Georgia was supposed to open its 2021 football season against San Jose State.
That has been scratched for a much bigger matchup.
Georgia and Clemson announced Tuesday afternoon that the Bulldogs and Tigers will open the 2021 season on Sept. 4 at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium. The Bulldogs and Tigers used to be annual rivals, vying 24 times in a 26-year stretch from 1962 to 1987, but have played far more sparingly since. Georgia's 45-21 win in Athens in the 2014 season opener was the most recent meeting.
Clemson won the 2013 game, 38-35, in Death Valley.
"This is another great opportunity to schedule a national nonconference game with a top-level opponent," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in a release. "Playing a regular-season game in Charlotte will give our fans the opportunity for a completely new experience in a great city and top-level stadium. I know our coaches and players will be excited for the challenge to kick off the season in this kind of environment."
Georgia and Clemson already have a 2024 showdown scheduled at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as well as a home-and-home series in both 2029-30 and 2032-33.
Bulldogs athletic director Greg McGarity said "the eyes of the nation will be on Charlotte as we start the 2021 season," adding that Georgia will have at least two Power Five nonconference opponents on its schedule from now through at least 2033.
Georgia will open its 2020 season against Virginia in Atlanta and will close against in-state rival Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs also have nonconference games scheduled with Oregon (2022), Oklahoma (2023 and 2031), UCLA (2025-26), Florida State (2027-28), Texas (2028-29) and Ohio State (2030-31).
Canceling the San Jose State contest came at a cost of $1.8 million. Clemson axed a game with Wyoming to face the Bulldogs.
Mathis cleared
Georgia quarterback D'Wan Mathis, who practiced last spring as an early enrollee but did not go through full-contact work this past season, has been cleared to practice this spring.
The four-star signee out of Oak Park, Michigan, completed 15 of 28 passes for 113 yards in last April's G-Day game, but he underwent surgery in May to have a cyst removed from his brain. He is scheduled to vie this spring with Jamie Newman, a graduate transfer from Wake Forest, Stetson Bennett and early enrollee Carson Beck.
Bama hires Strong
Alabama football coach Nick Saban had a staff last season that contained a slew of former Power Five head coaches: offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian (Washington and Southern California), offensive line coach Kyle Flood (Rutgers), offensive analyst Butch Jones (Tennessee) and defensive analyst Mike Stoops (Arizona).
Saban has added another by snagging former Louisville and Texas coach Charlie Strong as a defensive analyst. ESPN was the first to report Strong's hiring.
Strong guided Louisville to a 37-15 record from 2010 to 2013, leading the Cardinals to a 33-23 trampling of Florida in the Sugar Bowl following the 2012 season. He struggled to a 16-21 record in three seasons with the Longhorns and spent the past three years at South Florida, where he went 21-16 but oversaw declining 10-2, 7-6 and 4-8 marks.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.