Much of the remaining non-reserved Georgia football parking is on East Campus where there are several surface lots and two large parking decks. Getting these cars back onto the Athens bypass after games often isn’t a pleasant experience. Cars have to be routed somehow through campus streets and eventually onto College Station Road.

The volume of traffic trying to get onto the bypass was so heavy that police directed many cars onto the ramp ordinarily used by traffic exiting the bypass where they would have to make a hairpin 180-degree turn at the top of the ramp to head west towards highway 316.

A better solution is on the way – a new ramp is being constructed that will provide a direct route from East Campus onto the bypass. The ramp will begin near the north side of the East Village Parking Deck and enter the westbound lanes of the bypass before the College Station Road exit.

The new ramp will only be used for emergencies and during special events like football games. The project should be completed within the next week or two.

This sounds like a great solution. Nothing will ever eliminate the headache of tens of thousands of cars trying to leave campus at once, but this idea should provide a nice release valve for some of the East Campus traffic.

What a double shot of good news yesterday for Bulldog fans.

Caleb King makes the grade

Caleb King Photo: Rivals.com

Rumors began circulating and by mid-afternoon it was confirmed that highly-touted tailback Caleb King has qualified to play for the Dawgs next year, putting an end to one of the most-frequently asked questions of the spring. King told Chad Simmons of UGASports.com ($) that his brother told him the news at 5 a.m. (Personally, someone better be dying or dead if I’m being woken up at 5 a.m.) The family wisely met with GAC counselors during the day to double-check that King’s academic credentials added up. By mid-afternoon, his coach was confirming the news to the AJC, and Simmons spoke directly with King to get his reaction. Caleb topped off the day with his high school graduation. Not a bad Thursday.

King’s story is interesting all around. He earned his superstar-in-waiting reputation mostly as a junior and at last summer’s camps. After his junior season, he transferred from football powerhouse Parkview to Greater Atlanta Christian school for “academic and spiritual reasons“. An injury sidelined him for most of his senior season, but he has since recovered and even ran some track. He works with a trainer several days each week. He used the opportunity at GAC to focus on academics and end years of speculation about his grades. “I’ve been studying all the time, and it’s been totally business,” he told Simmons.

Then there’s the dynamic of his family. King’s brother (and guardian) Andre is out in front as more or less a spokesman for Caleb and the family. When King transfered to GAC last year, Andre handled the press. It was he who woke Caleb up with the good news yesterday. With meddling parents in the news, there are some who cast a suspicious eye on Andre’s involvement and presence in Caleb’s decision to transfer and during the recruiting process. But as a self-described “father-figure” to Caleb, Andre isn’t just some hanger-on. It will be interesting to see to what extent we hear from Andre down the road as Caleb’s college career gets underway.

Finally, there’s the “how do we use him?” question. It’s reported that King doesn’t plan on redshirting, and that decision heading into the season might be the next chapter in the Caleb saga. If King does play, he’s coming into a tailback situation with two established seniors plus the redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno. In premature comparisons to Reggie Bush, it’s been speculated that King can be moved around and even used as a receiver at times. If King is that kind of versatile back, hopefully the staff can come up with more ways to use his ability than the Tyson Browning screen pass. If he really is good enough not to redshirt even with a deep backfield, make his role and freshman season meaningful.

Hoop Dawgs pick up a tremendous commitment

Howard Thompkins Photo: Rivals.com

You could almost hear Dennis Felton yell, “OH HELL YES!!!” from nearly halfway around the world. Felton, currently serving as part of Operation Hardwood in Kuwait, had to be thrilled to learn that his program had just picked up one of its most significant commitments in years. National top 20 forward Howard Thompkins chose Georgia over Florida and dozens of other programs. The 6’8″ Thompkins has the potential to have a Tyrus Thomas kind of impact on the Bulldog program.

Thompkins’ choice boiled down to this: he could have been the latest high-profile cog in the established Florida program, or he could be the cornerstone in the next step of establishing the Georgia program. A year away at Oak Hill Academy helped to tip the scales in favor of the hometown Dawgs; he had spent enough time away from home. He will return to Wesleyan this fall for his senior year, and then he’ll head a short distance up the road to Athens.

Though Louis Williams might technically be the highest-profile recruit signed by Felton, few expected Williams to ever set foot in Athens. If Thompkins arrives on campus without a hitch, he will be the biggest freshman addition to the program since Jumaine Jones. But as the Dawgs proved during the Jumaine era, one standout player doesn’t make a championship team. Felton continues to assemble the pieces of a complete team, and Thompkins is a dynamic addition to the future frontcourt. Now we’ll see if Thompkins’ commitment can have a “pied piper” effect and convince other top prospects to trust in Felton and the future of Georgia basketball. There are other big prospects in the 2008 class who are considering Georgia such as center Tony Woods. How good would a Thompkins and Woods frontcourt look when added to this year’s class of Price, Jacob, and Barnes? Along with Woods, I’m still holding out hope for an impact perimeter scorer. That final piece would give us a Georgia team that could compete with anyone in the nation.

