Mark Richt Talks Indoor Practice Facility at SEC Spring Meetings

Georgia Bulldogs Head Football Coach Mark Richt met with the media this afternoon before a meeting with his fellow SEC coaches at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida.  Coach Richt discussed issues with cost of attendance, the rise in satellite camps, and of course, the new UGA indoor practice facility.

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Richt would prefer that the cost of attendance issues be rectified at least within the SEC.  He believes that over time the league will find a solution, so that no team in the conference will be at a competitive advantage or disadvantage financially.

Coach Richt has voiced his displeasure previously of schools in the other Power 5 Conferences holding satellite camps in SEC territory, as the SEC forbids their schools from running such camps.  He chose not to dwell on this topic too much and would be interested in hearing what his fellow SEC coaches had to say about these recruiting camps.  Richt did mention that a big holdup for UGA to hypothetically host one away from Georgia would be that it would take more time away his staff member’s families.  Coach Richt has been all about family since arriving in Athens in 2001, so this doesn’t surprise me at all.

When asked about the new indoor practice facility, you could tell that Richt was very excited to talk about it.  The University of Georgia will be the last SEC school to have this type of facility on their campus.  Rival schools have been quick to point out UGA’s lack there of for years in recruitment.

Richt said that school officials have visited many other universities’ facilities to learn from their mistakes to build the best indoor practice facility in the country.  He likes that the indoor complex will attach to the Butts-Mehre Building, right next to the outdoor fields.  Coach Richt also mentioned that the existing outdoor practice fields will remain intact but will eventually feature natural grass instead of FieldTurf. Playing on natural grass will go a long way in keeping our players healthy during practice.

“We’re going to get more grass.  We’re going to have an indoor facility.  And it’s going to be attached to our building.  So I can’t ask for any more than that.” – UGA Head Coach Mark Richt on the team’s new indoor practice facility

To wrap up his five-minute meeting with the media, of course there was a Nick Chubb question.  Coach Mark Richt praised the entire UGA backfield, saying that Georgia is not a “one-guy only” sort of team.  He has full faith in Keith Marshall, Sony Michel, Brendan Douglas, and AJ Turman.  Richt then said that injuries did turn his five-man backfield into two (Chubb and Douglas) halfway through last season.  He stated, “Everyone is going to earn their right to carry the ball.”

We’re inside of 100 days until it’s time to tee it up Between the Hedges, folks!  It looks like Georgia plans on running the ball with conviction this fall and the new indoor practice facility is well on its way to being the very best in the nation.  Go Dawgs!