Two key Georgia stars draft decisions remain amid flurry of NFL declarations

The beginning of the offseason is looking familiar for Georgia. Fresh off a national championship win, a slew of players have declared for the upcoming NFL Draft. The likes of tight end Darnell Washington, offensive tackle Broderick Jones, and defensive lineman Jalen Carter will be the latest Bulldog stars to move onto the next level.

However, head coach Kirby Smart is still awaiting decisions from two key players. Both come on the offensive end and still have eligibility remaining. Probably best of all, the duo could become three-time national champions as Georgia are currently the favorite heading into the 2023 season.

Wide receiver Ladd McConkey and center Sedrick Van Pran have yet to make their intentions known, with the declaration date upcoming. They have been huge contributors to the back-to-back titles in Athens and would instantly be two of the stars of next year’s team.

Georgia will be beginning a new era on the offensive end, with quarterback Stetson Bennett moving on. Carson Beck is expected to take over but is not expected to slow down any time soon. If he can get McConkey and Van Pran back, his job would instantly become a lot easier.

With the deadline approaching, the two will have some crucial decisions. Georgia will likely have people to step up if they do decide to make the jump to the NFL. However, it’s never bad to have two of your best players back.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart explains leaked pregame audio

Georgia got all the pregame motivation it needed from head coach Kirby Smart before breaking records against TCU in the CFP National Championship game. However, according to him, the leaked video circulating online was not the message on this particular day.

During an appearance on The Steam Room with TNT’s Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley, Kirby Smart said the leaked video came from a different game, but assured everyone the real thing was just as fiery and even better than the clip.

“For the record, that was not before the TCU game,” said Smart. “So that was leaked from a previous game. And somebody asked me what game, I said, ‘I don’t ever remember because they all sound like that.’ The players were all laughing when it came out. A bunch of my guys texted me and said, ‘coach, they ain’t even heard the best one.’”

Georgia went on to defeat TCU 65-7, even getting a chance to make curtain calls for departing players before allowing the next generation of Bulldogs to find the endzone a time or two. In the end, whatever pregame speech was given provided enough – and then some – to lift Georgia to a second consecutive national title after a 40-year drought before then.