Another angle to the Thompkins commitment comes from AAU land. Thompkins is a member of the Atlanta Celtics, an AAU powerhouse with a few alumni you might have heard of. But Georgia hasn’t been able to get more than the occasional sip from this deep well of talent in its backyard. If Thompkins is the first fruits of an improved relationship between Georgia basketball and the AAU programs in the state, Thompkins’ impact will be felt for years.

We’re 100 days away from kickoff…it seems like forever, but it’ll be here before you know it.

Georgia men’s tennis team won its fifth national title and first since 2001 on Tuesday in Athens. The Dawgs took a tightly-contested doubles point and then cruised in singles play to a 4-0 win over Illinois.

Senior Matic Omerzel clinched the win, and that was fitting as his match in last year’s national championship was also the deciding point. With the title, the Dawgs put the crowning accomplishment on a dominant undefeated season. I don’t know enough about college tennis to join the "best ever" discussion, but I do know that only an injury during last year’s NCAA Tournament kept Georgia from consecutive undefeated national championship seasons. Best ever or not, that’s a pretty incredible run in any sport at any time.

Though Dan Magill’s name is rightfully all over the tennis complex, Coach Manny Diaz has taken another step to cement his own legacy among the top names in the college game. This national title was his third – no other active coach has more than one title.

Now it’s on to the individual competitions where several Bulldogs stand a chance of earning even more hardware in singles and doubles play. John Isner will attempt to become the first player since 1998 to record a team, singles, and doubles national championship in the same season.

Georgia’s #1-ranked mens tennis team, led by top-ranked John Isner, will face Illinois for the national championship this afternoon in Athens. The match begins at 3:00 and will be televised by ESPNU. You can also follow it online here.

Isner lost in team play at #1 singles for only the second time this year, falling 4-6, 4-6 to Somdev Devvarmann of Virginia, the #2 player in the nation. Isner beat Devvarmann earlier in the year, setting up a possible rubber match with everything at stake when the individual tournament kicks off in Athens later this week.

How good is Georgia? Just ask the Baylor coach who lost in the semis to Illinois.

“Georgia is way too good for everybody,” Baylor coach Matt Knoll said. “It is hard to realize how good they are. A guy like (Nate) Schnugg could be playing Davis Cup tennis one day. If we had gotten to the finals, we had no chance.”

Hopefully Knoll’s prophecy will hold true this afternoon. Georgia fell in last year’s national championship, but their #2 singles player was out with an injury. The Dawgs are at full force in this tournament and have lost a single point along the way. Illinois at #10 might be considered a heavy underdog in this match, but they’ve done all the right things so far to make it into the championship.

Related links:

• Georgia’s “Pit Players” get them to the finals
• Ever wonder what it’s like to return a John Isner serve? A Greensboro, NC reporter finds out.
• Magill Tennis Complex seen as the best of it’s kind. Athens is the pinnacle of college tennis.

Tavarres King Photo: Rivals.com

Such is the life of a college football fan. Of course it’s probably not healthy to carry this behavior into May, but health isn’t the calling card of your typical SEC fan.

Yesterday the Bulldog nation was thrown into the doldrums with the announcement of Paul Oliver’s ineligibility. Today, they are back on top of the world with the Friday afternoon announcement that Habersham Central WR Tavarres King has committed to Georgia for the recruiting class of 2008. UGASports.com was on location and has coverage ($). Because of his 6’1" 65lb. frame, he draws comparisons to Terrence Edwards.

King joins South Carolina standout A.J. Green to become one of the best on-paper receiver tandems to commit to Georgia since Reggie Brown and Durrell Robinson in 1999. Unlike that tandem, Green and King should both show up on campus for their freshman season. It is possible that Georgia isn’t done yet – other outstanding in-state prospects such as Joshua Jarboe are considering the Dawgs and would be significant additions in their own right. People want to catch passes from Matt Stafford.

King chose Georgia over Clemson, Florida, and Georgia Tech.

That’s about the only positive spin I can put on the news that Paul Oliver is ineligible for the 2007 season:

University of Georgia senior cornerback Paul Oliver has failed to meet NCAA academic eligibility requirements for competition this fall and plans to petition the NFL for entry into the supplemental draft this summer.

