida fan, ⁓ Daniel: That's yeah. Yeah. Looking at you, Texas fan. Clint: Very quiet right now. Daniel: Florida fans just want you to forget about the fact that they even exist. They're not even here. Just Clint: National media, we trudged through your filth all off season. It's disgusting. And yet Daniel: Good lord. And we capped it off, Clint, with an Alex Anthopoulos Braves trade deadline just to put a cherry on top of the summer, the official worst season in the history of calendars. Clint, it has been a a a difficult battle. But we are mighty soldiers and we have persevered. And the reward for us is that later this week Georgia starts fall camp. And so We're gonna we're gonna just gonna dive in today to our favorite fall camp storylines, the things that we're watching for, just the big picture stuff that we're gonna be paying attention to this fall camp. By the way, if you're here, if you just sort of stumbled upon the channel, thanks so much for being here. So glad that you're here. ⁓ if you're not already subscribed to the newsletter, Clint and I put out a newsletter each and every week. between the banter.beehive.com, there's a link in the description. You can find that. Clint: Mm. Mm mm mm. Daniel: Newsletter. So just make sure that you're clicked on that. Make sure you're subscribed to that. Make sure that that is coming to your inbox. but let's jump in, Clint. What's your number one storyline heading into the 2026 fall camp? What because we know what the storylines are for the season, but those are not necessarily the camp storylines. Because you can't you can't always diagnose some of those things in camp. You got to get the bullets have got to be live for some of this stuff. Clint: No, no it's not. Daniel: So what's your biggest fall camp storyline, the thing that you're gonna be paying the most attention to? Clint: I we need two things to hit quickly, okay? Daniel: Okay, okay. Clint: First thing that needs to hit quickly. And the rest of the season, I have full confidence in Kirby Smart and staff to get things put together come full season. But but these two, I don't want to wait until we're week four. Daniel, we got Oklahoma early on in the year. I I can't wait to get the freak. Daniel: We're going to Tuscaloosa early in the year. It's Clint: Get it. We get better with the season. Thank you. I'm so happy. Not this year. We have some early contests that need us to begin. And we have two very big question marks that I need to hear at least solid. I'm not talking exceptional. I mean just solid. Like, ⁓ yeah, this was expected. If I can hear back, we're we're where we expected us to be. I think I can. be okay with it Daniel and those two position groups and those two focuses are our offensive line is gelling together offensive line looks to be seven eight deep watch Kirby Smart to say that okay and if he does I'm beyond thrilled if Kirby says well I know I got maybe four or five guys that could start we've I've heard those words before in camp okay and it made us horrible all year long Daniel: Okay, okay, okay. Yeah. Wasn't great. Clint: Okay, I can't hear that. Second thing I have to have, I have to hear. I have to hear somebody ask about the transfers in the secondary. And Kirby Smart not be able to stop glowing about one of ⁓ That again, I'm talking solid. I'm not gonna accept it. We've talked about how we need three of ⁓ to hit. Riddle has to hit, Khalil Barnes has to hit, gentry has to hit they they have to do well. But I'm talking glowing in camp. And it would be my preference if it was Khalil Barnes. Would be my preference if I could just choose, if I could write that on a little ticket somewhere, make a little poster, put it up somewhere. But those two storylines are the ones I'm focusing on. We have seven to eight guys on offensive line deep and man, Khalil Barnes is really coming in and really getting to know the system. If Kirby Smart uses those words in reference to Khalil Barnes, Riddle, and Gentry Williams, I I will be smiling ear to ear, like a like Daniel come N C double A tournament time. I'll be giddy as a schoolboy. Daniel: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yikes. Yeah. I Clint: Daniel, what are the storylines that you heading into camp need to focus on, need to hear coming out of that? Because you're right, it's not the season, and I believe offensive line can gel in the season we can get, but what what do you need to hear early? Daniel: Yeah. I wanna hear ⁓ offensive line was gonna be my number one, Clint. That was gonna be my number one. And it's and it's not a position of weakness, you know. We we think the offensive line may be the best position group on the whole roster, Clint. Like we are aware of the linebacker room. And we think offensive line might be the best position group on the whole roster. It's not a matter of Clint: A and we know who plays linebacker for us. Daniel: First of all, there's one name that is that's missing from the starting five. We need to we need to be able to hear some things. We need to see some practice reports. We need to know who's going with the ones. We need to see is it Zyke Helton? Is it somebody else who's solidified themselves in that other spot? Is it a tackle who stepped up and Juan Gaston has been playing a bunch more guard? I