Georgia football team not making trip to White House

Nov 25, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart shown on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Georgia Bulldogs won the national championship for the second straight season, and for the second straight year, their football team will not be celebrating with a trip to the White House.

Georgia was invited to visit the White House on June 12 to be recognized for winning the college football national championship. The Bulldogs have turned down the invitation, saying in a statement that the date is “not feasible” for them.

“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,” the school said.

The last college football national champion to visit the White House was LSU, which visited in January 2020 to celebrate their title win from the 2019 season. There was no visit in 2021 due to COVID, while Georgia declined to visit in 2022 for the same reason. The 2018 Clemson Tigers visited in January 2019 to celebrate their title.

The January dates are much better for the college football programs than the proposed June date given to Georgia. The Bulldogs will be in the middle of their summer workouts at that time.

Georgia went 15-0 to win the national championship last season. They came back to beat Ohio State in the CFP semifinals 42-41. Then they obliterated TCU 65-7 in the most lopsided national championship game ever.

10 players from Georgia’s team were drafted, while 15 have left via the transfer portal.