Oliver’s situation does not preclude him from remaining enrolled in school. He was a regular starter last season and has started 15 games in his career.

“We’ll miss him for sure,” UGA head coach Mark Richt. “Of course, he could have made a decision to leave for the draft immediately after his junior season. He was aware there could be risks but he decided to continue in school and get closer to his degree. His best opportunity now to continue his playing career is through the supplemental draft coming up in July.”

Well, crap. Oliver had emerged into the one bonafide star on the Georgia defense, and it was considerably good news that he returned for his senior season. No more.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Georgia is relatively deep, if young, at cornerback. Bryan Evans, Prince Miller, Asher Allen, Ramarcus Brown, and Thomas Flowers are all experienced. It’s just that a player with Oliver’s ability is a difference-maker, and it’s not quite the same to say “we’ll be fine” at cornerback because of the depth. Championship-quality teams often have a few of those difference-making upperclassmen, and Georgia just lost one of their better ones from this year’s team.

With three new starters on a thin defensive line and three healthy linebackers at the moment, the Dawg defense really needed the secondary to be a rock of strength this year. With Oliver gone, the load just got a lot heavier for guys like Evans, Allen, and Brown, and Miller.

(First, do yourself a favor and read this hoops recruiting post over at GeorgiaSportsBlog.)

While we were busy with the postmortem of the 2006-2007 basketball season, I eventually settled on a shooting guard as the biggest-need-not-yet-met. Levi Stukes is gone and while there were some capable shooters on the roster, no one had really set my hair on fire as a consistent outside weapon. Make no mistake, it isn’t the only need for improvement on the team, so it was interesting to see the different directions that spring recruiting took. There was the small forward D.J. Kennedy who, while undersized for a forward at 6’5″, was considered “versatile” enough to play on the wing. Kennedy signed with St. John’s. Then there was Steffphon Pettigrew, another 6’5″ small forward who was named Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball and led the state in scoring. Despite the Mr. Basketball honor, Pettigrew never really drew major college offers. Georgia showed some interest but didn’t offer. Pettigrew chose to remain in-state and sign with Western Kentucky.

Troy Brewer Photo: Rivals.com

That brings us to Troy Brewer. The name appeared Tuesday on the UGASports.com hoops message board, and news of his signing broke on Wednesday. Brewer is yet another 6’5″ wing, but he seems to have a stronger outside shot than some of the other players the Dawgs were considering.

What is really impressive about Brewer is the pedigree. He didn’t start until his senior season at Gaithersburg (MD) Montrose Christian, and that was because he played behind someone named Kevin Durant. As a first-year starter, he recorded 15.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Montrose Christian is a national top 25 program and plays against the likes of Oak Hill. Big-time college basketball should not rattle him in the least. Coach Felton agrees. “Troy is simply accustomed to winning,” said Felton. “He is a product of one of the premier high school programs in the country at Montrose Christian. Coach Stu Vetter has turned out Top 25 teams, as well as a long list of high-level players, at each of his schools over the past 20 years. We feel like Troy is another member of that list.”

Because Brewer didn’t start until his senior year, he didn’t appear on the radar until very late. He started to receive interest, though not offers, from schools like Maryland, Virginia Tech, and a few West Coast schools. He is fully qualified academically.

Troy is already sizing up his chances to play right away in Athens. “”Looking at the roster I think I fit in well because at my position the two-guard a lot of their guys are 6’2″ or 6’3″ and I am at 6’5″ to 6’6″ and my extra height and length is what they need in the backcourt,” he told UGASports.com ($). Coach Felton added, “He is a terrific guard with good size and length. Shooting the basketball is considered his specialty.” That size is definitely a plus, but in the end the competition for playing time will come down to his ability to shoot consistently and of course how well he does the other things on the court.

Brewer is the fifth and final signee for the Georgia basketball 2007-2008 freshman class. He will join forwards Chris Barnes, Jeremy Jacob, and Jeremy Price as well as point guard Zac Swansey. He plans to arrive in Athens in July.

The chatter among the Dawgnation this morning is about the Banner-Herald’s publication of athletic association salaries, including administrators, head coaches, and assistant coaches. Go ahead and peek. It should go without saying that the list doesn’t represent the total compensation for many people on it.

I understand and appreciate the need for transparency in public matters, but there’s still something gauche about reporting it. Though many salaries in the public sector are stratified and paid according to job grade, there’s still a natural tendency to compare when it’s out in the open. Greed, jealousy, and vanity aren’t far behind if one isn’t careful.

