Georgia leaders Stetson Bennett, Christopher Smith interested in different locations for Florida game

ATHENS — Georgia team leaders Stetson Bennett and Chris Smith would like to see the Bulldogs have a chance to play Florida in Gainesville in the future.

The topic came up on Monday after UGA and Florida issued a curious joint release stating the schools will consider what is in their best interests before determining the game’s future beyond the 2023 season.

“It would be cool to play in Gainesville,” said Bennett, who grew up 80 miles from Jacksonville in South Georgia community Blackshear.

“I don’t know exactly what that would mean for Jacksonville, Athens, Gainesville, but it would be cool to play down there. But as far as permanently, I don’t know.”

Coach Kirby Smart has let his feelings be known on the location of the game, stating a preference that UGA play its designated home game in Athens, rather than 340 miles away in Jacksonville.

“I firmly believe that we’ll be able to sign better players by having it as a home-and-home because we’ll have more opportunities to get them to campus,” said Smart, who grew up in South Georgia and was an All-SEC safety for the Bulldogs.

“But, I also think there’s a financial factor that factors into that, with having the game there and being able to make more money for the university.”

Florida first-year coach Billy Napier has not made a firm public commitment about where he would like the game to be played.

But Napier said Monday he understands why Smart wants Georgia to play its designated home game in Athens every other year rather than five hours away in Northeast Florida.

“This environment, this experience for a player, can have a significant impact on a player’s decision, so I mean, I completely understand what Kirby is saying,” Napier said. “Every other year he’s missing out on what he knows will be a fantastic venue and Game Day experience.”

Napier said it’s a “big thing” the designated home team can now leave tickets at the game for recruits, though Smart has downplayed it, pointing out the teams are not allowed to talk to players at the game or do any sort of recruiting or hosting.

It figures to be much more beneficial to Florida, as Gainesville is located only 70 miles away from Jacksonville, increasing the likelihood that recruits who attend the game drive to the Gainesville campus after the game to see the facilities.

Some have made comparisons to the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry, which gets played in Dallas each year.

Dallas, however, is almost halfway between the schools -- 190 miles from Norman, Okla., and 195 miles to Austin, Texas. Dallas-Fort Worth is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the nation, while Jacksonville ranks 39th.

The city of Jacksonville, however, sees an economic impact of more than $40 million form the game and has made it clear it will offer UGA administrations a lucrative package to keep the game in its city.

Sources close to the situation say Atlanta might also enter a bid to land the game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

That could interest Napier, who is from Chatsworth, Ga., and understands the value of potential Florida football exposure in the Atlanta market.

Smith, a Thorpe Award Semifinalist and Georgia’s only AP Midseason All-American, says the players deserve a chance to play in different stadiums.

“I definitely like playing in Jacksonville, but I personally would like to see the game be home-and-home as well, it brings a different feel,” said Smith, who grew up in Atlanta.

“I never had the opportunity to play in Florida’s stadium, and that’s something I’d always wanted to do, so I think it would be great if there was a home-and-home and maybe Jacksonville every now and then.”

The SEC is expected to go to a nine-game league schedule once the College Football Playoffs are expanded to 12 teams.

The nine-game schedule will allow for some flexibility as Georgia and Florida will each be guaranteed four other home games, outside their annual rivalry.

Smith points out that the rivalry will maintain its popularity with fans no matter the location.

“Regardless, the fans will show out,” Smith said. “But it definitely would be great to get a home-and-home every now and then, because I feel like the players deserve that experience.

“Their players haven’t been able to come to our stadium, either, and they are both great sites to see.”

Other Georgia and Florida players have voiced their opinions about wanting to play in one another’s stadiums for years.

Former Bulldogs’ star Mecole Hardman, who scored three touchdowns for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, said a home-and-home series would add a different touch.

“I wish the game was at home, a home-and-home,” Hardman said during his NFL combine experience after leaving UGA. “I feel like it would be more personal. We’re coming to y’all’s stadium and we beat y’all, now we own this stadium. We have bragging rights for two years at your stadium.

“I’d have liked to played in it (The Swamp). I wish we could do something different, and that rivalry would go from where it’s at to a whole other level.”

Former Florida defensive lineman CeCe Jefferson said he wanted a chance to play in Sanford Stadium during the previous media day.

“I ain’t going to lie, it gets lit between the hedges, at night,” Jefferson said. “I’ve seen where they light the cell phones up. It gets loud in there.

“I wouldn’t mind going from our stadium to their stadium every year We don’t have to go to Jacksonville every year.”

The location of the game gets discussed more each time the game’s contract is up for renewal, but no UGA coach has made as strong of a case for the game’s location as Smart did last summer.

Smart has said each decision he makes is in the interest of helping Georgia win championships, something it had not done in 41 years before last season operating with the current scheduling model.