Ladd McConkey returning to Georgia for 2023 season
Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey was considering a jump to the NFL after the Bulldogs beat TCU 65-7 in the National Championship game. He has elected to return to UGA instead. The redshirt sophomore wideout announced his decision Tuesday night.
McConkey was Georgia’s leading wideout in 2022. He caught 58 passes for 762 yards and seven touchdowns. He added seven carries for 134 yards and two more scores, giving him right at 900 yards of total offense on the year and nine total touchdowns.
The North Murray High School product did all of that while battling various injuries. He had a toe ailment at one point in the season and also suffered a sprained ankle. He also battled knee tendonitis for most of the year.
At one point during the season Kirby Smart talked about having to back McConkey off in practice because he tends to overdo it. McConkey’s position coach confirmed that prior to the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.
“Ladd is one of those dudes who can kind of go overboard in the sense of wanting to get all the reps and wanting to get every look and everything thing else,” Georgia wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon said. “That’s phenomenal and what I feel like makes him the player that he is. But sometimes you’ve got to make sure you save him from himself a little bit, tell him, ‘hey man, you’ve got that rep already.’ Like with anything else, you’d rather say “whoa” than “sic’em.”
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When the Bulldogs played Ohio State in the Peach Bowl, McConkey clearly wasn’t 100 percent. Still he hung in there until the very end, catching a two-point conversion to pull the Bulldogs to within three points in the fourth quarter.
McConkey made his presence known in 2021. After redshirting in 2020, he saw extensive action the Z-Receiver position due to multiple injuries. He capitalized with 31 grabs for 447 yards and five scores. His best game was a five-catch 135-yard contest at Auburn where he reached the end zone once.
Due to the NCAA’s decision to not count the 2020 season against the eligibility of any player in any sport, McConkey has three years of eligibility remaining. Another strong season might render that point moot because he’ll likely test NFL Draft waters then.
