Kirby Smart decided that Georgia is going to do things a little different this year at practice by shortening their total practice time throughout fall camp.
It’s unclear if Georgia’s practices will continue to be shortened during the regular season, but throughout fall camp they’ve decreased their total practice time. Smart’s only reason for this change is that he hopes it helps his team have less injuries and be more fresh in hopes of more playoff success at the end of the season.
Kirby Smart makes one small tweak to Georgia’s practice schedule
The specific amount of time that Georgia has shortened their practices during fall camp isn't clear, but it's unlikely that they are significantly shorter. If Georgia were to shorten each practice by just 15 minutes though then after a few months there's a chance they could be more healthy and suffer less injuries throughout the season.
Georgia can also probably accomplish everything they want to in practice even if each one is a little shorter.
The important thing for Georgia is that they don't decrease their enthusiasm towards practice. If they don't practice hard enough then they could fall behind and not improve throughout the season as much as they need to. However, if they keep their energy level up then shortening their practice by 10 to 15 minutes likely won't hurt them in their prep for each game.
Only time will tell if this actually makes an impact or not. Georgia thankfully has avoided significant injuries so far in fall camp, so that could be a sign that Smart's strategy is working. The Bulldogs will ultimately be judged by how they perform in the College Football Playoff though. If they make a deep run then no one will complain about their decrease in practice time, but if they fall short again then this might be the first thing fans point to when complaining about the season.
Georgia’s CFP success is becoming a thing of the past
Georgia has found more success in the CFP than almost every other program. That success however is becoming far too distant and not recurring as often as fans hope.
Georgia's first three playoff appearances occurred in 2017, 2021 and 2022. During those trips they went 5-1 and won two national championships. Since then Georgia is 0-2 in the playoff which includes missing the playoff altogether in 2023.
Three years without a playoff win is far too long for a program like Georgia. Sure the last two years they made it to the quarterfinals after earning a first round bye, but Georgia expects to make it further than that.
Kirby Smart hopes his small change to their practice schedule will propel them to a deep playoff run this season. They first have to get to the playoff before his theory can truly be tested, but if Georgia misses the playoff then that would be enough for fans to know that this didn't work.
Kickoff between Georgia and Tennessee State is about one week away. Georgia has remained relatively healthy throughout fall camp, but it will be interesting if this change will make any difference throughout the season.
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