Georgia running back room in good position still after Dell McGee departure

Dell McGee is gone after eight seasons in Athens, but it’s not like he’s leaving the Georgia running back room barren. Whoever fills his position on the coaching staff will get to work with one of the SEC’s top transfers and others with potential to grow into bigger roles all while leading a room that’s always going to be important to the success of UGA’s offense.

For Georgia at the running back spot, it all starts with Trevor Etienne in 2024. The Florida transfer decided to join the Bulldogs in December and is with the team ahead of spring practice starting. He’s got two years of eligibility remaining, but seeing him being a one-and-done in Athens wouldn’t take anybody by surprise.

Etienne was an impactful player during his two seasons at Florida. He topped the 700-yard mark each season with the Gators as a part of a two-headed monster in the backfield. Etienne averaged over 5.5 yards per carry both as a freshman (6.09) and sophomore (5.75), all while also contributing in the passing game as well. He’s exactly the kind of player that McGee described with the traits of a desired “complete back.”

“You’ve got to have good physical football and good physical running backs. That’s never going to stop, in my mind, and I don’t think the value of that has deteriorated at all,” McGee said ahead of the Orange Bowl when talking about the value of the running back position in a sport that is seeing more and more reliance on impressive passing games for offensive success. “I do think if you have a back that doesn’t have to leave the field and he can run in between the tackles, he can be affective in the passing game, he doesn’t have to come out on third downs because he’s big enough and physical enough to pick up blitzes, then you’ve got what you want in a complete back.”

“It provides leadership. He’s played in this league and been very, very productive. You all have watched the tape. He’s a very good player,” he added specifically on Etienne.

As McGee also said, there are offenses that rely on multiple backs because of the “brutalness” of the position – and the rarity of those do-it-all types. Outside of Etienne, there are others in the room capable of contributing including Roderick Robinson and Andrew Paul, a pair of players going into their second seasons as factors for Georgia after Robinson was a true freshman that played in just four games – maintaining a year of eligibility with a redshirt – while Paul, a redshirt freshman in 2023, was coming off of a torn ACL suffered during his first year on campus.

Both were coveted players out of high school but late additions to their respective signing classes. Robinson in the Class of 2023 was a flip from UCLA in October before December signing day while Paul was added in February of 2022 after an impressive senior season for him. The two weren’t asked to do too much this past season with the veteran presences of Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton, both of whom are headed to the NFL. Paul played in seven games, carrying it 29 times for 129 yards and a touchdown, also adding a receiving score, while Robinson saw the field in five games – scoring touchdowns in each of the first two contests before an ankle injury against South Carolina set him back and limited his action the rest of the way. He totaled 196 yards and the two touchdowns on just 24 carries.

This spring will be big for Robinson and Paul to establish themselves as the secondary options behind Etienne. The pressure wouldn’t be on them nearly as much though if it weren’t for an unfortunate injury to Branson Robinson early in fall camp last season.

After a true freshman campaign that saw him flash when opportunities came his way – as they did in the National Championship Game against TCU, scoring two touchdowns – Robinson was viewed as a likely contributor for the Bulldogs in 2023. That was until he suffered a ruptured patella tendon, sidelining him for the season and leaving Robinson with a long road to recovery.

McGee shared the latest updates on his rehab prior to the Orange Bowl. It remains unclear when Robinson will be available – potentially not until the halfway point of the season. That is part of the reason it was so important for Georgia to go and get a player like Etienne that the Bulldogs knew they could count on ahead of the Roderick Robinson-Andrew Paul duo trying to come into their own. It also factors in to the fact UGA added three true freshmen in the Class of 2024: Nate Frazier, Chauncey Bowens and Dwight Phillips.

“Three different guys,” McGee said when asked about the freshmen. “I wish they were all here now, but they’re not. Three different backs. You’ve got one that has more power, one that has elite speed and one that’s a combination of both and can do everything. They’re going to play off of one another in their skillsets. It’s my job to get the pass protection, routes and volumes in our offense that’s got to be acquired to be successful.”

Bowens would be the power back McGee referenced while Phillips is the one with elite speed. Then there’s Frazier, the No. 2 running back in the Class of 2024 according to the On3 Industry Ranking, who acts as the combination of the traits. Can one of them emerge as an option for the Bulldogs alongside Etienne? There’s a chance, and they certainly can flash when given opportunities. But as McGee said, only one (Bowens) is on campus for spring practice and there’s lots to learn about being a running back in Georgia’s system. That’s now on somebody else to teach.

What does all this amount to? It means that Georgia’s new staff member is going to have his hands full when he arrives. There’s lots to figure out. But, at the same time, he’ll also have plenty to work with. There’s obviously exciting potential with the addition of Trevor Etienne but also a fair share with the growth of guys like Roderick Robinson, Andrew Paul and the freshmen. Don’t forget about the return of a player like Branson Robinson, the No. 2-ranked running back in his class as well. For now though, we wait to see who it’ll be that’s tapped to take on the group as his own. With the exciting potential of the players, there’s exciting potential for a coach as well and little to no doubt that it’ll be a coveted job with as important as it is to one of the nation’s top programs.