Georgia well represented in ESPN's top-100 players for 2023

Five Georgia football players were included in the ESPN ranking of the top 100 players in the country for the 2023 season on Wednesday. With three on offense and two on defense, the list certainly shows the Bulldog balance demonstrated this fall, helping UGA to a third straight undefeated regular season and what will inevitably be a top-5 finish after a 60-point beatdown of Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Leading the way on the list – and on the field – for Georgia is tight end Brock Bowers. The lone unanimous All-American out of Athens this season, Bowers finished as the Bulldogs’ leading receiver for the third straight season as he hauled in 56 passes for 714 yards and six touchdowns. Keep in mind, he did that in just 10 games, missing four in total due to an ankle injury that required surgery midseason. Bowers, the first two-time winner of the Mackey Award as college football’s top tight end, came in at No. 5 for players in 2023 according to ESPN behind just Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Bo Nix.

On Bowers: The first two-time winner of the Mackey Award as the sport’s best tight end, Bowers proved this past season that he not only runs faster and blocks better than others — he also heals faster. After TightRope surgery to repair a high ankle sprain, Bowers returned to action 26 days later. He had 56 catches for 714 yards with six touchdowns in 10 games.

Bowers is joined on the offensive side of the ball by quarterback Carson Beck and center Sedrick Van Pran. The two players who touched the ball most this season for the Bulldogs, Beck (No. 22) and Van Pran (No. 43) certainly developed chemistry to help the lead the UGA offense to incredible heights.

Beck took over at quarterback for two-time national champion Stetson Bennett and finished with the third-most passing yards in the country (3,941) on a Georgia program record 72.4% completion percentage previously held by Bennett. Meanwhile, Van Pran won the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the league’s best offensive lineman on a unit that was up for the Joe Moore Award for the third straight season.

On Beck: Beck had the unenviable position of replacing former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, who led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022. All Beck did in his first season was complete 72.4% of his passes for 3,941 yards with 24 touchdowns and six picks. Georgia went 13-1 after a 63-3 win in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

On Van Pran: One of the best centers in the FBS, Van Pran was a steadying force on a Georgia offensive line that dealt with myriad injuries. Perhaps the greatest testaments to Van Pran’s importance was that he started 44 straight games. The Bulldogs went 42-2 in those games. He won the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy and was a finalist for the Rimington Award, given to the top center in the FBS.

Flip over to the defensive side of the ball, and Georgia’s secondary was among its strong suits. Safety Malaki Starks fell just shy of unanimous All-American status with four out of five first-team nods while it was STAR Tykee Smith that led the team in tackles, tackles for loss and interceptions. Those two come in at No. 57 and 59 respectively on the ESPN list.

On Starks: It takes a pretty special freshman to start 14 games on Georgia’s defense, and that’s what Starks did in 2022. He was just as good this past season with 52 total tackles, 7 passes defended and 3 interceptions. He was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the sport’s top defender.

On Smith: Foot and knee injuries prevented Smith from making a big impact at Georgia after he transferred from West Virginia in 2021. The senior safety saved his best for last, as he piled up 70 total tackles, 8½ tackles for loss, 4 interceptions and 2 sacks this past season. Smith’s versatility was invaluable for the UGA defense.

Of the five, two are set to return for Georgia in 2024. Beck announced that he’ll be back for another year as the team’s starter while Starks, just a sophomore this season, will be looked to as a leader of the defense alongside linebacker Smael Mondon. The Bulldogs take on a tough schedule that features College Football Playoff semifinalists Alabama and Texas, both on the road, plus Clemson, Florida and Ole Miss away from home. Dates at Sanford Stadium include matchups with Auburn and Tennessee between the hedges.