2016 Georgia Bulldogs football team

American college football season January 2019 February 2026 football 2016 Georgia Bulldogs Georgia Athletics logo.svg 150 Southeastern Conference Eastern Division SEC 8–5 4–4 Kirby Smart 1st Jim Chaney 1st James Coley 1st Mel Tucker 1st Pro-style 3–4 Nick Chubb Brandon Kublanow Sony Michel Maurice Smith Sanford Stadium Liberty Bowl champion Liberty Bowl W Won 31–23 vs. TCU The 2016 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Sanford Stadium. They were members of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Kirby Smart. They finished the season 8–5, 4–4 in SEC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place in the Eastern Division. They were invited to the Liberty Bowl where they defeated TCU. Coaching changes After the 2015 regular season, Georgia's athletic director Greg McGarity fired head coach Mark Richt after 15 seasons with an overall 145–51 record. Richt was replaced with former Georgia football player Kirby Smart, who, at the time, was Alabama's defensive coordinator. Smart played for the Bulldogs from 1995 to 1998 for coaches Ray Goff and Jim Donnan and was defensive coordinator at Alabama from 2008 to 2015 under head coach Nick Saban. Jeremy Pruitt, who was defensive coordinator for Georgia from 2014 to 2015, accepted a position as the defensive coordinator for Alabama to replace Smart. 2016 recruiting class yes 2016 Isaac Nauta #1 TE Bradenton, FL IMG Academy 6 4 235 1/9/16 5 5 5 5 Mecole Hardman #2 ATH Elberton, GA Elbert County High School 5 10 171 2/3/16 5 5 5 4 Jacob Eason #1 QB Lake Stevens, WA Lake Stevens High School 6 5 207 7/9/14 5 5 5 4 Charlie Woerner #4 ATH Tiger, GA Rabun County High School 6 5 220 7/23/15 4 4 4 4 Javon Wims #3 WR (JC) Miami, FL Hinds C.C. (MS) 6 4 205 11/8/15 4 4 4 4 Julian Rochester #8 DT Powder Springs, GA McEachern High School 6 5 327 5/28/15 4 4 4 4 Riley Ridley #39 WR Deerfield Beach, FL Deerfield Beach High School 6 1 190 1/7/16 4 4 4 4 Chauncey Manac #17 DE Homerville, GA Clinch County High School 6 3 252 9/27/14 4 4 4 4 Jaleel Laguins #11 ILB Watkinsville, GA Oconee County High School 6 1 210 8/8/15 4 4 4 4 Elijah Holyfield #11 RB Atlanta, GA Woodward Academy 5 10 195 9/4/15 4 4 4 4 Ben Cleveland #13 OG Toccoa, GA Stephens County High School 6 6 327 7/9/14 4 4 4 4 Tyler Clark #30 DT Americus, GA Americus-Sumter County High School 6 3 290 5/15/15 4 4 4 4 Michail Carter #9 DT Jackson, GA Jackson High School 6 3 288 2/3/16 4 4 4 4 Tyler Simmons #87 WR Powder Springs, GA McEachern High School 5 11 191 2/3/16 4 3 3 3 Tyrique McGhee #45 CB Fort Valley, GA Peach County High School 5 10 168 2/22/15 3 3 3 3 David Marshall #25 DT Thomaston, GA Upson-Lee High School 6 3 255 2/3/16 3 3 3 4 Solomon Kindley #40 OG Jacksonville, FL Raines High School 6 5 345 1/25/16 3 3 3 3 Chad Clay #18 CB Suwanee, GA Peachtree Ridge High School 5 11 169 5/8/15 4 3 3 4 Chris Barnes #19 OG Leesburg, GA Lee County High School 6 3 274 4/11/15 3 3 3 4 Marshall Long #10 K China Grove, NC South Rowan High School 6 4 230 1/31/16 3 2 3 3 2016 2016 Georgia Football Commitment List 2016 Georgia Commits 2016 Players Commitments – Georgia 10 9 7 7 January 31, 2016 collapsible National Signing Day was on February 3, 2016. Schedule Georgia announced its 2016 football schedule on October 29, 2015. The 2016 schedule consisted of 6 home, 4 away, and 2 neutral site games in the regular season. The Bulldogs hosted SEC foes Auburn, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt, and traveled to Kentucky, Missouri, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. Georgia went against Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102915aad.html Bulldogs' 2016 Football Schedule Announced University of Georgia Department of Athletics October 29, 2015 November 27, 2015 The Bulldogs had hosted three of their four non–conference games, which were against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the North Carolina Tar Heels both from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns from the Sun Belt Conference, and