2016 Georgia Bulldogs football team

2016 Georgia Bulldogs football
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 31–23 vs. TCU
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Record	8–5 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach	Kirby Smart (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim Chaney (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	James Coley (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Mel Tucker (1st season)
Base defense	3–4
Captain	Nick Chubb Brandon Kublanow Sony Michel Maurice Smith
Home stadium	Sanford Stadium

2016 Southeastern Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 14 Florida x		6	–	2					9	–	4
No. 22 Tennessee		4	–	4					9	–	4
Georgia		4	–	4					8	–	5
Kentucky		4	–	4					7	–	6
South Carolina		3	–	5					6	–	7
Vanderbilt		3	–	5					6	–	7
Missouri*		2	–	6					4	–	8
West Division
No. 2 Alabama x$^		8	–	0					14	–	1
No. 24 Auburn		5	–	3					8	–	5
No. 13 LSU		5	–	3					8	–	4
Texas A&M		4	–	4					8	–	5
Arkansas		3	–	5					7	–	6
Mississippi State		3	–	5					6	–	7
Ole Miss*		2	–	6					5	–	7
Championship: Alabama 54, Florida 16
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * Ole Miss and Missouri vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2016 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Sanford Stadium. They were members of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Kirby Smart. They finished the season 8–5, 4–4 in SEC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place in the Eastern Division. They were invited to the Liberty Bowl where they defeated TCU.

Coaching changes

After the 2015 regular season, Georgia's athletic director Greg McGarity fired head coach Mark Richt after 15 seasons with an overall 145–51 record. Richt was replaced with former Georgia football player Kirby Smart, who, at the time, was Alabama's defensive coordinator. Smart played for the Bulldogs from 1995 to 1998 for coaches Ray Goff and Jim Donnan and was defensive coordinator at Alabama from 2008 to 2015 under head coach Nick Saban. Jeremy Pruitt, who was defensive coordinator for Georgia from 2014 to 2015, accepted a position as the defensive coordinator for Alabama to replace Smart.

2016 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2016)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Isaac Nauta #1 TE	Bradenton, FL	IMG Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jan 9, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Mecole Hardman #2 ATH	Elberton, GA	Elbert County High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	171 lb (78 kg)	Feb 3, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jacob Eason #1 QB	Lake Stevens, WA	Lake Stevens High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	Jul 9, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Charlie Woerner #4 ATH	Tiger, GA	Rabun County High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jul 23, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Javon Wims #3 WR (JC)	Miami, FL	Hinds C.C. (MS)	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Nov 8, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Julian Rochester #8 DT	Powder Springs, GA	McEachern High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	327 lb (148 kg)	May 28, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Riley Ridley #39 WR	Deerfield Beach, FL	Deerfield Beach High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jan 7, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Chauncey Manac #17 DE	Homerville, GA	Clinch County High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	252 lb (114 kg)	Sep 27, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jaleel Laguins #11 ILB	Watkinsville, GA	Oconee County High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Aug 8, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Elijah Holyfield #11 RB	Atlanta, GA	Woodward Academy	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sep 4, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ben Cleveland #13 OG	Toccoa, GA	Stephens County High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	327 lb (148 kg)	Jul 9, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tyler Clark #30 DT	Americus, GA	Americus-Sumter County High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	May 15, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Michail Carter #9 DT	Jackson, GA	Jackson High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	288 lb (131 kg)	Feb 3, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tyler Simmons #87 WR	Powder Springs, GA	McEachern High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	191 lb (87 kg)	Feb 3, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tyrique McGhee #45 CB	Fort Valley, GA	Peach County High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	168 lb (76 kg)	Feb 22, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
David Marshall #25 DT	Thomaston, GA	Upson-Lee High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Feb 3, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Solomon Kindley #40 OG	Jacksonville, FL	Raines High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	345 lb (156 kg)	Jan 25, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Chad Clay #18 CB	Suwanee, GA	Peachtree Ridge High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	169 lb (77 kg)	May 8, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Chris Barnes #19 OG	Leesburg, GA	Lee County High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	274 lb (124 kg)	Apr 11, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Marshall Long #10 K	China Grove, NC	South Rowan High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jan 31, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 10   Rivals: 9  247Sports: 7  ESPN: 7
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 31, 2016.

National Signing Day was on February 3, 2016.

