Spring Review: Georgia Bulldogs

Spring practices have concluded across the Southeastern Conference. You kept a close eye on what was happening with Kentucky football, but how did the Wildcats’ opponents fare? KSR has everything you need to know from spring abut the guys that will line up on the other side of the line of scrimmage this fall. Next up is the defending National Champion Georgia Bulldogs.

Spring Review: Vanderbilt Commodores, Florida Gators

Mike Bobo Inherits Life After Stetson Bennett

It took no time for former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to get the Dawgs’ defense on track in Athens. Finding the right fit offensively is another story. Todd Monken arrived in 2020 to take over play-calling duties and the switch was immediately flipped.

In three years with Monken on the headset, the Dawgs lost three total games and won back-to-back National Championships. He found the right signal caller with Stetson Bennett and the struggling aerial attack took flight. Over the past two years Georgia ranked No. 5 in in the country in points per game (39.8) and No. 8 in scrimmage yards per game (472.0), while throwing for just shy of 300 yards per game.

Monken departed this offseason to lead Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens’ offense. Kirby Smart turned to a familiar face, Mike Bobo. The former Georgia quarterback spent seven years calling the Dawgs’ offense for Mark Richt. He returned to the SEC at Auburn in 2021, then spent last season on the sideline as an analyst.

Similar to the way Mark Stoops sold Rich Scangarello to the BBN, Kirby Smart preached continuity in the decision to promote Bobo. There may be continuity within the coaching staff, but there’s turnover at quarterback.

Throughout the spring two players primarily battled to be Bennett’s replacement, Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff. The latter, a former five-star recruit in the 2021 class, appears to have lost the battle in the spring after Beck completed 15-of-22 passes for 231 yards and one touchdown in the spring game. Despite wide speculation that Vandagriff would transfer, the talented underclassman will remain in Athens this fall. Smart and Bobo have not yet selected a starter, but Beck is the favorite to take the first snaps of the season.

Running Back Injuries Add Up

In addition to a new quarterback, Georgia is also looking for a go-to guy in the backfield after leading-rusher Kenny McIntosh was selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, Georgia fans didn’t get to see the heir-apparents in action much this spring.

Ideally, each program has an explosive runner that can catch passes out of the backfield and a physical road-grader that can get hard yards. Kendall Milton and Branson Robinson are expected to seamlessly fill those respective roles. Milton has three years of quality experience under his belt and Robinson is a former Top 100 recruit that had three scores and averaged just shy of five yards per carry as a true freshman.

The problem is that neither were able to play in the spring game. Milton had a soft tissue injury that took him out of spring ball and Robinson suffered a foot injury that required surgery. These do not appear to be long-term problems, but there is some anxiety that the running back room will not look like it did when Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D’Andre Swift were sharing carries.

Big Addition to the Georgia Wide Receiver Room

In the transfer portal era of college football, the rich are pretty good at getting richer. That’s what happened this spring when former Missouri Tiger Dominic Lovett made the move to Athens.

Eli Drinkwitz did not create the most explosive aerial attack in CoMo last fall, yet Lovett still finished fifth in the league with 70.5 receiving yards per game. The explosive slot receiver accounted for 846 yards and will most likely be Beck’s go-to target this fall in Athens.

Georgia will still have a Dominant Defense

The Georgia defense deployed in the 2021 season is one of the best college football has ever seen. Every starter from that defense was drafted (don’t check my math, but I believe that’s correct). Despite the departures, they’ll still be loaded in 2023.

This offseason On3 is ranking the best position groups in the nation. The Dawgs will have the top group of defensive linemen/edges, the second-best linebackers and cornerbacks, and the third-ranked safeties. You may argue over where exactly each group should fall in the pecking order, but it’s abundantly clear they’re going to be a damn good defense once again.

DE Mykell Williams led Georgia in sacks as a true freshman. Safety Malaki Starks had a similar impact as a true freshman. The former five-star picked off a pass in the opener against Oregon and finished the season with 68 tackles and a team-high seven PBUs. In-between the two they have an All-American candidate in linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson. Points will once again come at a premium against one of the top five defenses in college football.

What the Georgia Spring Means for Kentucky

The last time these two teams met between the hedges, College GameDay was in town for a Top 25 matchup. History has a chance of repeating itself if the Wildcats can take care of business against Vanderbilt and Florida. There are enough offensive uncertainties to believes the Dawgs will take a step back in production this fall, but betting against the Bulldogs and Kirby Smart is not for the faint of heart.