Georgia head coach Mark Richt speaking to the media. (Photo by Dylan Rubino)
Hoover, Ala.- The University of Georgia led off the final day of SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency Thursday morning.
It was an odd season for the bulldogs in 2013. Georgia is used to finishing near the top of the SEC East and ending the season with a trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. The bulldogs finished 8-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play.
This is head coach Mark Richt’s 14th year of being head coach and he’s been to bowl games each of his 14 years. Having longevity at one program is something Richt is thankful for.
“I love watching a guy come in as a freshman go all the way through graduation, watch him grow up. Then it’s even more fun five, 10 years later for the guy to come back with his family and talk about all the life lessons he learned while he was at Georgia, and being thankful for the experience,” Richt said.
“I’ve had guys that were just total hard-heads during the time I had them, but come back and say, Now I see, coach. Now i get it. Thank you for what you did for me, what Georgia did for me. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
Georgia suffered a rash of injuries last season, including losing former starting QB Aaron Murray towards the end of the season and WR Malcom Mitchell in the first game of the season against Clemson. Georgia suffered more injuries to some of the top players on their depth chart and Richt is glad to have them back healthy for the 2014 season.
“It’s great to have them all back,” Richt said. “When you’re in the heat of battle, a guy goes down, the next guy goes in, it’s just what you prepare for. It’s what those second-team, third-team guys prepare for. It’s what you prepare for as coaches.”
