DJ Shockley, highly awarded former University of Georgia and Atlanta Falcons quarterback, will deliver the spring undergraduate Commencement address at the University of Georgia on May 8 in Sanford Stadium. The ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Meg Amstutz, dean of the Jere W. Morehead Honors College, will deliver the address at the graduate ceremonies on May 7 in Stegeman Coliseum. The master’s and specialist ceremony begins at 10 a.m. with the doctoral ceremony following at 2:30 p.m.
Shockley was a quarterback at the University of Georgia from 2002 to 2005, where he led the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship, highlighted by an upset victory over No. 3 LSU at the Georgia Dome in December 2005. He was named the game’s MVP, earned the FCA Bobby Bowden Football Player of the Year Award, finished third in voting for the Associated Press Player of the Year and guided Georgia to a 10-3 record and a No. 10 national ranking in the AP Poll during his senior season.
He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2006 NFL Draft, becoming the first UGA player drafted by the franchise since 1994. Shockley spent four seasons with the Falcons.
Following his playing career, Shockley transitioned into broadcast media, co-hosting sports programs on CW69, FOX 5 and 92.9FM, while serving as a regular contributor to AtlantaFalcons.com and WSB-TV. He now serves as sports director for FOX 5. A three-time Emmy Award winner, Shockley has translated the leadership, preparation and competitive mindset that defined his playing days into a successful broadcasting career. He stays actively engaged in his community and is a dedicated supporter of the Fragile X Foundation. An avid golfer, he and his wife, Portia, have been married since 2009 and are the proud parents of Milan and Mekhi.
Amstutz serves as dean of the Morehead Honors College, where she oversees college operations as well as the campus-wide Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities and the Foundation Fellowship, the university’s most prestigious academic scholarship.
She previously served as associate provost for academic programs and chief of staff in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, leading university-wide initiatives and supervising the offices of Academic Programs and Accreditation and Institutional Effectiveness. From 2019 to 2023, she served as UGA’s accreditation liaison to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, guiding the university’s reaccreditation process and ensuring continued compliance with accreditation standards.
Amstutz also served as interim president of the College of Coastal Georgia during the 2017–18 academic year, leading the institution through a period of transition marked by enrollment growth and the arrival of a new president.
Her career in the University System of Georgia began in 1997 with 16 years in UGA’s Office of the President, including six as chief of staff. She holds the Jere W. Morehead Distinguished Professorship and a courtesy appointment in the department of English.
Amstutz earned her bachelor’s degree from Centre College and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, and she remains active in professional and civic leadership organizations.
For more information about Commencement, please visit commencement.uga.edu.