Phil Steele ranks Georgia position groups in preview magazine

Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has gone to press and will be available to the public before too long. However, the online version is already out, and Steele has released his rankings of position units across the country. As one of the top teams in the sport, Georgia is well represented in those rankings.

Quarterback (No. 20 overall, No. 5 SEC)

Steele’s unit rankings take into consideration the entire room, not just the starter, which is why we see Georgia a little bit higher up in the rankings than if he was just talking about Stetson Bennett – who he has No. 49 overall when it comes to draft eligible quarterbacks. However, because Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton – all former four or five-stars and top 250 players in the country out of high school – are also in the mix, Steele is a little bit higher on the Bulldogs. Still, returning a starting quarterback is never a bad thing, especially one that has a National Championship to his name. Bennett threw for 2,862 yards and 29 touchdowns on the season last year including a combined 537 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions during the College Football Playoffs.

Running Back (No. 19 overall, No. 5 SEC)

Georgia is known as RBU, and there’s plenty of talent to continue that tradition for the Bulldogs, even with the departure of Zamir White and James Cook. Kenny McIntosh returns after serving as a major contributor each of the last two seasons. He rushed for 328 yards and three touchdowns while added 242 yards and two more scores receiving in 2021. Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards both enter their third year with the program while freshmen Branson Robinson and Andrew Paul add depth to an already deep rotation.

Wide Receiver/Tight End (No. 4 overall, No. 1 SEC)

Steele’s consideration for the receiving units includes both wide receivers and tight ends. If they were to be broken apart, it’s likely that Georgia would have had the top ranked unit with Brock Bowers returning for his sophomore season after leading the team in receiving (56 catches for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns) and a dynamic freak of nature in Darnell Washington while adding Arik Gilbert and Oscar Delp into the mix. Throw in the likes of Kearis Jackson, Ladd McConkey and Adonai Mitchell at wide receiver, and there’s even more options for Stetson Bennett to throw the ball to. Georgia needs a couple of more guys like Arian Smith, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Dominick Blaylock to step up, but the Bulldogs are certainly in good hands with the pass catchers that they have.

Steele says: “The Bulldogs have arguably the best TE room in the country led by Brock Bowers (#1 rec as true [freshman]) and PS#1 [Steele’s position ranking for players coming out of high school] Arik Gilbert. The WR’s were plagued by injuries last year but have plenty of talent and 3 of the top 4 are back.”

Offensive Line (No. 2 overall, No. 1 SEC)

Georgia’s offensive line was one of the top units in the country last year. The players will admit that they felt slighted not even being considered for the Joe Moore Award. With contributors back at center, guard and tackle, the Bulldogs will be playing with a big chip on their shoulder in 2022. Sedrick Van Pran started all 15 games at center for Georgia and played more snaps than any other Bulldog. Warren McClendon is entering his third season as the starter at right tackle. Broderick Jones steps in at left tackle with no concern about how he’ll handle things considering he did it at times last year, including in the National Championship Game. Then there’s competition at guard that features the likes of returning starter Warren Ericson and talented players pushing for playing time like Xavier Truss, Devin Willock, Tate Ratledge and Amarius Mims. This group is deep, and it’s going to be tough for first-year coach Stacy Searels to decide on who his best five is.

Steele says: “Last year the entire two deep consisted of VHT’s [very highly touted players] including SIX rated PS#4 [Steele’s position ranking for players coming out of high school] or better! They had 3 starters back and rushed for 5.2 ypc [yards per carry] with just 16 sacks. This year they lose a pair of #6DC’s [sixth-round draft choices] but have 3 starters back again and against Michigan’s vaunted DLine rushed for 5.4 ypc with 0 sacks. 62 career starts are back and 14 VHT OL.”

Defensive Line (No. 12 overall, No. 4 SEC)

Georgia loses three of the most talented defensive linemen that they’ve had in quite some time in Jordan Davis, Travon Walker and Devonte Wyatt. All three were picked in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and the success of the defense started at the line of scrimmage. Replacing them won’t be easy, but with a talent like Jalen Carter still around, it’s easier. Carter was impactful last season, seemingly disrupting plays every time he was on the field. He finished the season with 37 tackles including 8.5 for loss (third on the team) and 3.0 sacks. He also had 33 quarterback pressures, second-best among Bulldogs. Others like Zion Logue, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Tramel Walthour and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins will have to step up, but being able to build around Carter is a great start for replacing the lost talent.

