ATHENS — Much will be different about Georgia football when the team ventures onto Woodruff Practice Fields on Tuesday afternoon for the first full-squad practice of 2024. A lot will be the same, too.
That starts with expectations. Though the Bulldogs (13-1) came up short last season in their bid to become the first three-peat national champion in modern-day history, the expectation is for them to be back in the hunt again. Between the team they’ll field and college football’s expansion to a 12-team playoff, anything less than participating in the national tournament this year would be a surprise and disappointment of colossal proportions. Earliest projections have Georgia, again, ranked No. 1.
But while Kirby Smart will be back for a ninth season as head coach and Carson Beck returns as starting quarterback, there will be newness all around:
- There will be four new assistant coaches and several new analysts, representing the largest staff turnover in Smart’s tenure.
- Thirty new players, comprised of 24 mid-year enrollees and six transfers, will be experiencing a Georgia football practice for the first time.
- Coach-to-player communication during games is expected to receive formal approval next month and will need to be incorporated into daily practices.
So, there will be a lot to get used to in 15 practices over 32 days. Spring ball concludes with the annual G-Day intrasquad scrimmage, which is set for April 13 at Sanford Stadium (start time to be determined).
Smart and “select players” will gather to discuss spring practice and the expectations for the 2024 season at noon Tuesday. In the meantime, here are five things to know heading into Week 1:
About the offense …
Beck returning for his second season as starting quarterback and fifth as a college football player is the obvious headline. But entering the spring, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound pass-thrower is a well-known commodity for the Bulldogs. There are several “lesser-knowns” that Georgia will study and seek to refine over the course of five weeks.
Top among those is breaking in a new center. Nobody handled the football more over the past three years than Sedrick Van Pran, who entered the NFL draft with a season of eligibility remaining. Van Pran started an astonishing 44 games in a row at center after winning the job as a redshirt freshman in 2021. Georgia was 42-2 in that span, so he seems to have done all right.
Junior Jared Wilson, who has played in 22 games over three seasons in reserve roles at center and guard, is set to take over. As always, though, the Bulldogs seek the “best five” on the line, so sophomore Drew Bobo, Tate Ratledge and others will work the position as well.
Wilson has one key endorsement. “I think Jared is better than me,” Van Pran told reporters before Orange Bowl week. The rest of the line is set.
Even more attention will be on Georgia’s offensive backfield and the potential impact of high-profile transfer Trevor Etienne from Florida. The Bulldogs are having to replace last season’s leading rushers Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton. Sophomores Roderick Robinson and Andrew Paul remain unproven, and Branson Robinson has yet to be cleared from a ruptured patella tendon. So, the expectation is Etienne (brother of former Clemson star Travis Etienne) can make an instant impact. He should, having recorded 1,710 yards and 15 touchdowns and averaging 736 rushing yards over two seasons with the Gators.
Etienne was asked about his decision to join Florida’s archrival after last season.
“We were still rebuilding and a lot of questions were still unanswered,” Etienne said on the “Real Talk Player Podcast” on YouTube last week. “I feel like I can stay here a year or two and bet on myself and possibly be RB1 and win a (national championship).”
Georgia’s wideout position is well stocked with transfers London Humphreys (Vanderbilt), Michael Jackson III (USC) and Colbie Young (Miami) joining lettermen Dillon Bell, Dominic Lovett, Rara Thomas, Arian Smith and several others. Likewise, even with the great Brock Bowers moving on, Oscar Delp, Lawson Luckie and transfer Ben Yurosek (Stanford) will keep the tight end position strong and be a big part offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s strategy.
About the defense …
There will be more overall newness on the defense, but signs point to little drop-off. The secondary will be the primary focus as the Bulldogs seek to replace three starters who entered next month’s NFL draft.
Talent is prevalent, though, and there are experienced DBs ready to take over. Rising junior Daylen Everette, a former 5-star recruit, started 14 games at the cornerback opposite of Kamari Lassiter. Julian Humphrey pushed Everette for playing time every week last season and is ready to step up after playing in 13 games as a backup and special-teams contributor. Georgia had to fight to keep freshman Daniel Harris out of the transfer portal and plan to utilize him since he didn’t.
All-American safety Malaki Starks leads a deep group of cross-trained defensive backs, including Dan Jackson, Justyn Rhett, JaCorey Thomas, David Daniel-Sisavanh, Joenel Aguero and Kyron Jones. Somebody among them figures to become the starting nickel back. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are eager to see where 5-star signees KJ Bolden and Ellis Robinson fit in.
That Georgia remains confident about inside linebacker despite losing two-year starter/leader Jamon Dumas-Johnson to Kentucky via the portal speaks to the talent accumulation at the position. A big season is expected for senior Smael Mondon, who needs to stay healthy, and rising sophomores CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson represent athletic upgrades with more help on the way via recruits.