Nicholls State Colonels from the Southland Conference.2016 Georgia Bulldogs Football Schedule http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-16/2016-georgia-bulldogs-football-schedule.php FB Schedules November 27, 2015 2016 AP Poll released prior to game Eastern September 3 5:30 p.m. w y y 18 North Carolina 22 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA ESPN 33–24 75,405 September 10 12:00 p.m. w y 9 Nicholls State Sanford Stadium Athens, GA SECN 26–24 92,746 September 17 7:30 p.m. w y 16 Missouri Faurot Field Columbia, MO SECN 28–27 57,098 September 24 12:00 p.m. l y 12 Ole Miss 23 Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS ESPN 14–45 65,483 October 1 3:30 p.m. l 25 Tennessee 11 rivalry / SEC Nation Sanford Stadium Athens, GA CBS 31–34 92,746 October 9Postponed [a] 2:30 p.m.Georgiadogs.com w y South Carolina rivalry Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC SECN 28–14 77,221 October 15 12:00 p.m. l y Vanderbilt rivalry Sanford Stadium Athens, GA SECN 16–17 92,746 October 29 3:30 p.m. l y Florida 14 rivalry / SEC Nation EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL CBS 10–24 84,681 November 5 7:30 p.m. w y Kentucky Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY SECN 27–24 62,507 November 12 3:30 p.m. w Auburn 8 Deep South's Oldest Rivalry Sanford Stadium Athens, GA CBS 13–7 92,746 November 19 12:00 p.m. w y Louisiana–Lafayette Sanford Stadium Athens, GA SECN 35–21 92,746 November 26 12:00 p.m. l y Georgia Tech Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate Sanford Stadium Athens, GA SECN 27–28 92,746 December 30 12:00 p.m. w y y TCU Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN ESPN 31–23 51,087 Postponed [a]The game between Georgia and South Carolina had been originally scheduled for October 8, 2016, but was postponed due to Hurricane Matthew and played on October 9, 2016. Game summaries vs North Carolina #22 Tar Heels 0 10 14 0 #18 Bulldogs 7 7 9 10 2016 North Carolina Tar Heels football team Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Nicholls State Colonels 0 7 7 10 #9 Bulldogs 7 3 16 0 2016 Nicholls State Colonels football team At Missouri #16 Bulldogs 7 14 0 7 Tigers 10 10 7 0 2016 Missouri Tigers football team At Ole Miss #12 Bulldogs 0 0 7 7 #23 Rebels 17 14 14 0 2016 Ole Miss Rebels football team Tennessee thumb|Georgia vs. Tennessee at Sanford Stadium #11 Volunteers 0 7 7 20 #25 Bulldogs 7 10 7 7 2016 Tennessee Volunteers football team Georgia–Tennessee football rivalry At South Carolina Bulldogs 7 7 0 14 Gamecocks 0 0 7 7 2016 South Carolina Gamecocks football team Georgia–South Carolina football rivalry Vanderbilt Commodores 7 0 3 7 Bulldogs 3 3 7 3 2016 Vanderbilt Commodores football team Georgia–Vanderbilt football rivalry vs Florida Gators 7 7 7 3 Bulldogs 3 7 0 0 2016 Florida Gators football team Florida–Georgia football rivalry At Kentucky Bulldogs 7 6 3 11 Wildcats 7 7 7 3 2016 Kentucky Wildcats football team Auburn 2016 Auburn Tigers football team Deep South's Oldest Rivalry Georgia Bulldogs 2 white; text-align:center collapsed Auburn Tigers (7–2) at Georgia Bulldogs (5–4) November 12 Odum Charles Georgia shuts down No. 8 Auburn in 2nd half for 13-7 win AP News 2016-11-13 https://apnews.com/ap-top-25-college-football-poll-0aeb6301a00d4a25a85bdf27e18be63d 2024-11-26 3:30 p.m. EDT Auburn 7 0 0 0 Georgia 0 0 7 6 Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia 92,746 Fair • 62 F C • Wind gusts 20 mph km/h knot Ken Williamson Box Score Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns 0 7 0 14 Bulldogs 14 7 7 7 2016 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns football team Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 7 7 0 14 Bulldogs 7 7 13 0 2016 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team Clean, Old-Fashioned HateThis game is Georgia's most recent loss to Georgia Tech. TCU–Liberty Bowl Bulldogs 7 7 7 10 Horned Frogs 9 7 7 0 2016 TCU Horned Frogs football team 2016 Liberty Bowl (December) Megargee Steve Georgia tops TCU in Liberty Bowl AP News 2016-12-31 