SEC Kickoff Preview: Georgia Bulldogs

Thanks to our good friends at Kroger, the KSR crew is in Nashville covering SEC Media Days in the most in-depth and, at times, ridiculous manner possible. Kroger is your hometown, community spot for all your shopping needs. Let’s go Krogering! 

The Bulldogs have won back-to-back national champions. Kirby Smart has recruited at an unprecedented level and sports the most talented roster in the SEC and the nation. I could end the article here by predicting a three-peat, but I won’t.

Kirby Smart’s Dawgs have an enormous target on their backs. That didn’t seem to bother them a year ago as UGA again ran the table on their way to capturing the big trophy. The head coach has recruited and developed better than anyone in America. The result has been wins and championships. That same narrative was formerly associated with Nick Saban and Alabama. Not anymore. Georgia is the new king of college football. Let’s get into it. 

OFFENSE

Former Bulldog quarterback and assistant coach Mike Bobo returned to Athens as an offensive quality control analyst in January of 2022. The move marked his 15^th season as a UGA staffer. He will be taking over the offense following Todd Monken’s departure. This could be the most interesting and impactful coordinator situation in the SEC. That’s saying a lot given Jimbo Fisher’s procurement of Bobby Petrino at Texas A&M.

Former OC Todd Monken directed the Georgia offense to back-to-back national titles. The flare, confidence, and creativity in his play designs were fun to watch. Monken, one of the top coordinators in the nation, is now in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson. His quarterback, Stetson Bennett IV, seemingly played 19 years of college football in Athens. He’s now an LA Ram. His cleats will be hard to fill. 

The Monken-Bennett IV combination was rare, special, and extremely prolific. The duo morphed the Georgia offense from a ball-control operation into one that forced their will on opposing defenses. The transition of a new play caller and quarterback may lead to an extended familiarization process. But, I doubt it will derail the program’s trajectory. There’s far too much talent around the QB for that to happen. UGA’s tight ends, receivers, and offensive line are all considered to be some of the best in the league. Scary. WR portal additions Rara Thomas (Mississippi State) and Dominic Lovett (Missouri) add even more skill to the loaded room already on campus. 

The offensive line is a team strength and will be a strong contender for the Joe Moore Award. Anchored by veteran center Sedrick Van Pran, the UGA front is deep and talented. Right tackle Amerius Mims and guard Tate Rutledge were also named preseason All-SEC by various outlets. 

With perhaps the easiest schedule in the conference, expect a bunch of blowouts in 2023.  

Best Offensive Player: TE Brock Bowers 

Brock Bowers may be the best football player in the country regardless of position. The 6’4, 230-pound junior is likely in his last season in Athens before heading off to the NFL. His freshman and sophomore seasons are legendary between the hedges. 

2022 saw the prized tight end play in 15 games with 14 starts. He recorded 63 catches for 942 yards, and 7 touchdowns. He also had 109 rushing yards on just 9 carries. Bower’s magical national championship performance was one of pure domination after the TE caught 7 passes for 152 yards and 1 score. 

Most Important Offensive Player: Starting Quarterback/Center Sedrick Van Pran

This is a three-way tie. Will the QB be Carson Beck or Brock Vandagriff? That’s yet to be determined, but Beck will likely be the answer. Regardless, the UGA starting quarterback will have one of the best offensive lines in the nation, surrounded by future-pro skill players at receiver and tight end.  

Carson Beck is the leader in the clubhouse. He played in 7 games last season and completed 26/35 passes for 310 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Many believe that Beck will be the starter come opening week. 

The starting quarterback will take snaps from one of the best centers in the land, Sedrick Van Pran. Folks close to the program describe Van Pran as the team’s unquestionable leader both on and off the field. The future pro can act as an on-field mentor to calm the new quarterback during challenging moments. The center-quarterback relationship is critical. It’s vital for the Dawgs in 2023.

DEFENSE

While there are questions about the coordinator and quarterback on the offensive side of the football, the Georgia defense should yet again reload to be one of the top units in the country. Kirby Smart has done a tremendous job of recruiting 4 and 5-star players and developing them into a dominating cohesive unit. 

The 2022 defense was much like the 2021 version and littered with NFL draft picks. Smart’s Dawgs were downright nasty after allowing a mere 14.3 points and 297 yards per game. It also allowed just a 27% success ratio on third down and opponents scored touchdowns in the Red Zone on just 38% of their trips inside the 20. Domination. 

The Dawg defense is led by co-coordinators Will Muschamp and the Fain and Billy Slaughter Defensive coordinator, Glen Schumann. Not sure what all that means and it’s a mouth full, but it appears that Smart is deploying two defensive play callers. It really doesn’t matter who manages the charts on the sideline, UGA simply has better defensive players than anyone else. Remember, it’s Jimmy’s and Joe’s, not X and O’s. Choosing the Best and Most Important Defensive Player is nearly an impossible task. That two-deep is basically a college all-star team. But, I’ll give it a shot. 

Best Defensive Player: Jamon Dumas-Johnson

Dumas-Johnson was a Butkus Award finalist after starting all 15 games for the Dawgs in 2022. The linebacker led the powerful Georgia defense with 9 tackles for loss. He finished second on the team with 70 tackles and also recorded four quarterback sacks. The 6’1, 245-pound junior is Smart’s defensive leader and is poised for another productive season. Jamon Dumas-Johnson is a Preseason All-American on multiple outlets and will likely be listed on a plethora of national defensive honors. 

Most Important Defensive Player: Mykel Williams 

With all the stars on that side of the football, this may be a surprising pick to some. Williams is a true sophomore that could potentially have a national-level, breakout season for Kirby Smart. Williams is listed at 6’5, 270 pounds. The OLB/DE possesses excellent size to go along with elite athletic traits. Williams starred at times on last year’s national championship team after recording 28 tackles and 3 quarterback sacks.

The rookie led the ultra-talented UGA defense with an amazing 31 quarterback hurries. Another developmental year in the program could see the Columbus, Georgia product turn some of those hurries into sacks. 

Schedule Preview

Georgia’s 2023 schedule is less than daunting to put it nicely. UGA’s path to Atlanta and the CFB Playoffs is mainly clear. UT Martin and Ball State get served up first before home contests against South Carolina and UAB. The Dawgs travel to Auburn which could be a tricky rivalry game, but I doubt it. Kentucky visits Athens on October 7. The Cats-Dawgs matchup is normally one of the most physical games of the season for both participants. Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin’s offense may be a test, but the Dawgs get the Rebels at home. I can see Tennessee in Knoxville being one of the highlighted conference games of the season. The annual tradition of a season finale blowout against Georgia Tech finishes up the regular season. 

2023 PREDICTION: SEC East, 1st; Overall, 1st

What Does All This Mean?

Can Georgia win three in a row? We’ll see. Losing Monken and Bennett IV could lead to a minor step backward. But, there is an overabundance of talent at Bobo’s disposal. The Dawgs could simply Jimmy and Joe their way to another undefeated slate. The defense will be nasty, again. 

The schedule is extremely friendly. I don’t like to use the term “Cake Walk”, but UGA’s regular season path to Atlanta could be a mere formality. 

I fully expect Georgia to be back in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. I’m not so sure that this version of the Bulldog’s offense is going to be as malicious as those that were led by Todd Monken and Stetson Bennett IV. But, Smart’s two-deep is overwhelmingly skilled and could overwhelm opponents on a weekly basis. 

Georgia and Kirby Smart are the SEC’s new standard.