Four weeks from Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs will open their 2019 football season with a night game at Vanderbilt.
That could feel like years for the players, who went through their first preseason practice Friday afternoon.
"Training camp is a grind, and I think it's important that it is that way," Bulldogs fourth-year coach Kirby Smart said in a news conference before the inaugural workout. "You create adversity in camp. We practice almost every day with the exception of one day per week, and it's a grind.
"You go to the point of getting exhausted. You go from running 2,000 or 3,000 yards a workout in the summer to possibly running 5,000 or 6,000 in practice."
The Bulldogs have entered preseason camp with a No. 3 ranking in the Amway coaches poll and as favorites for a third consecutive Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title. Georgia is 12-0 against SEC East foes the past two seasons with 12 double-digit wins, but the Bulldogs never have won three straight East championships.
Smart, who went 8-5 his first season in Athens and is 24-5 in the two years since, is a firm believer that what you do in August defines who you are in December.
"We create adversity through how we practice," he said. "The heat creates adversity, and our team will be defined in how they respond to all these situations. You guys may write that it's based on this guy or that guy, but it's really who we become in camp and what is our level of toughness, effort and commitment.
"We say all the time, 'It takes what it takes.' It takes what it takes to be great. There really is no choice or decision."
Georgia conducted its 15 spring practices without running back Zamir White (knee) and defensive linemen Michail Carter (labrum) and Julian Rochester (knee). White, a five-star member of the 2018 signing class, had his freshman season scrapped last August by a torn ACL.
"Zamir is doing well and is ready to go out and compete," Smart said. "We're excited to have him out there, and he's excited to be back. He can be thudded, just like everybody else can be thudded, and we'll progress from there.
"We don't really tackle live until the first scrimmage."
Smart said Rochester was cleared Friday but needs further some improvement before he goes through full contact.
Freshman quarterback D'Wan Mathis enrolled in January and went through spring drills, including the G-Day game in April. In May, however, Mathis had to undergo surgery to have a cyst removed from his brain.
"We still don't know when Dwan is going to be fully cleared, but I'm excited to see him go out and work today," Smart said. "He's going to get to do some 7-on-7. He gets to do individual drills. He gets to do a lot of things."
Said starting quarterback Jake Fromm: "D'Wan is doing well. He's learning and getting better."
Georgia's Fan Day festivities will be held this morning from 10:15 to 11:15 in the Payne Indoor Athletic Facility.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.