https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-georgia-bulldogs-football-kirby-smart-nick-chubb-fafc882620604641a574a55633076948 2025-01-12 Roster 2016 Georgia Bulldogs y 1 JR Sony Michel RB y 2 SO Jayson Stanley WR y 2 SO Sam Vaughn QB 4 FR Mecole Hardman WR y 5 SO Terry Godwin WR y 6 JR Javon Wims WR y 8 FR Riley Ridley WR y 9 SR Kenneth Towns WR 10 FR Jacob Eason QB y 11 SR Greyson Lambert QB y 12 JR Brice Ramsey QB 13 FR Elijah Holyfield RB y 14 JR Parker McLeod QB 16 JR Isaiah McKenzie WR y 17 FR Josh Moran WR 18 FR Isaac Nauta TE y 19 FR Willie Erdman WR 22 SR Brendan Douglas RB 22 JR Avery McNeely RB 23 FR Shakenneth Williams WR 24 FR Prather Hudson RB 25 SO Steven Van Tiflin WR 26 FR Patrick Burke WR 27 JR Nick Chubb RB y 28 SO Shaquery Wilson WR 29 SO Matt Price WR 30 FR Tae Crowder RB y y 33 FR Ian Donald-McIntyre RB 35 FR Brian Herrien RB 37 FR Shavoyae Brown RB 43 SO Nick Moore FB y Nick Moore (American football) 44 FR Justin Hurston TE 46 JR Glenn Welch FB 47 JR Christian Payne FB 48 SR Kyle LeStrange FB 49 FR Turner Fortin FB y 53 SO Lamont Gaillard OL y 54 SR Brandon Kublanow OL 55 JR Dyshon Sims OL 56 JR Billy Seward OL 57 FR Daniel Gothard OL 58 FR Pat Allen OL y 60 FR Murko Jurkovich OL 61 FR Chris Barnes OL 63 FR Sage Hardin OL 65 SO Kendall Baker OL 66 FR Solomon Kindley OL y 67 FR Sam Madden OL 68 SO Sean Fogarty OL 70 JR Aulden Bynum OL 72 SR Tyler Catalina OL y 73 SR Greg Pyke OL 74 FR Ben Cleveland OL y 75 JR Thomas Swilley OL 77 JR Isaiah Wynn OL y 80 SR Charlie Hegedus WR 82 SO Michael Chigbu WR 83 JR Jeb Blazevich TE 84 FR Wyatt Payne WR y 85 JR Jordan Davis TE 86 FR Davis Kelly WR 86 FR Wix Patton TE 87 SO Miles McGinty TE 87 FR Tyler Simmons WR 88 SO Jackson Harris TE 89 FR Charlie Woerner TE y 2 SR Maurice Smith DB y Maurice Smith (cornerback) 3 SO Roquan Smith LB y 5 FR Julian Rochester DL y 6 SO Natrez Patrick LB y 7 JR Lorenzo Carter LB y Lorenzo Carter (American football) 8 FR Shaun McGee LB 9 FR Reggie Wilkerson DB 10 FR Malik Herring DL y 11 SO Keyon Brown LB 12 SO Juwan Briscoe DB 13 SO Jonathan Ledbetter DL y 14 JR Malkom Parrish DB 15 SO D'Andre Walker LB y 16 FR Caleeb Roberson DB 17 JR Davin Bellamy LB y 18 JR Deandre Baker DB y 19 SO Jarvis Wilson DB 20 SR Quincy Mauger DB y 20 SO J. R. Reed J. R. Reed (American football, born 1996) y DB 24 JR Dominick Sanders DB y 25 FR Jaleel Laguins LB 26 FR Tyrique McGhee DB 28 FR KJ Smith DB y 28 SO Otamere Enadeghe DB 29 SR Tim Hill DB 31 SR Shattle Fenteng DB 32 SR Ridge Underwood LB 33 SO Kirby Choates DB 35 JR Aaron Davis DB 36 SO Rico McGraw DB 37 FR Jordon McKinney DB 38 SR Ryne Rankin LB 39 SO Rashad Roundtree LB 41 SR Chuks Amaechi LB 43 SR Tommy Long LB 44 JR Juwan Taylor LB 45 JR Reggie Carter LB 46 FR Michael Keene LB y 47 SO Daniel Harper LB 48 SR Jonah Guinn DB 49 FR Koby Pyrz DL 50 SR Johnny O'Neal LB 51 FR David Marshall LB 52 FR Tyler Clark DL 55 SO Jacob Gross LB 57 SO Alex Essex DL 76 FR Michail Carter DL 78 SO Trenton Thompson DL y 91 FR Chauncey Manac LB 92 FR Justin Young DL y 93 SR Carson Hall DL 94 SO Michael Barnett DL 96 SO DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle DL 97 JR John Atkins DL y John Atkins (American football) 56 SO John Courson LS 59 JR Matthew Herzwurm LS 69 JR Trent Frix LS 92 SO William Ham K 94 SR Thomas Pritchard K 95 FR Marshall Long P 96 FR Hudson Reynolds LS 97 So Will Cowart P y 98 FR Rodrigo Blankenship K y y 99 FR Mitchell Wasson K http://www.cfbstats.com/2016/team/257/roster.html 10/25/18 Kirby Smart Jim Chaney – Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Mel Tucker – Defensive Coordinator/Secondary James Coley — Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Will Windham — Quality Control, Defense Jonas Jennings – Director, Player Development Rankings 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings 15 9 18 16 9 9 16 13 12 11 25 20 RV RV RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR RV References Georgia Category:Georgia Bulldogs football seasons Category:Liberty Bowl champion seasons Georgia Bulldogs football