By: Joe Delaney

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

As we stroll into the dog days of summer, many of us die hard Dawgs look to the upcoming football season while reminiscing about the great run that Georgia has been on. And it has been unquestionably the greatest run in University of Georgia History.

Yes, Wally Butts had some of those great early teams. The Rose Bowl win 9-0 over UCLA and national championship in 1942 was one for the ages.

It would be another 40-some-odd years before Vince, Herschel, Buck, Lindsey and the boys took UGA to the mountain top with the great run beginning with the 1980 national championship win over Notre Dame. Throw in the great games that year with South Carolina and above all Florida and it was a year like no other.

Fast forward to 2015 and enter one Mr. Kirby Smart. Since then, Georgia has been arguably the best college football team in the country.

Into this growing dynasty walks one Jack Podlesny in 2018. And he literally walks in as a walk on.

Coming from Glynn Academy, Jack Podlesny was a known commodity. He had hit 9 out of 10 field goals and 49-51 PATs. He was an all-region soccer player and had great technique. He had offers from Michigan, Georgia Tech and others but chose instead to walk on at the University of Georgia.

Georgia at the time was having a bromance with Rodrigo Blankenship. He was Georgia’s kicker and one of the most popular players on the team, and around the nation. It was hard not to love “Hot Rod” and those horn-rimmed glasses, but his time ran out at Georgia. It was time to find another kicker.

Enter Jack Podlesny. The young kicker redshirted and learned in 2018, backed up Blankenship in 2019, and then the next year won the starting job in preseason and responded by going 13-16 on field goals and nailing all 38 extra points.

It earned him a spot as a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. Who can forget the Peach Bowl and young Jack walking on the field to try a 53-yard game winning field goal with SEVEN seconds left on the clock. The ball is snapped, put down and the national announcer goes……  THERE IT IS…………………. GOT IT!!!!  Jack was 3-3 on Field goals in the game and named the Offensive Player of the Game.

Podlesny would go on to be one of the greatest kickers in University of Georgia history. Kevin Butler, Rex Robinson, Blair Walsh, Billy Bennett, Rodrigo Blankenship…. All great players. And yet none have the trophy case that Jack Podlesny has. Two national championship rings,  SEC special teams player of the year 2022, first team All SEC 2022, etc etc etc.

By the end of the 2022 season “Hot Pod” would go on to set numerous records including most points scored in a season at UGA. He would light it up for 151 points in 2022 and have the second most points 137 in 2021. He stands second in career field goal percentage to his mentor Blankenship at 82.47 for “Rod” and 82.43 for “Pod”.

While Jack is now with the Green Bay Packers, he recently received another honor that I’m sure he will cherish. UGA Sports just started counting down to the 2024 season by naming the greatest players in Georgia football history by descending numbers worn 99 to 0.

With number 96 worn by Jack Podlesny. A scrawny kid from St Simons, GA who grew up playing youth soccer on Jekyll then football at Glynn Academy.

The best football player in University of Georgia History to wear Number 96.