On3 Roundtable: The next evolution of Georgia Football under Kirby Smart

Kirby Smart has Georgia on an absolute roll. Two straight national championships are not something people in Athens would have ever dreamed about but now, it’s reality. And somehow, there is a desire for more for the Bulldogs, wanting to accomplish a three-peat and continue the evolution of the program.

Dawgs HQ‘s Rusty Mansell laid out how Georgia can continue to march forward when joining the On3 Roundtable. He believes being able to recruit, both in the state and across the entire country, is how the Bulldogs remain the kings of college football. Thankfully, Smart is the one leading the program.

“I don’t have a concern with complacency with Kirby Smart there,” Mansell said. “They’ve been on a streak of landing a lot of top players. A lot of top offensive and defensive linemen. Travon Walker, Darnell Washington. When you see Georgia up close — the term I like to use — they’re aliens.

“Those are one-percentile players. So, can they keep landing those guys? Can the state of Georgia continue to produce? Can they continue to recruit nationwide?”

When you think about who some of the contributors have been over the past two seasons, Mansell pointed out how Smart was able to go three time zones back and bring them to Georgia. That’s not going to be as easy any more as West Coast programs have stepped it up — especially with their deep pockets.

“You think about the NIL and what it’s done to some teams,” Mansell said. “Georgia went to Las Vegas, they got Darnell Washington. They went to California, got Brock Bowers. They went to Seattle, got Keele Ringo. Oregon is better now. USC is better now. Can they get kids from the West Coast to continue to stack this roster?”

Thus far in the 2024 recruiting class, Georgia has one West Coast kid and it’s a big one. Five-Star Plus+ quarterback and On3 Industry Rankings No. 1 overall Dylan Raiola out of Phoenix (AZ) Pinnacle recently announced his commitment. This was someone Lincoln Riley was heavily going after, being in USC’s neighborhood.

Smart is not going to be afraid to go up against the powers out West. Overall, he has something the other head coaches do not have — rings (x2).

Brock Bowers going to NFL to leave major question for Georgia offense

Georgia fans still have one more season of Bowers left running the show. He has the potential to somehow get even better in the offense, even with Carson Beck likely taking over the starting QB role for Stetson Bennett.

This time next season, Bowers will be in an NFL rookie minicamp, not summer workouts. Mansell believes the Bulldogs will have major questions to answer without him giving defensive coordinators headaches on a weekly basis.

“I think one thing we’re going to find out about Georgia is who they are after Brock Bowers,” Mansell said. “He’s the best player on that team. He gives you so many fits. You don’t have to have a wide receiver with 1,200 yards receiving because Brock Bowers is a nightmare to prepare for and Georgia has him for another season. He’s a unicorn.”