There were 66,133 people at Sanford Stadium for Saturday’s G-Day game, down from last year’s attendance of 93,000.

As reported in the Athens-Banner Herald, 2016’s record-breaking attendance was credited to the fact it was Kirby Smart’s first G-Day as the University of Georgia’s head football coach and there was a lot of interest in seeing what quarterback all-star Jacob Eason could do.

Although the hype wasn’t as strong this spring, there was still a curiosity to see what new quarterback Jake Fromm would do.

“I’m really excited about our fan base,” Smart said to the paper. “To have 66,000 people makes me proud to be a Bulldog and I’m glad they came out. A lot of our recruits made comments about the attendance and any chance you get to have 66,000 people for a practice, that’s an exciting thing … I want to thank the fans for that.”

Leading up to Saturday’s scrimmage, many fans were anticipating spending the afternoon with plenty of their fellow Bulldog fans.

“I’m thinking probably 65,000, maybe 70,000,” said Shane Pursley, an Athens native now living in Braselton who was relaxing in the shade at The Varsity. “We were supposed to meet a group of friends here but some of them had other things to do. But with the hype of Kirby Smart being here made for a big crowd last year, and this year I don’t think it will be quite as many but I think we’ll still have a good showing.”

For exception of Fromm, some fans did not expect to see much from either the Red or the Black at the scrimmage.

“I hope they’ll show us something,” said Pursley. “I know the competition will be watching as well, so they won’t show too much but I hope we’ll see what the offensive line can do and maybe see what some receivers will do. It would be really nice for them to pass the ball a lot and give the crowd a good time. Just come out and fling the ball and have fun.”

And although expectations for G-Day 2017 weren’t all that high, that’s not the case at all when it comes to the expectations for the 2017 season. For the most part, fans interviewed on Saturday agreed on one concept – 8-5 isn’t going to cut it.

“Anything less than getting to the SEC Championship game this year would be a disappointment,” said Pursley.

 Some fans appeared to be a little more patient.

​“I’ve learned to temper my expectations because I’ve found that the season is more fun if I’m not riding or dying on every game,” said Smith. “A lot will depend on the quarterback situation. In the past, I didn’t feel like the quarterback competition brought the cream to the top, but this year, I think whoever wins the quarterback position will do the job. I could see nine wins and maybe a trip to the SEC Championship.”
 
 
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As reported in the Athens Banner-Herald, Reggie Carter’s fellow UGA teammates like to mess around with the ‘veteran’ inside linebacker.

“They say I’ve been here for ten years,” Carter said.

Although that is a deliberate exaggeration by his teammates, this Saturday’s G-Day at Sanford Stadium would make it Carter’s fifth.

For those familiar with Carter’s stats, he has tallied up 25 tackles in his four previous Georgia spring games.

Having enrolled at Georgia out of South Gwinnett High in the spring of 2013, Carter had seven tackles and an interception during his first spring game and has kept up since.

“They make jokes about me being old,” the fifth-year senior said with a smile.

After his shoulder surgery in 2015 he was on the redshirt team, and he missed games last year due to a knee injury and a concussion.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Carter started eight games last season and had a career-high 45 tackles and a forced fumble.

Heading into his final season, Georgia’s strength and conditioning staff has tried to improve Carter’s explosive movements.

“I think Reggie knows, he’s really smart, he’s really bright, he’s tough,” coach Kirby Smart said. “He knows the areas that are his roadblocks we call them. He’s trying to improve those road blocks and be able to play for us. He’s very versatile because without Roquan out there, he’s able to play all positions. I’m excited about Reggie. He’s a good leader.”

Georgia is also trying to develop depth behind Patrick, Smith and Carter this spring with junior Juwan Taylor, converted running back and redshirt sophomore Tae Crowder, freshman Monty Rice and sophomore Jaleel Laguins.

Patrick said Carter “is definitely the vet,” in the group.

​“He’s letting everybody know where to be, what’s your assignment,” Patrick said. “He’s just on top of everything.”


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Garrett Scantling dreamt of making it to the U.S. Olympic Team for the longest time but fell a little short.