need to hear where Juan Gaston's lined up, Clint. Clint: That's what I mean. Daniel: I need to know where this man's standing. Because guess where he's not going to be standing? The sideline. So wherever Juan Gaston's standing in camp, that's where he's that's going to tell you about the position breakdown, right? We know who's playing center. We know where Dontrell Glover's going to play. We know that Ernest Green's going to play one of the two tackle spots. I need to know where Ju Gaston's standing. Is he playing guard? Is he playing tackle? Is it right side? Left side? Because those things are going to tell me all the other details that I need to hear for the offensive line. Yes, I want to hear that some more guys are doing well. I want to hear that some more. But I can't be quibbling with depth yet, Clint. I need my starters locked in. I need my starting five, and I need them sure. Clint: Nope. Nope. Daniel: And I need him locked in firmly because we know that Georgia's already got some serviceable b serviceable backups on this offensive line. Malachi Tolliver, more than a serviceable backup at center. Right? We know that Georgia's already got some guys that can play a little bit along the, you know, what's what's big Ja Jackson doing these days? Are we gonna get some mention out of him over at the tackle spot? What about Uene, who's, by the way, not transferred. He didn't transfer Clinton. He's he's still in the program, huh? Why why would he still be in the program? How about Daniel Calhoun? ⁓ huh. Wait a minute. I thought he was bypassed for starting jobs, Daniel Calhoun, by true freshman. Clint: Yep. You understand that people? Wild. Daniel: And Dontrell Glover and Juan Gaston. Why wouldn't Daniel Calhoun have hit the transfer portal, Clint? Well, lo and behold, he's still here on campus. I want to hear how these guys are doing. I want to hear some names. I want to see that. So that was my that was my number one. Here's my number two. ⁓ I want I wanna you're gonna have to listen very carefully. Okay? Yeah, you're gonna have to do some detective work here. Clint: Okay, here we go, people. I didn't realize we need Kirby knees on Danielneese. That's Daniel: Yeah. Sometimes you need to listen to a woman's pauses. Don't listen to what she said. Just listen to her pauses. Okay? We learned that on the streets in the ghetto. we You're gonna have to listen close to what Kirby says, but I I wanna know who the tight ends that are I wanna know the order in which they're coming out of his mouth. Clint: here we here we go. Daniel: Like that's the so if there's a position group that is just like strength on strength, it is the tight end room, Clint. But each of the pieces is a little bit different from the other. Yeah? And I wanna know who feels like they're rising to the top, because I think that's going to tell me a little bit. Clint: Hmm. ⁓ Yep, I agree. Mm. Daniel: About how Georgia plans to utilize these tight ends. And I know there's a lot of Mike Bobo haters and a lot of Georgia fans that are really looking, me included, not a Mike Bobo hater, but a Georgia fan who is really looking to see a market uptick in tight end usage rate this year. This is the strength of your roster, Georgia. Clint: Yeah. Yep. Yes. Daniel: I think Georgia knows that. But how are we going to use those guys? Are we going to be using those guys in the downfield passing game? I think we'll know based on which of those guys is getting mentioned. Is Georgia leaning more towards a power run game? And those tight ends are going to be an extension of that run game. I think we'll know based on which of those tight ends seems to be getting the most love coming out of camp. So Listen, the tight end pecking order, the guys are gonna play, and all five of them are gonna be great. They're all elite. But what Kirby says about the tight ends, and if we get to hear from Bobo, I guess we might get to hear from Bobo. Is that only bowl practice? Do you only get to hear from the coordinators in bowl practice? Or do we get do we get a little bit I feel like in fall camp we get a little bit of the coordinates. So how Clint: Gonna be just fine. Yeah. Yeah. It's a g it's a great question. Does Kirby let him out of the cage just every so often? I think I think we get a little. I think we do. Yeah. Daniel: In what order is Mike Bobo talking cause Mike Bobo will slip up and accidentally tell you Brock Bowers is the is a generational football player. He will accidentally tell you when not asked that Brock Bowers is the best football player he's ever seen in his life. Clint: He will. Hey coach, I wanna ask you about another player. Please speak on him. Nope. I'm gonna talk about Brock Bowers. Thank you though. Appreciate Daniel: Yeah. Mike Bob will mess around and just tell you something straight out the gate. We did not have the common sense to believe him, but ⁓ but we should have. So I wanna hear because I think the t the way that Georgia talks about its tight ends is gonna tell us something about the way that this offense is gonna go, Clint. You see what I'm saying? Clint: We should have. I see exactly what you're saying, Daniel. Now, Daniel, we're we're gonna take off the obvious. The easy low-hanging fruit from camp. Okay. And and we could play the opposite game, like