As always, defensive effectiveness will be dictated up front. The Bulldogs will look much the same as last year there with starters Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse back in the fold. The experiment of junior Mykel Williams moving from defensive end to outside linebacker is critical and needs to work. But young talent abounds, with rising sophomores like Jordan Hall, Jamaal Jarrett and Christen Miller eager to take the next step up front.
About the special teams ...
Georgia is in great shape when it comes to kicking specialists, with place-kicker Peyton Woodring and Brett Thorson returning from solid seasons.
As a freshman, Woodring was 21-of-25 on field-goal attempts, with a long of 48 yards and perfect on 71 PATs. Spring should determine if Woodring or someone else will handle kickoff responsibilities after senior Jared Zirkel transferred to Texas A&M. Woodring handled only two of Georgia’s 105 kickoffs in 2023, so whether he does in 2024 is still to be determined.
Thorson, the personable Aussie, loves to joke about his lack of opportunities to punt with the Bulldogs’ offense being so prolific. But he tends to make the most of his opportunities. He averaged 43.84 yards on 32 punts after averaging 45.0 on 36 as a freshman. The co-host of a weekly podcast, Thorson continues to plead to run a fake. Perhaps this is the year.
It’s in the returns game where there is some mystery. Primary returner Mekhi Mews transferred in search of a scholarship, which he found at Houston. With Ladd McConkey NFL-bound, Anthony Evans, Dillon Bell and Aguero are the only returnees with any experience. Count Etienne among those eager to audition.
About the coaching staff ..
Georgia tied for the most coaching turnover it has had in the Smart era this past offseason. He had to replace four assistants, which matches the 2022-23 offseason.
The Bulldogs replace both defensive backfield coaches, though Will Muschamp’s resignation from the co-DC/safeties position had as much to do with getting Travaris Robinson on staff as it did getting Muschamp a step closer to retirement. Robinson worked for Muschamp at Florida and South Carolina. He comes to Georgia from Alabama. Donte Williams coming to UGA from Southern Cal to replace the highly successful Fran Brown, who become head coach at Syracuse, is unknown at this point in terms of being an upgrade or downgrade. He’ll coached the cornerbacks.
Meanwhile, James Coley returning as wide receivers coach certainly wouldn’t be labeled a splash hire. He replaces Bryan McClendon, who went to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Bucs, three years after he was demoted as Georgia’s offensive coordinator. But Smart went to some trouble and expense to make it happen. Coley’s departure from South Carolina after only five weeks there required a $450,000 buyout of his contract with the Gamecocks. He will make $650,000 at UGA after making $1.1 million at Texas A&M last year. The Bulldogs certainly missed the Miami native’s recruiting presence in South Florida stomping grounds.
Dell McGee leaving to take over Georgia State’s program is the most significant change. McGee was the last of Smart’s original staff members, coaching running backs since 2016. Between Georgia’s proud running back legacy and McGee’s recruiting prowess, that leaves new backfield coach Josh Crawford (Georgia Tech) with some big shoes to fill. Crawford is a former Colquitt County Packer who knows his way around South Georgia and should be able to hold his own on the recruiting trail.
Meanwhile, there was much activity in the considerable space that houses Smart’s support staff. Between experienced coaches temporarily filling analysts roles and young quality-control specialists moving into elevated roles elsewhere, the Bulldogs have incurred extensive change in areas that include advanced statistical analytics, video review and recruiting evaluation. Georgia football’s support group remains at more than 60 full-timers, however, and there are no indications of a let-up in any area.
Injuries and other stuff …
Spring practice will mark a return to action for several Georgia players who missed playing time toward the end of the season.
Among those expected to get back on the field include cornerback Julian Humphrey, linebacker Smael Mondon, wide receiver Rara Thomas, defensive tackle Christan Miller and outside linebacker Damon Wilson. All of them sat out Georgia’s 63-3 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Smart is expected to provide updates on the Bulldogs’ injury list when he meets with the media on Tuesday.
Sophomore running back Branson Robinson will not be among the returnees. He still is rehabilitating a major knee injury sustained in preseason camp last year.
The Bulldogs have had more than 20 team members who played last season enter the transfer portal. The latest to leave was junior offensive lineman Chad Lindberg. The 6-6, 325-pound junior decided to seek a new destination last week after graduating in three years with a degree in finance. He’ll have two season of eligibility remaining after playing in 28 games as a reserve lineman for the Bulldogs.
Nevertheless, Georgia remains over the NCAA’s 85-man scholarship limit. At last count, the Bulldogs were at 89, depending on the scholarship status of senior safety Dan Jackson. The transfer portal window currently is closed to non-graduates, but will reopen May 1 for a 15-day spring window.
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