UGA football not visiting White House for second straight year
The Georgia Bulldogs will not visit the White House to celebrate their national championship victory for a second consecutive year. Last year, Georgia missed the celebration in Washington D.C. with President Joe Biden due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Georgia won its most recent national championship with a dominant 65-7 win over the TCU Horned Frogs. It is unfortunate that the players and coaches don’t get to experience a White House visit, but Georgia’s schedule conflicts with the date of the invitation.
The men’s (Connecticut) and women’s (LSU) basketball champions will attend the White House to celebrate their respective championships.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart have celebrated back-to-back national championships in Athens, Georgia. However, the team has not made a trip to the White House to celebrate. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The University of Georgia athletics department explained why the Bulldogs could not accept an invitation to the White House.
The University of Georgia first received on May 3 an invitation for the Bulldog football team to visit the White House on June 12. Unfortunately, the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year. However, we are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgia teams moving forward.
June is a critical time for recruiting. Kirby Smart and Georgia football are hosting a ton of top recruits this June. Georgia’s football team is not in Athens during that day of June either.
Additionally, many of the players from the national championship team will be unable to attend. Mandatory NFL minicamp runs June 13-15 for a lot of NFL teams, so Georgia Bulldog rookies in the NFL would be unable to attend.
Ultimately, attending the White House this June would hurt Georgia’s long-term championship aspirations due to strains on recruiting. Kirby Smart is trying to build a program that is dominant every year. He is not taking his foot off the gas anytime soon.
The last college football national champions to visit the White House were the 2019 LSU Tigers.
