BYU’s Mark Pope Sends Team Manager To College Football National Championship
Jan 8, 2023, 6:47 PM
National Championship Trophy (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball will be represented in the stands at SoFi Stadium during the College Football National Championship Game. That’s because BYU coach Mark Pope is sending one of his team managers to the title matchup between Georgia and TCU.
Cool story during Mark Pope's postgame interview on the #BYU Sports Network.
Pope is sending BYU hoops manager Jordan "Juice" Woodson –a diehard Georgia football fan– and one of Woodson's family members to the National Championship Game on Monday in LA.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 8, 2023
Jordan Woodson, a second-year manager for the BYU basketball program, is a diehard Georgia Football fan. Woodson found out after BYU hoops defeated San Diego that Pope was going to let Woodson stay in Southern California and see his Dawgs try to defend their football title.
“He works so hard and is so fantastic, and he is a born and raised Georgia Football fan,” said BYU coach Mark Pope on Saturday night. “I got a chance to meet his dad last year, and you start talking about Georgia football; his dad almost breaks down in tears like it’s in the family blood.”
Woodson, affectionately known by the BYU basketball program as “Juice,” will be accompanied by one of his family members and a graduate assistant on the team. That graduate assistant is first-year assistant Carsen Williams.
Woodson was thrilled to learn he was going to the National Championship game.
So blessed!!! Words can’t express the appreciation I have for Coach! There isn’t a better boss on the planet! @CoachMarkPope https://t.co/P7vLemV68Q
— Juice (@CoachJWoodson) January 8, 2023
He wrote on Twitter, “So blessed!!! Words can’t express the appreciation I have for Coach! There isn’t a better boss on the planet!”
“Our guys love all of our GAs and managers. We love them so much because they work so hard,” said Pope. “When we talked to the team about that, the guys went crazy because they love him so much. He is sacrificing and working so hard, like all of our managers are. And so, when we have opportunities to do that for him, it’s pretty sweet.”
Georgia is a heavy favorite over the TCU Horned Frogs. So we’ll see on Monday night if “Juice’s” Dawgs can get take home a second consecutive College Football Playoff title.
Pope concluded, “I’m super excited for him because it means a lot to him.”
Kickoff for Georgia versus TCU is at 5:30 p.m. (MT) on ESPN.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU moving to the Big 12 Conference on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
