The Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday conducted their first spring football practice ever as back-to-back national champions.
It was hardly a day to celebrate.
In a 20-minute news conference that preceded the workout, Georgia eighth-year coach Kirby Smart spent the first half discussing the tragic and concerning events that transpired following the 65-7 shredding of TCU in Los Angeles on Jan. 9.
Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson was arrested in late February on misdemeanor charges of racing and reckless driving stemming from an incident the night after the title game, and former defensive tackle and projected top-10 NFL draft pick Jalen Carter was arrested earlier this month on the same two charges in connection with the accident in the early hours of Jan. 15 that claimed the lives of offensive lineman Devin Willock and athletic department recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy.
"Our players have been through a lot," Smart said. "When you talk about the mental help that some of our guys have needed since the accident -- it's been a really tough go of it for them. I feel like our players are starting to be able to acknowledge and understand that when you make mistakes and decisions that are costly, it can cost you your life.
"That's not to be taken lightly, and I think that our guys understand that. We will continue to educate them and do all we can as a university to make sure they behave."
The Bulldogs are a sparkling 73-10 since the start of the 2017 season and have won 33 of their last 34 games dating back to November 2020, but Smart insisted Tuesday that his program is every bit as strong off the field. He cited that the highest fall GPA in program history and the amount of community outreach reflected a good group of players and a strong culture.
When asked about the street-racing issue, Smart admitted that he's never been a part of a program where that had to be repeatedly addressed.
"We had a session last summer where we brought in Athens-Clarke County police and UGA police and addressed a lot of these issues with our team in a team-meeting setting," Smart said. "We played some videos of some things that were going on in Atlanta with drag racing. We do that with drugs and alcohol, and we do that with domestic violence, but education is not enough.
"You have to make sure your players understand the risks and dangers that are out there."
Earlier this month, Athens-Clarke County police reported that the 24-year-old LeCroy was driving at 104 miles per hour and had a blood alcohol level of .197. She was driving a Ford Expedition used for athletic department purposes, with the vehicle also containing former offensive lineman Warren McClendon and female athletic department staffer Tory Bowles, who both survived the crash.
Smart said Tuesday that "no policy or lack thereof caused this accident" before adding that policy was broken when the Expedition was being driven when it should not have been.
"We've got complete control of our program and our kids in our program," he said. "Do kids make mistakes? Yes. Young student-athletes make mistakes across the country, and that happens here."
Dumas-Johnson is coming off a breakout season, racking up 70 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks and a forced fumble.
"Jamon still has a day in court for his charges right now," Smart said. "Will he be disciplined? Absolutely. Do I have to define what that discipline is right now? No, I don't, but I can assure you the education piece is there and the discipline is there."
Georgia's off-the-field issues in recent weeks overshadowed the top football-related storyline, which is the race to replace Stetson Bennett at quarterback. Vying for that opportunity will be redshirt junior Carson Beck, redshirt sophomore Brock Vandagriff and redshirt freshman Gunner Stockton.
Beck played in seven games last season, completing 26 of 35 passes (74.3%) for 310 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
"We think we have three really good quarterbacks, and I'm really excited about all those guys," Smart said. "Carson and Brock will both rep with the ones, and as far as how much, that will play itself out over the course of the spring. Gunner has come a long way, and I'm excited to see what all those guys can do."
The Bulldogs will be practicing this spring under new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who had the same role under former Georgia coach Mark Richt from 2007-14. Bobo left Athens to become the head coach at Colorado State, where he spent five seasons, and he served last year as an offensive analyst for the Bulldogs under coordinator Todd Monken, who is now with the Baltimore Ravens.
Both starting tackles from last season's 15-0 team must be replaced, and Smart said the outside linebackers are the youngest position group.
Five Bulldogs -- defensive back Dan Jackson, outside linebacker Marvin Jones Jr., offensive lineman Josh Miller, running back Andrew Paul and inside linebacker Jalon Walker, will miss spring drills due to injuries. Miller was a midyear enrollee.
"That's less than we've had in recent years," Smart said, "so I'm looking forward to a lot of competition and battles. We have a lot of positions that are up for grabs."
Bulldog bites
Transfer receiver Rara Thomas from Mississippi State, who was arrested in late January on what has been reduced to a misdemeanor family violence charge, has been cleared for practice. ... Georgia will conduct its pro day Wednesday morning, which will be televised at 10 on the SEC Network, and the G-Day spring game will be televised by ESPN2 on April 15 at 4 p.m.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.