the negative of that being that, hey, Kirby comes out and says we only have four or five guys on the offensive line, or coming out and saying, ⁓ yeah, tight ends aren't where we need them to be. Okay, sure, sure, sure. Or the aforementioned, you know, injury bug, ⁓ that is just low-hanging fruit. We're gonna get that out of the side. What would be in your mind? Daniel: Okay, yeah, I'm sure. Clint: A grab the bucket early and often coming out of Fall Camp. The bucket's your friend. If you don't have a bucket, that's on you. Public service. And you don't know what a bucket is. We have bottles and buckets. We have t shirts about this. Bottles for when Kirby starts the death march, and we crack them open and we let it flow. buckets when Daniel: Yep. Thank you. Public service. We love the bottle. Clint: It's South Carolina week and that freaking rooster is going and we've scored seven in the second quarter. Buckets for when we go to Mizzou and we have to have a literal game saving behind, come from behind tackle from one safety to save our entire season. ⁓ that's bucket worthy. So, Daniel, what's bucket worthy coming out of fall camp? Daniel: ⁓ the reports that the passing game is thriving. Like that that the the passing game is that Gunnar Stockton is pew pew pew all over the field. He's hitting guys left and right. Clint: 'Cause 'cause People are scratching their head right now. Daniel: ⁓ the downfield passing game is is looking elite. It's looking like it's as good. The Georgia's new crop of wide receivers might be the best crop of wide receivers that Georgia has ever had, Clint. I would have my face buried inside the orange bucket. You wouldn't see me for weeks. Clint: Interesting. Now, Daniel, again, people are confused. Okay. And I think rightly so, because they're listening you say, like, well, don't we need Gunnar Stockton to take a step forward this year? Don't we need the wide receivers to step up? Don't we need an explosive passing game? And Daniel, what you're saying is not so fast, my friends. And there's a there's a good reason for that. Daniel: Yes. Yeah. Yeah, I would like to see Gunnar Stockton take a step forward. I think he will. I'd like to see that. I would like to see the wide receivers step up at least one or two of them. Full disclosure, I don't need seven of them to step up. I don't care. I don't care about it. I'd like to see one or two of them really emerge. Last year Georgia had one. They had two when Colby Young was healthy. And so for half the season they had two. Clint: Don't need seven. Daniel: Dynamic receivers, and you saw it in the passing game. ⁓ when Colby Young was not healthy, they were down to one and then some role players. I need one or two wide receivers to step up. I need the Georgia passing game to be able to hit downfield shots. But let me tell you what the offense is not gonna be doing when we're going good on good sessions in fall camp. The offense is not gonna be running. Hard play action, sucking up the defense and taking shots over the top. That's not the way that fall camp is going to operate. So if the downfield passing game is thriving, either Tallinn Taylor has been transformed into Odell Beckham Jr. overnight. Isaiah Canyon is the next Julio Jones. Or, much more likely, the Georgia secondary, the aforementioned Khalil Barnes, Rashawn Dinkins at his new position playing on the in on the back end at safety instead of at star down near the r line of scrimmage on at you know as the nickel corner, they're they're doing poorly. Maybe DeMelo Jones is taking a step back. Maybe Ellis Robinson's not the guy that Clint. Clint: There it is. Cool. ⁓ no. Daniel: Has sold his soul to believe that he is. Clint: I I can't I won't. Daniel: If the downfield passing game is thriving in camp, I'm just here to tell you, Georgia fans, it'll be fine against Tennessee State. It'll be fine against Western Kentucky. It'll be fine against Arkansas. But don't go to Tuscaloosa. Don't go to Tuscaloosa with a secondary that is questionable. I know they have questions at quarterback. I know that there's this may be a down year for Alabama. That's what people are projecting. I'm not. Clint: No. Daniel: listen to it. I'm not buying it for a second. Clint: That it's not, by the way. Daniel: Don't don't do it. George's I wanna hear the storyline coming out of camp needs to be the offense can't get they can't get it in gear. This offense can't can't get it together, cannot figure it out. That needs to be the story. Clint: Because friends, friends, if that's coming out of fall camp, our defense is ahead of our offense. Offense is always ahead of defense. Come camp. Okay. It's you have the advantage in every single aspect of our defense is already there. I'm here to tell you. it is going to be reminiscent of all the other years that Georgia had deep playoff runs. That is what we heard coming out of camp. That was the news. The defense is shutting us down. These guys are flying all over the place. The ball isn't even getting to our receivers. We got to get better. Gunner's gotta have better execution. He's gotta sit down with Bobo and understand the system better. And our freaking offensive line got a pass pro better. I don't know what's gonna Kirby's ripping the offense. Ooh friends. Daniel: Love that. Because