Schedule

Georgia announced its 2016 football schedule on October 29, 2015. The 2016 schedule consisted of 6 home, 4 away, and 2 neutral site games in the regular season. The Bulldogs hosted SEC foes Auburn, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt, and traveled to Kentucky, Missouri, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. Georgia went against Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Bulldogs had hosted three of their four non–conference games, which were against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the North Carolina Tar Heels both from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns from the Sun Belt Conference, and Nicholls State Colonels from the Southland Conference.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	5:30 p.m.	vs. No. 22 North Carolina*	No. 18	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA (Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game)	ESPN	W 33–24	75,405
September 10	12:00 p.m.	Nicholls State*	No. 9	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	SECN	W 26–24	92,746
September 17	7:30 p.m.	at Missouri	No. 16	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	SECN	W 28–27	57,098
September 24	12:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Ole Miss	No. 12	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	ESPN	L 14–45	65,483
October 1	3:30 p.m.	No. 11 Tennessee	No. 25	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry / SEC Nation)	CBS	L 31–34	92,746
October 9[a]	2:30 p.m.	at South Carolina		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	SECN	W 28–14	77,221
October 15	12:00 p.m.	Vanderbilt		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	SECN	L 16–17	92,746
October 29	3:30 p.m.	vs. No. 14 Florida		EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL (rivalry / SEC Nation)	CBS	L 10–24	84,681
November 5	7:30 p.m.	at Kentucky		Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	SECN	W 27–24	62,507
November 12	3:30 p.m.	No. 8 Auburn		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (Deep South's Oldest Rivalry)	CBS	W 13–7	92,746
November 19	12:00 p.m.	Louisiana–Lafayette*		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	SECN	W 35–21	92,746
November 26	12:00 p.m.	Georgia Tech*		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate)	SECN	L 27–28	92,746
December 30	12:00 p.m.	vs. TCU*		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl)	ESPN	W 31–23	51,087
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^{^[a]} The game between Georgia and South Carolina had been originally scheduled for October 8, 2016, but was postponed due to Hurricane Matthew and played on October 9, 2016.

Game summaries

vs North Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
#22 Tar Heels	0	10	14	0	24
#18 Bulldogs	7	7	9	10	33

See also: 2016 North Carolina Tar Heels football team and Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game

Nicholls State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colonels	0	7	7	10	24
#9 Bulldogs	7	3	16	0	26

See also: 2016 Nicholls State Colonels football team

At Missouri

	1	2	3	4	Total
#16 Bulldogs	7	14	0	7	28
Tigers	10	10	7	0	27

See also: 2016 Missouri Tigers football team

At Ole Miss

	1	2	3	4	Total
#12 Bulldogs	0	0	7	7	14
#23 Rebels	17	14	14	0	45

See also: 2016 Ole Miss Rebels football team

Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
#11 Volunteers	0	7	7	20	34
#25 Bulldogs	7	10	7	7	31

See also: 2016 Tennessee Volunteers football team and Georgia–Tennessee football rivalry

At South Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	7	0	14	28
Gamecocks	0	0	7	7	14

See also: 2016 South Carolina Gamecocks football team and Georgia–South Carolina football rivalry

Vanderbilt

	1	2	3	4	Total
Commodores	7	0	3	7	17
Bulldogs	3	3	7	3	16

See also: 2016 Vanderbilt Commodores football team and Georgia–Vanderbilt football rivalry

vs Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
Gators	7	7	7	3	24
Bulldogs	7	3	0	0	10

See also: 2016 Florida Gators football team and Florida–Georgia football rivalry

At Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	6	3	11	27
Wildcats	7	7	7	3	24

See also: 2016 Kentucky Wildcats football team

Auburn

See also: 2016 Auburn Tigers football team and Deep South's Oldest Rivalry

Auburn Tigers (7–2) at Georgia Bulldogs (5–4)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Auburn	7	0	0	0	7
Georgia	0	0	7	6	13

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia

• Date: November 12
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Fair • 62 °F (17 °C) • Wind gusts 20 miles per hour (32 km/h; 17 kn)
• Game attendance: 92,746
• Referee: Ken Williamson
• Box Score

Louisiana–Lafayette

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ragin' Cajuns	0	7	0	14	21
Bulldogs	14	7	7	7	35

See also: 2016 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns football team

Georgia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Yellow Jackets	7	7	0	14	28
Bulldogs	7	7	13	0	27

See also: 2016 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team and Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate

TCU–Liberty Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	7	7	10	31
Horned Frogs	9	7	7	0	23

See also: 2016 TCU Horned Frogs football team and 2016 Liberty Bowl (December)

