Georgia Bulldogs: From Thompson To Patrick To Gibbs, Things Have Changed

The Georgia Bulldogs Football team begins Spring Practices today. With expectations at fever pitch, a culture change has been evident and apparent.

There was no way to predict, with any credibility, that the 2017 Georgia Bulldogs would win the SEC Championship, a Rose Bowl, and lose in overtime in the NCAA National Championship Game. They did, though, and some are dissecting last season to see if Georgia might be able to replicate that success. Was it attributable of Senior Success? Partly. A weak SEC East Division? Partly. Coaches and personnel getting acclimated in Year 2? Partly. Still, I think one can point to how they managed personnel off the field that accounts, for the most part, as to why UGA was so successful in 2017, and could be again moving forward.

This writer has a bunch of people from the 229. More specifically, we have a lot of our people in “The Good Life City”. The small city they call Albany. So, when Trent Thompson committed to UGA, it was big news there.

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Last Spring, news broke of Thompson being arrested, and having been “unresponsive”. Subsequent reports confirmed that Thompson, a rising Junior at that time, was not with the team and not enrolled in the school. Most connected with that area, and those who are Dawgs fans, were concerned and disappointed. I wrote about it at the time here. Here is a money quote:

"In fact, it is this writer’s opinion that, if the Georgia Football team does accomplish its goal of winning the SEC East, it will be directly related to how Kirby Smart handled the Trent Thompson affair."

Trenton Thompson, of course, went on to start most of the year, with moderate success, and is just a few short weeks away from hearing his name called in the NFL Draft. How the school handled his situation, and his response to that, helped salvage his dream of pro football.

And the kids noticed.

I still believe that. The point then, and now, is that the kids saw that “The Kirby Way” was not the same as before. Violations don’t necessarily mean you get suspended and kicked off of the team.

It was announced today that DeAngelo Gibbs and Natrez Patrick are on track to be with the team, and fully involved, by Fall Practice. Gibbs’ situation is remarkably similar to that of Thompson. “Medical Issues” is all we know, presently. Patrick has actually had multiple run-ins with the law, and is still getting a chance to prove worth and correction. Dude was just named “Scholar-Athlete” of the month. Seems positive to me.

I don’t think there is any doubt about it. The Georgia Bulldogs did win the SEC East, and more, and that was a direct result of how this staff has embraced a philosophy and program of second chances, patience, and rehab.

How they handled Thompson, and how they are now handling these situations presently, has engendered a trust between player and coach. The players “bought in”, which is necessary for championships, and it showed on the field. That led to major success in 2017.

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Coaching these kids hard, and then loving these kids hard, are both paying dividends.

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