again, Clint, what this off what we think this offense is going to be predicated on is not what's going to be happening in fall camp. We're not going to be running power concepts at our defensive line in fall camp. It's just not there there will be some good on good. There will be some plenty of live tackling. There'll be some pads popping. There will be some some collisions in the hole, right? Clint: We're gonna be just. Yep. Of course. Daniel: Like that will be happening in Georgia Falkamp. But you're not going to be Georgia's offense this year can thrive by wearing you down and absolutely breaking your will. That's what this offensive line is capable of. That's what DeMello ⁓ Dontrell Glover and Juan Gaston are capable of. That's what Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens and Bo Walker might just thrive doing this. By the way, I stay tuned for the season preview. If you haven't already gotten it yet, it's coming it's coming soon. I read a take about Bo Walker recently from some doofus and he seemed like he was pretty high on how many yards he was gonna end up with this season as Clint: Hold on. Yeah. Idiot. If the third best running back at UGA doesn't excite you sorry. Daniel: You're you're looking at the wrong depth chart. I'll tell you that. If the third best running back in UGA doesn't excite you, you need to you need to you need to look again. Yeah. Seek help. ⁓ Clint, what about you? Worst case scenario coming out of Fall Camp. Clint: F seek help. Daniel. Coming out of fall camp, I I I can see a lot of scenarios being just fine with me. I can see the scenario of like no smoke, no word, just kind of ho-hum, you know, lunch pail. I'm I'm fine with that. Truly and honestly. I'm okay with Kirby having a lunch pail. This is just a normal fall camp. And because again, the expectation is there. I I can definitely take what you're suggesting, where our offensive ⁓ Daniel: Yeah. Clint: Failures are because the defense is absolutely thrashing them. That beyond excitement. Daniel: Mm. Clint: Daniel, for me, when Kirby starts naming guys that we haven't thought about excelling. It's one of two things. We've seen him do this before, and it's based upon his love for you. Thing one, but he does this directly, it's the Richard LeCount love. He would he would put Richard LeCount on blast all the time. Richard Clant was doing just fine, he was a great player. Daniel: All the time. Clint: But Kirby expected more and he got more out of him because he blasted him in the media and talking all that okay. We didn't hear him talk about other safeties. We hear him talk Richard Lecount needs to get it in gear. If you and I start hearing names that we haven't thought of so far, these surprise additions, because we've covered a lot. We think Valden Sean is gonna have ⁓ I think he's gonna play a lot in this ⁓ defense early and often. I think his size and his his strength is gonna be an asset. We talked about Big Joe, we talked about Elijah Griffin, we talked about all these guys. I okay, if those are if the if the standard people are there, great. Great, honest, fantastic. But all of a sudden, if if in the wide receiver room we're hearing names of guys that are sixth, seventh, eighth on the depth chart. Cause I think five or six, somebody's gonna hit out of that group. But if we're way down in the depth chart and they're the ones putting show on the defense, again to your point, it makes it means the defense is doing bad, and it means our other wide receivers who are possibly more talented. Daniel: Mm-hmm. Clint: Aren't hitting on that. If all of a sudden we're talking about the running backs and the names we're hearing aren't Nate Frazier and John C. Bones first, Kirby can he's gonna talk about everybody because everybody's gonna get rep and everybody's gonna get run, it's good on good. But I need the guys that we anticipate, because last year was the youngest team. This year is another young team, but we have a lot returning production coming back. We need those returning production to hit. And so if the guys returning aren't Daniel: Mm. Clint: being spoken about. If Glenn Schumann's not when asked, he's not saying Raylan Wilson is taking over for CJ Allen. If that's not the first thing out of his mouth. Daniel: Yeah. Clint: It brings me great pause. Because I think Justin Williams is great. I think Zayn Walker is gonna be great. I I I believe and like all these guys, but we need top end talent to get us to where we need to go. We're gonna suffocate people. We're gonna I need KJ Bolden, Raylon Wilson, Elijah Griffin, Ellis Robinson. Names have to be named. Gunner has to do well. Offensive line, Ernest Green has to be so boring. S I mean so boring in camp. Where Kerb's like, yeah, he's He's just shutting us, he's just doing his thing. It's like we always anticipated. He's doing what we expect. The big names have to hit. And if I hear other names excelling, ⁓ I'm gonna grab a bucket real quick. Because it's not that I'm not excited for them. It's not that I don't even believe they can't contribute. I believe they will contribute. want out of the gate the names that we know to go. Daniel: Yeah. And you know that Kirby's philosophy is going to be he's trying to develop guys for the future in camp. And so it's not he's trying