Former Georgia Bulldogs starting quarterback and SEC champion D.J. Shockley is speaking at the University of Georgia’s undergraduate commencement address on Friday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET in Sanford Stadium.
Shockley is no stranger to the confines of Sanford Stadium. He played at Georgia from 2002-2005 during the coach Mark Richt era. Shockley serves as a sideline reporter for Georgia football’s radio network, despite their being a recent change that resulted in longtime play-by-play announcer Scott Howard no longer calling games.
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Shockley played with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL and has a promising broadcasting career. He is a sports director for FOX 5 in Atlanta. Shockley will be able to teach UGA graduates about patience and perseverance after he waited behind David Greene, who finished his career as the winningest quarterback in college football history, for three years at Georgia.
Shockley prepared for his opportunity and took over as the starter in 2005. He led the Bulldogs to a surprising 34-14 win over the LSU Tigers in the 2005 SEC championship in the peak of his college football career. It is a big honor for Shockley to return to Sanford Stadium to speak at UGA’s graduation.
“Looking forward to giving the class of 2026 a few special words they can take with them!” Shockley said ahead of his graduation speech.
Other UGA graduation information
Students enter the North Campus Quad of the University of Georgia through the UGA Arch
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Class of 2026 graduate Blake Witmer will be the student graduation speaker
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Gates to Sanford Stadium open at 5:30 p.m. ET
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Graduates should arrive by 6:45 p.m. ET and can enter via any gate
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Graduation is held rain or shine and will only be rescheduled for severe weather
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Expected to be around 70 degrees and partly sunny
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Former Georgia QB speaking at UGA graduation
