REPORT:Georgia Football team regrets losing their star man.
The Georgia football program housed some of the best talent in college football last season, with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah posting four Bulldog players inside his top 50 big board, including wide receiver Ladd McConkey. However, despite posting stellar numbers at Georgia, McConkey is still on a mission to turn heads, accepting an invite to the annual Reese’s Senior Bowl. Per the all-star game’s executive director Jim Nagy, the Georgia football wideout earned “top WR” on the American team from a vote conducted by his defensive back teammates at practice player-of-the-week awards.
Iowa Hawkeyes punter Tory Taylor, Alabama kicker Will Reichard, Missouri’s Darius Robinson, and McConkey’s Georgia teammate Javon Bullard, among others, also won awards at the Reese’s Bowl.
Ladd McConkey: Impressing at All-Star Game
This week, McConkey made waves on social media for his practice performance at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. McConkey looked good in individual drills but separated himself in one-on-one drills. He consistently beat press man, off-coverage, and inside and outside leverage. The six-foot, 186-pounder also dominated in one-on-one reps in the red zone, using his speed and route running ability to separate.
McConkey’s separating ability has isolated him from the competition this week. His ball tracking and ability to stack and stem opposing defensive backs have turned heads at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, earning recognition from his defensive teammates.
Ladd McConkey: Dominate at Georgia Football
A former three-star recruit, McConkey did not play his first year before snagging 31 receptions for 447 yards and five scores in 2021. He posted his best numbers in 2022 with quarterback Stetson Bennett, snagging 58 passes for 762 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught five passes for 88 yards and two scores in his team’s blowout win over the TCU Horned Frogs in the College Football National Championship.
McConkey took a step back this season but still posted a respectable 30 catches for 479 yards and two touchdowns. His best season game came against the Florida Gators on a natural field in late October. He registered six catches for 135 yards and a score in a win. He only appeared in nine games this season, compared to nine the year prior. The Georgia native won’t be the first offensive skill player selected by the Bulldogs in the upcoming draft. Tight end Brock Bowers remains a blue-chip prospect. He scored 31 touchdowns during his time with the Georgia Bulldogs.
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Ex-Georgia coach Richt details Seahawks’ Macdonald’s coaching start
Mike Macdonald is now the youngest head coach in the NFL as the Seattle Seahawks hired the 36 year old this week.
Macdonald adds veteran Leslie Frazier as Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach
When legendary Georgia head coach Mark Richt knew Macdonald back in the early-2010s, he was a young assistant on the Bulldogs’ coaching staff.
Macdonald’s first coaching job was at Cedar Shoals High School in Georgia in 2008 and 2009 when he coached linebackers and running backs. In 2010, he returned to his alma mater as a graduate assistant on Richt’s coaching staff, and then spent 2011-13 as a defensive quality control assistant.
Richt shared his memories and impressions of the newest Seahawks head coach during an interview with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Thursday.
“Very sharp guy, great communicator, hard worker,” Richt said of Macdonald. “Just a intelligent, eloquent guy that has a mental toughness and physical toughness when it comes to football. You could tell good things were gonna happen to Mike.”
Being a grad assistant and then an analyst, Richt said there’s a “certain workload” those guys have, and their duties expand once it’s clear they can handle it.
“Mike was the kind of guy that you knew if you gave him an assignment, it was gonna get done, it’s gonna get done well and get done in a timely manner,” Richt said. “And then you could just see him relate to players, a guy that is genuine. A lot of coaches try to be somebody they’re not, and players kind of sniff that out pretty quick, especially, I would think, at the NFL level, it’s even more so. You’d better be genuine, you’d better be who you are so you don’t have to sit there and act like somebody else, which is exhausting to begin with. And Mike’s just a real genuine human being, a guy that can relate to all kinds of people, and he’s very, very good at what he does.”
“He took care of business very well, and was definitely a guy that wanted to know why things are done,” Richt added of Macdonald’s time at Georgia. “Not to question coaches in what they’re doing, but the why as to be able to learn.”
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Richt was an extremely successful head coach at Georgia, going 145-51 with just one losing season and two SEC titles between 2001 and 2015. He offered some advice Macdonald’s way.
“Be genuine. Be who you are. Because who you are is what got you where you are to begin with,” Richt said. “Earn the trust of the people around you. I think think in the NFL, you’ve got to earn the trust of these players … In the pros, sometimes they need it know why we’re doing it. And when you motivate grown men, it’s a little bit different. They’ve got to know you and trust you and believe that you have their best interests at heart because it’s their livelihood. So I think just be true to yourself, be honest with everybody, and do what you think is best in the end, because the buck is gonna stop with you.”
