College football is changing in 2024, and so is Georgia Football’s home, Sanford Stadium. It is not evolving; the famed Hedges are being removed.
The hedges that have encircled Dooley Field since 1996 will be removed and replaced with newer hedges. Who knew hedges only lasted for 20-40 years? I remember reading that the original hedges taken out of Sanford Stadium for the Summer Olympics had some disease and were dying. But who knew that the hedges had a lifespan?
If you will, this version of Hedges 2.0 has had tremendous success. These 27-year-old hedges have a 144-28 home record. The Dawgs have won four SEC Titles titles and two CFP National Championships. Not bad for a piece of shrubbery!
For those worried, the hedges planted in February are part of the same “family” as the hedges in 1929. So basically, it will be the same hedges as always, which is interesting when you think about college football traditions.
The University of Georgia press release says that they are going to “revitalized” the hedges. That is a fancy PR way of saying they will get rid of the old news and put new ones in. When I heard the news of the hedges being “revitalized,” I went to do some digging(pun intended).
I live only a few minutes from Sanford Stadium; as I write this post, I can see the Stadium outside my window. But when I went for my little walk and peeked inside, the hedges looked fine. We have all seen bad shrubbery in one of our neighbors' yards before, and let me tell you something: the hedges looked nothing of the sort.
But that was the extent of my investigation for the fine readers of Dawn of the Dawg. I get paid enough, but not enough to get a crash course lesson on horticulture. Plus, I do not have much of a green thumb; I always hated planting flowers for my grandmother outside in the summer heat.
But in any case, when we return to Dooley Feild at Sanford Stadium for G-Day, the hedges will look like they always do, and nobody will say a word about missing the old hedges. Well, actually, if Georgia starts losing games at home, people may start to notice. But I will do my due diligence and keep you posted on your favorite piece of shrubbery.