What the Sugar Bowl-bound Bulldogs are looking for when the transfer portal opens Monday

ATHENS – Georgia coach Kirby Smart was in a good mood on Sunday, as well he should be.

The Bulldogs’ ninth-year coach certainly had to be feeling some relief after winning the program’s 15th SEC Championship — third during his watch — and locking up a first-round bye Sunday as the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff. Certainly he is also aware that those accomplishments so far have netted him $800,000 in bonuses. Smart’s recently-restructured contract, which raised his salary to $13.5 million per year, allows him to earn a maximum of $1.77 million in bonuses attached to playing for the conference championship, winning it, earning a playoff bid, making it to the championship game and, finally, winning the whole thing.

Defeating No. 2 Texas 22-19 in overtime Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium has brought all those goals into play for Smart and the Bulldogs. Georgia (11-2) was awarded the No. 2 seed and first-round bye in the CFP selection committee’s final rankings release on Sunday. That means the Bulldogs as of Monday have 24 days to rest and prepare for a Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl matchup against the winner of Notre Dame-Indiana.

Ever wonder how fields look perfect? Meet the unsung heroes like Matt Hollan at UGA, ensuring top-notch turf so players can shine without slipping.

This will be UGA’s 12th appearance in the Sugar Bowl — more than any other — and second under Smart. It also has been common destination for Smart, who coached in the Sugar Bowl several other times as an assistant at Florida State and Alabama.

“It’s one of the first games that I remember seeing and watching as a kid in the early ‘80s, you know, Herschel Walker, and those moments and things that have happened in the Sugar Bowl. “Including all my years at Alabama, I think my kids think their second home is the Sugar Bowl and they’re very spoiled when it comes to playing in that electric atmosphere of big matchups and big games. The SEC has been paired with the Sugar Bowl for a long time and Georgia does, too.”

The latest on Georgia football injuries

Getting the first-round bye might have been the greatest reward for the Bulldogs. They were already dealing with an inordinate amount of injuries before two more befell quarterback Carson Beck and punter Brett Thorson on Saturday.

Beck suffered an elbow injury to his right (throwing) arm at the end of the first half Saturday and Thorson went down with an injury to his right knee late in the third quarter of that hard-fought game against the Longhorns.

Smart said both players underwent MRI tests on Sunday. As of late afternoon, the Georgia coach insisted he had not been informed about what those images revealed.

“We’re waiting on results on both of those,” Smart said. “I don’t know (when he’ll be updated on their status) because I’m not following that. I’ve got a lot of other things going on. They’ll reach out to me once they know something and get back to us.”

The Bulldogs know now they have a capable backup quarterback. Third-year sophomore Gunner Stockton took over in the second half and was able to rally Georgia to take a lead in the third quarter, then win in the first overtime period. Stockton finished with 71 yards on 12-of-16 passing with an interception and 8 yards rushing.

A true dual-threat quarterback, Stockton’s best contribution was energizing Georgia’s running game, which doubled the first-half input in the third quarter alone and finished with 141 yards. Running back Trevor Etienne led the way with 94 yards and two touchdowns.

What’s Georgia looking for in the transfer portal?

In the meantime, the NCAA’s transfer portal opens for business on Monday. As a result, Smart was consulting with his staff both about Georgia players that might decide to leave and players the Bulldogs might want to acquire.

“All of them,” Smart said of what positions Georgia may be looking to replenish. “There’s not position that we have enough depth at. I repeatedly say we have less depth than we’ve had before. So, we’ll evaluate the portal on who fits our culture.”

Georgia already saw one frontline player quit to enter the portal. Redshirt sophomore cornerback Julian Humphrey, a 10-game starter, announced last week his intent to change destinations. He did not accompany the Bulldogs to the SEC Championship and was replaced in the lineup by Daniel Harris, who was steadily commanding more playing time as it was.

Smart said the Bulldogs will take a brief time off this week before resuming practice. He said 80 percent of their preparation over the next three weeks would be working on themselves, with the rest being devoted to studying sixth-seeded Notre Dame (11-1) and No. 10 Indiana (11-1).

“We’ll continue to get better with the guys that want to be here,” Smart said. “There’s not going to be a team in the country that doesn’t have somebody leave and maybe somebody they don’t expect. I feel like that’s become somewhat of a norm.”

So has Georgia playing for championships and winning some now and then.