What’s next? That was the message on Georgia’s social media channels on Wednesday night as the team, and fans readied themselves to open fall camp for the 2023 season. Expectations are high on this year’s Georgia team. The team’s win total sits at 11.5, leaving little margin for error in a 12-game regular season schedule. Anything short of a second straight SEC championship and a third straight national championship will be viewed as a disappointment. Let’s start by catching up on Georgia’s Fast and Furious off-season.
No team has won three-straight titles since Minnesota did it back in the 1930s, no pressure. Kirby Smart has embraced the target at SEC Media Days. “We expect to be good at the Unversity of Georgia. Better Never Rests.” Over the next few weeks, we’ll have plenty of time to break down what is happening at camp before the season kicks off on September 2nd.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁?#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/vQuYjWLDrO
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) August 3, 2023
New Faces on Offense
Stetson Bennet is gone. The former walk-on turned two-national champion, and Heisman finalist was drafted in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Rams. Bennet brought a swagger to the Bulldog offense, Smart tried to replace him with everybody from D’Wan Mathis to J.T. Daniels. Undeterred, Bennet took hold of the job and elevated the Bulldogs to some of their top offensive performances in the last two years. Carson Beck seems to be the odds-on favorite to take over for the Dawgs in 2023. Look for Brock Vandagriff to make a push if Beck falters. Beck and Vandagriff will also work with a new, but familiar face in 2023.
Return of Bobo
Mike Bobo returns as offensive coordinator this season. Bobo replaces Todd Monken who left after the championship game to take over the Baltimore Ravens’ offense. This will be Bobo’s second stint as Georgia’s offensive coordinator having served under Mark Richt in various positions from 2001-2014. While there may be some fears over changing who is calling the plays, Bobo worked closely with Monken last year as an analyst. Bobo was successful in his own right as the lead signal caller for Georgia. Four of the top five seasons for average yards per game in history for the Bulldogs came under Bobo, including the school record mark of 484.15 in 2012.
Bobo will have a young and inexperienced group at quarterback this season, but the position is his specialty. Aaron Murray was Georgia’s quarterback during the 2012 season. In an interview on Sirius XM earlier this Spring, Murray highly praised his former coach. “He’s going to get the most out of them. He got the most out of me. I’m a 6-foot quarterback, with good arm strength — not great. I’m somewhat athletic, and he turned me into a guy with almost every record in the SEC regarding quarterback stats. If he can do that with me, I think he can do that with guys much more athletic and talented than I am.” Beck is a four-star recruit competing with Vandagriff and Gunnar Stockton, who are five-star recruits. Speaking of recruiting…
Fast and Furious Recruiting
Georiga has been fast and furious on the recruiting trail. They have the #1 ranked recruiting class according to 247Sports. Georgia currently has 25 commits in the class, with 20 having a four- or five-star rating. Smart has placed significant emphasis on recruiting while at Georgia. During his seven seasons, Georgia has an average recruiting ranking of 2.86, just behind Alabama (1.85). After missing on the Arch Manning the top quarterback in the Class of 2023, Smart made sure he wouldn’t miss again. Dylan Raiola announced his commitment to Georgia in May.
Raiola was not deterred by the five-star quarterbacks (Vandagriff and Stockton) already trenched at Georgia. Instead, he was motivated by the program’s culture. “There’s a culture and standard that I was attracted to. The more time passed, the stronger I felt about Georgia, ultimately leading to this decision.” Raiola’s commitment seemed to spark several other top commitments to Athens. Here is a brief list of some of the top names.
- Ellis Robinson IV is a five-star cornerback from Florida and the country’s top-ranked cornerback. “The type of cornerback that has the tools to shut down one side of the field or take an opponent’s top receiver out of the game.”- Andrew Ivins, 247 Sports
- Justin Williams is a five-star linebacker out of Texas, and the country’s #2 ranked linebacker. Turbo-charged off-ball linebacker prospect with physical traits and athleticism to become a high-major difference maker. Possesses a lean, athletic build with ample frame space.” Gabe Brooks, 247 Sports
- Jaden Reddell Is a four-star tight end out of Missouri, and the country’s #4 ranked tight end. Todd Hartley has a special place for tight ends and has made Georgia Tight End U.
Fast and Furious Driving
The biggest obstacle to the team’s success in 2023 may be the people they see in the mirror. Georgia’s championship celebrations were dampened when staffer Chandler LeCroy and offensive tackle Devin Willock were killed in an automobile accident the night of the championship parade. According to the investigation, LeCroy was driving a 2021 Ford Expedition vehicle roadway and hit two power poles and several trees. The news devastated the team and Dawg fans, but it also highlighted an internal problem with the Georgia program: driving recklessly and over the speed limit.
Throughout the offseason reports came in of multiple Georgia players being pulled over or arrested for several traffic-related incidents since then. Smart said all the right things and assured the media in Nashville that the team was taking the problem seriously. “I’m disappointed anytime we have traffic incidents. We don’t have more now than we’ve had in the past.” He went on to talk about player safety. “What concerns me most is the safety of our players, and when you drive at high speeds, it’s unsafe. We don’t want that to happen. We will do all we can to remove that and eradicate it.”
Georgia has dealt with at least 10 reported traffic-related moving violations involving players in Athens-Clarke County since the devastating crash. While we are not inside the building and are privy to conversations between Smart and his players. It is fair to say that something more needs to be done. This isn’t Bud Kilmer asking “if his boys are too much trouble.” The January 15th incident cut short the lives of two young people. Smart must do more to curb this behavior and keep the focus on football in 2023 and not the speed limit.
Photo courtesy: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