I won’t get much into the report, but there is one thing that Sen. Blutarsky points out that will probably have a ripple effect: brand new offensive line coach Stacy Searles – a position coach and not coordinator – is the third-highest-paid coach of any kind at Georgia. Only Mark Richt and Andy Landers earn more (in terms of base salary of course). No other football assistant, including coordinators Bobo and Martinez, currently earn as much.

What does that mean? It could be that Searles is instantly the best assistant on the staff and is paid accordingly. More likely is that his hiring was one of Georgia’s first experiences with the increasingly expensive market for football assistant coaches. As head coaching salaries soar, assistants are beginning to see measurable increases themselves. Georgia had to compete with the likes of Alabama for Searles, and you have to think about the kind of money they offered him if they threw $32 million at Saban.

As a result, the other assistants will likely be the beneficiaries as their salaries are adjusted accordingly. Has Georgia gotten away with “underpaying” football assistants? Possibly. There has been no mass exodus, so something is keeping them here. But if Searles’ hiring is an indication of the market rates for a good position coach, Georgia will eventually have to react in order to retain the quality assistants already in place.

UGASports.com reported on Tuesday afternoon that redshirt freshman linebacker Akeem Dent broke his foot in off-season drills. He is expected to be out until July. Dent’s injury is just the latest blow to a dwindling linebacker corps. Dent is one of three injured linebackers, and of course Akeem Hebron was recently lost for the season.

Though several of the injuries should heal up in time for the season, the Dawgs have only three healthy linebackers to start the summer: Dewberry, Ellerbe, and Miller. Freshmen Rennie Curran and Charles White will surely get a look when they report to campus.

Though the attrition and injuries on the offensive line have received much of the spotlight, the linebackers have taken more than their share of hits over the past few years. Let’s go all the way back to 2002 and look at the linebacker classes since then. We’ll note those who left the program or position before the end of their careers, those who completed their career as a linebacker, those who are currently injured, and the three who are currently healthy.

2002

• Marquis Elmore: converted to DE, then to DT, never more than a minor role player
• Tony Taylor: sidetracked by knee injury but finished career strong in 2006. Signed with Falcons as a free agent

2003

• Dana Graydon: left Georgia for Ga. Military College, ended up at South Carolina St.
• Marcus Howard: moved to defensive end
• Jarvis Jackson: nice career at MLB, signed as free agent with Tenn. Titans
• Odell Thurman: played just two seasons, all-SEC MLB, 2nd round NFL pick in 2005
• Danny Verdun-Wheeler: won back starting OLB job during 2006 season
• Des Williams: converted to fullback, career ended by chronic injuries

2004

• Dannell Ellerbe: current starting WLB, suspended first three games of 2006 season
• Josh Johnson: left Georgia for Ga. Military, currently at Marshall
• Brandon Miller: originally signed as DE, moved to OLB and now starts at MLB

2005

• Jamar Chaney: denied admission by UGA, signed with Mississippi State
• Darius Dewberry: did not qualify, resigned in 2006
• Tavarus Kearney: Left for Georgia Southern after alleged cheating incident
• Marcus Washington: reserve MLB, currently recovering from knee injury

2006

• Akeem Dent: reserve SLB, currently recovering from broken foot
• Darius Dewberry: spent a year at Hargrave, current starting SLB
• Darryl Gamble: reserve WLB, recovering from broken foot
• Akeem Hebron: suspended for 2007 season, will spend year at Georgia Military

Congratulations to Jeff Keppinger. The star of the 2001 Diamond Dawgs has been called up to the Cincinnati Reds from AAA Louisville where he was batting .411.

Keppinger, originally drafted by Pittsburgh, made his major league debut with the New York Mets. He has since played in the Kansas City Royals organization before heading to the Reds.

Chip Towers of the AJC had a nice rundown yesterday from the Georgia Athletic Association’s board of directors meeting. Some highlights:

• The student football ticket policy will be changed again to address those seniors we all knew who tried to stretch things out one more semester in order to get football tickets. Seniors must have at least 12 hours after drop/add, or they will fall behind incoming freshmen in the priority. I like the change; student tickets are relatively scarce and should go to actual students.
• Athletic administrators Frank Crumley and Carla Green Williams each received well-deserved promotions to become more or less the next-in-command behind Damon Evans. I’ve been around both of them recently, Dr. Williams in particular, and I’ve observed that they are professional, pleasant, and as a result enjoy the respect of those around them. It’s always amusing to see veteran coach Andy Landers refer to Dr. Williams, whom he coached at Georgia in the 1980s, as "his boss", but they seem to have an outstanding relationship. Georgia has some top-notch administrators, and the days of a senior AD position as a place to hide an old coach seem to be fading away.
• Georgia athletics needs that solid administration because it is now a $70 million organization. Though the athletic department remains (very) profitable, second only to Notre Dame this year, expenses are expected to increase 14% this year.
• Money continues to pour into Georgia athletics. They surpassed their "Investing in Champions" fundraising campaign goal of $60 million. Hartman Fund donations were $23 million. Additionally, Towers reports that "all of Georgia’s revenue exceeded projections in the past fiscal year, with more income expected between now and the end of the period at the end of June."