to get guys run that are not going to contribute this year, but they're going to be ready for next year and the next year and the next year. Because guess what? Guys don't leave Georgia the way that they do other programs. Guys stay at Georgia and they contribute for years to come. And so just because a guy isn't contributing meaningful snaps right now on the offense, Kirby knows that next year and the year after that and the year after that Clint: Yes. Daniel: ⁓ are just as important. But to your point, I think this Georgia team returns so much production, we need those guys to take a step forward. I would say with a very small handful of exceptions. And I would say those exceptions probably lie in position groups where Georgia really struggled last year. Because if all of a sudden Isaiah Gibson is the first name out of Glenn Schumann's mouth when he's talking about Edge Rush. Not Quintavius Johnson. If it's I a guy like Isaiah Gibson, I'll go. ⁓ say more. ⁓ and ⁓ I'm I'm interested. I you have my attention. Because the pass rush. Yeah. Yes. Clint: ⁓ Glenn. That's exactly right. Chase Chase Linton is named. All of a sudden he says, ⁓ I watched Chase have a rep today where he was barreling down. If we were live, Gunnar would have been in trouble. Great. Love that. Daniel: Yep. Because again, the pass rush, Georgia markedly sucked last year, ⁓ at getting after the passer. And so we'll take all the new blood that we can get. But yeah, running back, offensive line, like these are not position groups that we need to see. Novelty. We need to see the guys rise up who we know we know who they are. We need to see them take that next step in their evolution. Clint: Yeah. Hundred percent, Daniel. We need to see that. ⁓ fall camp is here, football is here. Kirby Smart, again, we'll we'll walk you through the Kirby's is going to be on full display. It's gonna be fine, it's gonna be great. It's gonna be interesting to see early on in camp if he's fiery Kirby, which spring ball, we saw a lot of that. We saw kind of three, four years ago Kirby and Springball last couple years. Daniel: Man ⁓ Yep. Clint: ⁓ someone pontificated, he just knew our ceiling was being hit, and so he wasn't mad at guys. He just knew the team wasn't that great. This year it seems that there's a little bit of extra juice because he knows where our ceiling is. Daniel and I believe our ceiling is there, but it ladies and gentlemen, if if not now, what just when? Okay. Returning quarterback. I I just want to list all the exciting things. One of the best offensive lines in the entire country. Daniel: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Clint: A highly effective running back coming back in the SEC, countered with another highly effective running back, paired with two skill and talented level running backs. Tight ends that we can go five deep and list. Wide receivers that are unprudent but very exciting. Not to mention a defense where the defensive backs might be the best unit on the club if they hit. Linebackers that are gonna be in the first round and defensive linemen that might wind up being on a Mount Rushmore one day for their positions. Friends Daniel: George's George is about to win a national championship, Clan. I Clint: That's what I'm trying to this what it's what I'm trying to say. Look at then combine that with the schedule. We got three games. Okay, Oklahoma early on at T Town, Old Miss on the road. Daniel: I'm sorry, so two games. So you're saying. Clint: I old Miss Fan. Old Miss Fan, just so you just so you're fully aware. Yes, I know you beat us. Daniel: I won't. I won't change. Clint: Your downfall will be my joy. Daniel: It and it's imminent. Like it's not going to be a slow burn. You understand? Like it's not It's going to go up like a like a eleven month old Christmas tree. You understand what I'm trying to tell you, old Miss Finn? Like it's Clint: Yes, yes, yes. And and they do, by the way, that analogy hit home with a lot of old Miss fan. Just so you fully understand. Daniel: Y ⁓ yeah. They know what it feels like to light an old Christmas tree on fire. Heck we all do. Clint: They they do. I I I am old miss. You're gonna be talking about Trinidad Chambliss sitting out bowl game. More than you're talking about Trinidad Chambliss. Daniel: Mhm. Why why would Trinidad Chambless play the outbag pole? I don't think he would. I wouldn't if I wouldn't if I were him. ⁓ listen Clint: He won't risk the draft future. Fouse his agent. Daniel: Make sure that you're subscribed. If you're here and you're listening to Talking Dogs, if you get the newsletter and you're here and you're watching the YouTube, make sure you're subscribed to the YouTube channel. There's also an audio podcast if you want to subscribe to those. Those things help us out a bunch. ⁓ if you're here and you're not already on the newsletter, that's the primary way that you can continue to connect with Clint and I. Make sure you get all of our thoughts and get access to all of the content that we're putting out all of the time. ⁓ between the banner.beehive.com. You can click the link in the description and find that there. Clint: Mm. Daniel: But guys, fall camp is here, and we'll be with you each and every step of the season, and we will see you guys next time. Clint: See ya.