Steele says: “The Bulldogs lose a ton of talent from this unit including THREE #1 DC’s [first-round draft choices] including the #1 overall pick in the draft. Some say Jalen Carter may be better than all 3 and they use a deep rotation on the D-Line and will remain near the top with 10 VHT’s [very highly touted players].”

Linebacker (No. 3 overall, No. 2 SEC)

Much like defensive line, there’s a ton to replace in the linebacker room for Georgia. Nakobe Dean, Channing Tindall and Quay Walker all finished top three on the team in tackles with Tindall and Walker tied for that third spot. Meanwhile, Dean was just one shy of tying for the team-high as he brought home the Butkus Award for the best linebacker in the country. The good news for Georgia though is, the guys behind them were talented. Jamon Dumas-Johnson proved to be a reliable option when he was on the field. He led the returners on the inside with 22 tackles including 2.0 sacks. Smael Mondon was a five-star and the No. 2 ranked linebacker in the Class of 2021 followed close behind by Xavian Sorey. In this year’s class, Jalon Walker was the No. 4 linebacker with CJ Washington not far behind either. Then, on the outside, Nolan Smith and Robert Beal both return. Beal led the team in sacks while Smith finished fifth in tackles. Adding Marvin Jones Jr. to the room certainly helps too, but the duo of Smith and Beal are going to handle the heavy lifting when it comes to outside linebacker duties for the Dawgs this season.

Steele says:  “Last year they lost #2, #3, and #7 DC’s [second-round, third-round and seventh-round draft choices] but had the best set of LB’s in the country last year with great depth and talent. They lose #1, #3, and #3 NFL DC’s plus another starter but Nolan Smith turned down the NFL. This unit has 16 VHT’s [very highly touted players] and last year’s depth will step to the forefront.”

Defensive Back (No. 1 overall, No. 1 SEC)

To say that Georgia has one of the top defensive back groups in the country is far from a stretch. Ranking them No. 1 overall might be, but those that return as well as those that have been recruited in might say otherwise. Kelee Ringo will start on one side of the field. Opposite of him is a competition that includes 2021 On3 Consensus five-star Nyland Green and 2022 On300 five-star Daylen Everette. Neither of them leaves the spring as the starter which says something about the guy that does, Kamari Lassiter. We haven’t even mentioned the likes of 2022 On3 Consensus five-stars Jaheim Singletary and Malaki Starks or one of the top transfers in the country from 2021, Tykee Smith. William Poole is back after coming on strong at STAR. Then there’s Christopher Smith who started 11 games last season at safety and played his best ball on the biggest stages. Who will start next to him this year remains to be seen.Needless to say, it’s an incredibly talented unit, but at the same time, there are some questions that need to be answered.

Steele says:  “Last year this unit was the big concern of the D but frosh Kelee Ringo (PS#1) [Steele’s position ranking for players coming out of high school] and Clemson transfer CB [Derion] Kendrick helped them finish #1 in my PDR [pass defense rankings]. They lose #1 and #6 DC’s [first-round and sixth-round draft choices] but again have two returning starters including ‘20 1st tm [team] Big12 DB Tykee Smith.”

Special Teams (No. 14 overall, No. 5 SEC)

Jake Camarda has been a big part of Georgia’s special teams units for the last four seasons. He’ll have to be replaced by freshman Australian punter Brett Thorson. Jack Podlesny stepped in as the starter at kicker two years ago and is still around. Kearis Jackson maintained his punt return job despite being banged up in 2021. As Steele says, Georgia is incredibly talented in general and the way on to the field for some of those guys is through special teams. Expect the stars of tomorrow to shine today on coverage units doing their job for the Dawgs this season.

Steele says: “The Bulldogs are loaded with talent and like Bama have VHT’s [very highly touted players] trying to impress on ST’s. They have finished #2, #19, #15, #7 and #24 the last 5 years. While they lose their P (41.6 net), everyone else is back and they are strong as always.”

Does your blood run Red and Black?

Ready to get all your latest Georgia recruiting and team news in one place? Become a member of DawgsHQ today. With your DawgsHQ membership, you’ll not only have access to the goings on in Athens, but you’ll be able to peruse other fan sites within the On3 network to hear just how rivals are feeling about the Dawgs, as well. Make sure to follow along on Twitter (@DawgsHQ), on Facebook and on YouTube for all the Dawg news you need now! And listen to the DawgsHQ crew on our podcast Dawg Walk Talk on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.