As reported in the Athens Banner-Herald, the former Georgia decathlete impressed the Atlanta Falcons enough that they are giving him a chance to play for them, given that he last played while in high school.

The NFL team announced Monday it has signed Scantling as a free agent wide receiver.

“My goal to start off is just go in there and show them that decathletes are hard workers,” Scantling said Monday. “That’s what I’ve been working my whole life to be on that Olympic team. It didn’t work out. I just want to go in there and show them that this is what I want to do, that I’m going to work hard. That’s the first step. The second step is learning every bit and piece of football and getting completely familiar with it. Then I’ll go into preseason and see if I can’t make that team.”

In late March, the 6-foot-3, 222-pound Scantling participated in a pro day workout at Jacksonville (Fla.) University in his hometown in front of a handful of scouts there including from the Jaguars, Chargers, Giants and Chiefs.

After that he got an invite to the Falcons’ workout that included offensive linemen Greg Pyke and Tyler Catalina, defensive back Maurice Smith, wide receivers Isaiah McKenzie and Reggie Davis from Georgia, he said.

Scantling finished fourth in the decathlon, one spot out of qualifying.
“
It was pretty heartbreaking for me and I just kind of realized that this wasn’t something I wanted to keep doing for another four years,” said Scantling, who graduated in May of 2016. “I wanted to pursue what was my first love, which was football.”

He won three SEC heptathlon titles between 2013-16 and was a four-time All-American in the decathlon and heptathlon. His career best 100-meter time is 10.85.

During his senior year of high school at Episcopal, Scantling caught 66 passes for more than 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was The Florida Times-Union male track athlete of the year and earned first team All-City honors but said he didn’t have the speed to attract a Division I football scholarship offer.

Still a resident of Athens, Scantling trained a couple of times a week with former NFL coach Larry Kirksey, a wide receivers coach in the NFL including with the Texans and 49ers.

He said that showed at the Falcons’ workout when he also caught about everything thrown his way.

“My hands have always been my best attribute and now I have speed,” he told the paper.

Now Scantling is trying to make the Falcons’ 53-man roster.
“
Since I’m new, they can teach me whatever they want to teach me and mold me however they want to mold me,” he said. “I’d like to think I have pretty good athletic ability, that I can take on new projects and thrive in that environment.”
 
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As reported in the Red & Black, on Saturday, April 1 about 2,000 visitors joined 44 vendors for the start of the 10th annual Athens Farmers Market.

The market, open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m at Bishop Park,  featured varied offerings from organic produce to natural soaps and handcrafted jewelry.

Many vendors returned from last year and four news vendors were also added.

Another new addition to the market this year, is the market’s manager, Sarah Thurman, a former vendor excited about her new role.

​“I think the farmers market has always been fantastic, and my goal is to maintain the integrity of the market and continue with the good stuff,” Thurman said. “We have a little bit of a larger nonprofit presence as well as a renewed focus on local businesses that do things with children, so that people know what great things are going on in town.”

Amanda Sutton, a market customer for four years and a first-time vendor in charge of the Golda Kombucha booth, said this year’s turnout was strong.

“[Turnout has been] really good. In a little over an hour, I sold half of my products,” Sutton said.

Sutton said she has always enjoyed the variety available at the market and watching the community come together.

“You can come here and get local produce but then you can also go home with ceramics, pottery, fresh bread and even kombucha,” Sutton said. “I also really like the sense of community. When you come here, you’re always going to run into someone you know.”

A desire to eat more locally farmed foods is what brought customers like Anna Genetti, a senior health promotion major, to the market.

“I’m taking an environmental health sciences class right now, and we have an assignment where we change one thing that we do that has an impact on the environment,” Genetti said. “I’m trying to eat more local foods, which is why I came today.”

Eva Farfour, a vendor for Full Moon Farms, returned to the market for the fifth time. She said her favorite part is seeing the community altogether.

“[My favorite part is] seeing the community spirit and seeing all the families and kids out together,” Farfour said. “Being able to directly talk to consumers and share recipes and food is the best.”

Thurman said the market provided a special venue for community engagement.

“I don’t know of anywhere else in Athens where a couple thousand people can get together every weekend,” Thurman said.
 
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