Roster

2016 Georgia Bulldogs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 1 Sony Michel Jr WR 2 Jayson Stanley So QB 2 Sam Vaughn So WR 4 Mecole Hardman Fr WR 5 Terry Godwin So WR 6 Javon Wims Jr WR 8 Riley Ridley Fr WR 9 Kenneth Towns Sr QB 10 Jacob Eason Fr QB 11 Greyson Lambert Sr QB 12 Brice Ramsey Jr RB 13 Elijah Holyfield Fr QB 14 Parker McLeod Jr WR 16 Isaiah McKenzie Jr WR 17 Josh Moran Fr TE 18 Isaac Nauta Fr WR 19 Willie Erdman Fr RB 22 Brendan Douglas Sr RB 22 Avery McNeely Jr WR 23 Shakenneth Williams Fr RB 24 Prather Hudson Fr WR 25 Steven Van Tiflin So WR 26 Patrick Burke Fr RB 27 Nick Chubb Jr WR 28 Shaquery Wilson So WR 29 Matt Price So RB 30 Tae Crowder  Fr RB 33 Ian Donald-McIntyre Fr RB 35 Brian Herrien Fr RB 37 Shavoyae Brown Fr FB 43 Nick Moore So TE 44 Justin Hurston Fr FB 46 Glenn Welch Jr FB 47 Christian Payne Jr FB 48 Kyle LeStrange Sr FB 49 Turner Fortin  Fr OL 53 Lamont Gaillard So OL 54 Brandon Kublanow Sr OL 55 Dyshon Sims Jr OL 56 Billy Seward Jr OL 57 Daniel Gothard Fr OL 58 Pat Allen  Fr OL 60 Murko Jurkovich Fr OL 61 Chris Barnes Fr OL 63 Sage Hardin Fr OL 65 Kendall Baker So OL 66 Solomon Kindley Fr OL 67 Sam Madden Fr OL 68 Sean Fogarty So OL 70 Aulden Bynum Jr OL 72 Tyler Catalina Sr OL 73 Greg Pyke Sr OL 74 Ben Cleveland Fr OL 75 Thomas Swilley Jr OL 77 Isaiah Wynn Jr WR 80 Charlie Hegedus Sr WR 82 Michael Chigbu So TE 83 Jeb Blazevich Jr WR 84 Wyatt Payne  Fr TE 85 Jordan Davis Jr WR 86 Davis Kelly Fr TE 86 Wix Patton Fr TE 87 Miles McGinty So WR 87 Tyler Simmons Fr TE 88 Jackson Harris So TE 89 Charlie Woerner Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 2 Maurice Smith Sr LB 3 Roquan Smith So DL 5 Julian Rochester Fr LB 6 Natrez Patrick So LB 7 Lorenzo Carter Jr LB 8 Shaun McGee Fr DB 9 Reggie Wilkerson Fr DL 10 Malik Herring Fr LB 11 Keyon Brown So DB 12 Juwan Briscoe So DL 13 Jonathan Ledbetter So DB 14 Malkom Parrish Jr LB 15 D'Andre Walker So DB 16 Caleeb Roberson Fr LB 17 Davin Bellamy Jr DB 18 Deandre Baker Jr DB 19 Jarvis Wilson So DB 20 Quincy Mauger Sr DB 20 J. R. Reed So DB 24 Dominick Sanders Jr LB 25 Jaleel Laguins Fr DB 26 Tyrique McGhee Fr DB 28 KJ Smith  Fr DB 28 Otamere Enadeghe So DB 29 Tim Hill Sr DB 31 Shattle Fenteng Sr LB 32 Ridge Underwood Sr DB 33 Kirby Choates So DB 35 Aaron Davis Jr DB 36 Rico McGraw So DB 37 Jordon McKinney Fr LB 38 Ryne Rankin Sr LB 39 Rashad Roundtree So LB 41 Chuks Amaechi Sr LB 43 Tommy Long Sr LB 44 Juwan Taylor Jr LB 45 Reggie Carter Jr LB 46 Michael Keene  Fr LB 47 Daniel Harper So DB 48 Jonah Guinn Sr DL 49 Koby Pyrz Fr LB 50 Johnny O'Neal Sr LB 51 David Marshall Fr DL 52 Tyler Clark Fr LB 55 Jacob Gross So DL 57 Alex Essex So DL 76 Michail Carter Fr DL 78 Trenton Thompson So LB 91 Chauncey Manac Fr DL 92 Justin Young  Fr DL 93 Carson Hall Sr DL 94 Michael Barnett So DL 96 DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle So DL 97 John Atkins Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class LS 56 John Courson So LS 59 Matthew Herzwurm Jr LS 69 Trent Frix Jr K 92 William Ham So K 94 Thomas Pritchard Sr P 95 Marshall Long Fr LS 96 Hudson Reynolds Fr P 97 Will Cowart  So K 98 Rodrigo Blankenship  Fr K 99 Mitchell Wasson Fr	Head coach Kirby Smart Coordinators/assistant coaches Jim Chaney – Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Mel Tucker – Defensive Coordinator/Secondary James Coley — Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Will Windham — Quality Control, Defense Jonas Jennings – Director, Player Development Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 10/25/18

Rankings

Further information: 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	18	9	16	12	25	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches	16	9	13	11	20	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV
CFP	Not released									—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released