ESPN, others chime in on Georgia Bulldogs with All-American nods

We’re less than 10 days away from the start of College Football, and while Georgia fans will have to wait an extra week to see their top-ranked Bulldogs in action, that’s not stopping the likes of ESPN, USA TODAY and others from releasing their All-American and top-100 player lists. DawgsHQ keeps you up to date with all the latest below…

ESPN

Carson Beck, Tate Ratledge and Malaki Starks were named First-Team All-Americans by ESPN earlier this week. Mykel Williams joined them as a Second-Team selection to give Georgia four, more in total than any team not named Ohio State and Alabama. The Buckeyes landed just one on the First-Team while Alabama was aided by a pair of specialists selected.

What Was Said (Beck): In his first season as a starter a year ago, Beck almost made it look too easy at times in leading the SEC and ranking third nationally with 3,941 passing yards. Some of his top playmakers have moved on, including tight end Brock Bowers, but Beck is at his best spreading the ball around and finding open targets. He completed 72.4% of his passes and was intercepted only six times in 417 pass attempts.

What Was Said (Ratledge): Georgia could have its best offensive line of Kirby Smart’s tenure, and Ratledge is one of the leaders of that unit after bypassing a chance to enter the NFL draft. The 6-6, 310-pound senior is a two-year starter at right guard. His first start came three years ago, but he broke his foot in the first game against Clemson and missed the rest of the season. Ratledge earned AP second-team All-America honors a year ago and returns as one of the best pass-blocking guards in the country.

What Was Said (Starks): Starks could become Georgia’s first two-time All-America safety in nearly 40 years. He has been a rock for the Bulldogs on defense since his true freshman season and excels in both stopping the run and playing coverage. The 6-1, 205-pound junior was fourth on Georgia’s team last season with 52 total tackles and had three interceptions. When the Bulldogs have needed a big play, Starks has been there to make it.

The All-American quartet was also acknowledged by ESPN as part of their top-100 players for 2024. Joining them on the list were running back Trevor Etienne at No. 83 and linebacker Jalon Walker at No. 67. Williams, Ratledge, Starks and Beck came in at No. 30, No. 17, No. 10 and No. 7 respectively.

What Was Said (Etienne): The Bulldogs like to rotate their backs, but they could lean heavily on Etienne, who led rival Florida in rushing average (68.4 ypg), rushing touchdowns (8) and yards per carry (5.7) last fall. Etienne, the younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr., had three rushing touchdowns against LSU last season. He also contributed as a receiver (21 receptions) and on returns (224 kickoff return yards).

What Was Said (Walker): He has been a reserve in his first two seasons with the Bulldogs but is expected to occupy a much more significant role this fall. Walker led Georgia with five sacks and had a forced fumble against Florida. The former ESPN top-40 recruit could rise up NFL draft boards with a big junior season.

USA TODAY, Sporting News, Others

ESPN wasn’t the only ones to come out with their All-American list, and they won’t be the last either. Also released were the lists from USA TODAY and Sporting News. Bulldogs selected by those two publishing organizations, plus All-American teams from The Athletic and CBS Sports, can be found below…

USA TODAY: QB Carson Beck (1st), OG Tate Ratledge (1st), S Malaki Starks (1st), DE Mykel Williams (2nd)

Sporting News: QB Carson Beck (1st), OG Tate Ratledge (1st), OT Earnest Greene (2nd), S Malaki Starks (2nd)

The Athletic: S Malaki Starks (1st), QB Carson Beck (2nd), OG Tate Ratledge (2nd)

CBS Sports: QB Carson Beck (1st – Preseason Player of the Year), OG Tate Ratledge (1st), S Malaki Starks (1st), OG Dylan Fairchild (2nd)