Georgia Freshman Report: Which first years are bound for a redshirt?
Georgia signed the No. 2 class in the country for 2023, and the Bulldogs have put those youngsters to good use so far this season. We take a weekly look at those that saw the field each and every Saturday, but for the bye week we’re doing an overarching look at the first-years to see which ones are headed for a redshirt halfway through the season.
Redshirt Burned (5+ Games Played): Joenel Aguero (7), CJ Allen (7), Peyton Woodring (7), Jordan Hall (6), AJ Harris (6), Damon Wilson (6), Monroe Freeling (5), Gabe Harris (5), Raylen Wilson (5)
Not surprisingly, these are several of Georgia’s highest rated prospects from the Class of 2023. If you’ve played in more than four games, the possibility of a redshirt is burned, but it’s because you’ve earned a consistent role on the team. Often times that’s special teams, as is the case for Joenel Aguero, AJ Harris and Raylen Wilson. Jordan Hall, Damon Wilson and Gabe Harris are seeing time in different defensive packages while CJ Allen is a regular for the Bulldogs in the linebacker rotation. Meanwhile, on offense, Monroe Freeling stepped up in an important spot on Saturday when Xavier Truss went down and burned the possibility of a redshirt for him. Finally, and probably Georgia’s Freshman of the Year considering the impact he’s had, there’s Peyton Woodring who overcame early struggles to show consistency as an SEC kicker the last few weeks. He’s come through in the clutch a couple of times, showing exactly why it was he ranked as one of the top kickers in the Class of 2023.
Possible Redshirt, But Not Looking Likely (4 Games Played): Anthony Evans, Zeed Haynes, Sam M’Pemba
Anthony Evans and Sam M’Pemba have travelled for each of Georgia’s two SEC road games with roster limit restrictions. Zeed Haynes on the other hand has not. All three have played in four games though, each recording some sort of statistic. It’s quite possible that Clean Old-Fashioned Hate at the end of the season gets out of hand and these three have an opportunity to see the field. One more and they’d move up into the “Redshirt Burned” category.
Livin’ on the Edge (2-3 Games Played): Troy Bowles (3), Daniel Harris (3), Jamaal Jarrett (3), Kyron Jones (3), Roderick Robinson (3), Pearce Spurlin (3), Lawson Luckie (2), Tyler Williams (2)
This is an interesting group. There are at least two players who likely are going to burn their possibility of redshirting before too long. Then the rest could see the field against Georgia Tech and keep their eligibility. I feel safe in saying that Roderick Robinson and Lawson Luckie are likely to pass the four-game threshold here before too long. Robinson played in the first three before getting hurt while Luckie has seen the field in the last two, returning from his injury and stepping into a bigger role with Brock Bowers out. Speaking of the tight ends, there’s the possibility that Pearce Spurlin could also play in a pair of games as he too moves up a notch on the depth chart without Bowers. As for the others, my prediction would be a redshirt with the possibility of playing against the Yellow Jackets in the regular season finale.
Redshirt Inbound (0-1 Games Played): Justyn Rhett (1), Bo Hughley (0), Jamal Meriweather (0), Josh Miller (0), Chris Peal (0), Kelton Smith (0)
Justyn Rhett got on the field in the second game of the season against Ball State. He recorded a tackle in the win over the Cardinals. His fellow freshman defensive back Chris Peal has yet to play, and neither have four of the five offensive linemen. Granted, injuries have factored in to a couple of absences, but it’s pretty clear that all the guys in this category are headed for a redshirt.
