UGA Football's Leadership Group Playing with Fire

ATHENS - UGA Football’s leadership retreat highlights were released on Saturday. The Bulldogs enter the 2025 season as one of the favorites to win the SEC and national title.

Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs ended last season going 11-3 and winning the SEC Championship over Texas before bowing out of the College Football Playoff in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame. The Dawgs will have to rebuild at several spots - most notably at quarterback as Gunner Stockton takes over for Carson Beck. 

The video shows several Bulldogs departing military vehicles and using paint guns in exercises, playing basketball and meeting as a group. 

“What does it mean to life with fire, and what does it mean to have fire within our program? We really put our guys to the test with the fire building exercise,” sport performance psychologist Drew Brannon said. “A lot of our guys have never done anything like this before.”

Georgia (+650), Texas (+500) and Ohio State (+500) are considered the front runners to win the national title according to Bet MGM’s odds makers. The Longhorns travel to both Columbus and Athens this season. 

Meanwhile, Georgia hosts Marshall Between the Hedges to start the 2025 season two weeks before traveling to Neyland Stadium to begin the SEC slate with the Tennessee Vols. Georgia’s home schedule features Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas. The Bulldogs will face the Gators in Jacksonville, and end the season playing Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Black Friday.

In his nine previous seasons as the head coach at UGA, Kirby has played for three national titles - winning two of them; he’s won the Southeastern Conference three times and won the Rose Bowl Game, the Orange Bowl (2), Peach Bowl (2) and Sugar Bowl.

Stay tuned to Dawg Post for more on the Georgia Bulldogs as we get ready for the 2025 football season in Athens.