Towers also addresses another current issue: the sudden resignation of women’s golf coach Todd McCorkle. Chip writes on his AJC beat blog,

I’m wondering, too (why he resigned). And, frankly, I’m pretty confident I know what happened. The problem is, nobody at Georgia or anybody who is involved will go on record to confirm it. So, we’re left to let it run through UGA’s legal channels before our Freedom of Information requests are honored and we can report it. That’s how it goes in this business sometimes. But stay tuned. We’re on it and it’s just a matter of time before the truth is revealed.

Well, count me among those who will sleep better knowing that someone is on this hot story. I wonder if all the FOI requests and the investigative work into a freaking collegiate women’s golf program will be worth it.

This year’s Georgia baseball seniors will have many memories. They have been at the top of the SEC. They have won several dramatic postseason series. They have made two trips to Omaha and the College World Series. Senior Matt Olson points out another accomplishment achieved last night.

"Our seniors this year have never lost a series to Tech, and that is big for them."

The seniors have Olson to thank in large part for that feat. The junior has 11 RBI and a career .500 (10-20) average against Tech. Nine of those RBI have come in the past two games. He added three more last night, including two in a key eighth-inning hit to break open a close game and lead Georgia to a 9-4 win over the Jackets.

It hasn’t been a great year for the Dawgs, and it will take nothing short of a miracle for their season to continue past next weekend. Still, they are able to take away these two wins over Tech, and so the season isn’t a complete washout. It was fitting that a senior, Adam McDaniel, received credit for the "turning point" of the game in the top of the eighth. Georgia retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh, but Tech had always been able to answer up to that point. McDaniel gave Georgia its first 1-2-3 inning on defense since the first, and for the first time in a while had momentum and confidence in both halves of the inning.

Georgia responded by putting the game away in the next frame. Tech coach Danny Hall’s strategy melted down in the bottom of the eighth. He started the inning by moving his centerfielder to pitcher, changing his mind, moving players all over the field, and even confusing the guys he had out there. Very cute strategy. He then got burned on an intentional walk later in the inning, and Georgia had added four golden insurance runs by the time the damage was done.

As a reminder, let’s update everyone on where things stand between these programs since 2001. Georgia is 15-9 against Tech and 5-1-1 in season series over that time with the only blemish coming in 2002. Lest you think Georgia’s success is just because they might place more emphasis on "meaningless" mid-week games, that record includes a 3-2 advantage against Tech in the postseason over the same time period. They have eliminated Tech from the postseason twice, and the Jackets have finished off the Dawgs once.

It was an unusual year for this rivalry in that Tech could be said to have had the better (or higher-ranked) team in football, baseball, and men’s basketball. Yet the Dawgs were able to hold their own and get the better of the Jackets in football and baseball. Next year, we’ll add basketball back to the list; Tech hasn’t beaten Georgia in Athens since the basketball series went home-and-home in 1995.

Coverage:

• ABH
• AJC

One of my favorite features over at the Grapevine recruiting site was the "Recruiter’s Roster". It showed at a glance how the team broke down by class so that needs and depth issues would show up right away. I’m doing a little variation on that here by taking the post-spring depth chart and exploding it by class. 1st-teamers are in solid red, 2nd-teamers are in the lighter red, other scholarship players are in gray, and walkons are unshaded. I’m going by the information from that depth chart as the positions are now. The chart doesn’t tell the whole story (Haverkamp is a junior but is still a rookie for example), but I think it’s close enough.

As you’d expect and hope, many of the starters are juniors and seniors. Still, it stands out how many potential contributors are sophomores or younger particularly on the lines. That shouldn’t surprise any of us, but it was strange to see Howard and Velasco as the only senior linemen on either side of the ball. The junior class isn’t much deeper until you add in the JUCO transfers. You can also get a sense for the infusion of young defensive speed on the team. Linebackers like Dent and Gamble as well as a slew of defensive backs will be counted upon heavily this season.

Anyway, even if it just looks like a giant pixelated game of Tetris, enjoy.

Chad Simmons of UGASports.com is reporting that 2006 offensive line signee Ben Harden has made a qualifying test score and will be eligible to join the program for the 2007 season. He spent this past year at Hargrave Military Academy while he worked on his academics.