THREE REASONS FOR OPTIMISM
1. Perimeter punch
No position group in Athens should make a bigger jump than receiver, where the Bulldogs ventured into the NCAA transfer portal and snagged Zachariah Branch from Southern California and Noah Thomas from Texas A&M. Branch amassed 47 receptions for 503 yards and a touchdown for last season’s Trojans, while Thomas led the Aggies with 39 catches for 574 yards and eight scores. Georgia should not expect another drop-plagued season from a receiver corps that also returns Dillon Bell and London Humphreys.
2. “Between the Hedges”
Georgia’s schedule last season contained five games against teams that reached the College Football Playoff — Clemson, Texas (twice), Tennessee and Notre Dame — and two more contests versus teams that just missed out — Alabama and Ole Miss. Only the Volunteers out of that contingent traveled to Sanford Stadium, so this year’s schedule is slightly easier with Clemson no longer on it and with Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss having to venture to Athens. The reason “slightly” needs to be used is because none of Georgia’s rivalry games against Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech and Tennessee are “Between the Hedges.”
3. Restocking talent
A recruiting machine like Georgia not only produces immediate depth each year but showcases stars of the future. Three five-star defensive signees from within the state — lineman Elijah Griffin, edge rusher Isaiah Gibson and linebacker Zayden Walker — are candidates to lead that next wave, and wait until opposing defenses try to move 6-foot-7, 360-pound freshman tackle Juan Gaston Jr.
THREE CAUSES FOR CONCERN
1. Is Stockton it?
Make no mistake, Gunner Stockton has put in the time, is beloved by his teammates and performed admirably when thrust into action in Georgia’s final six quarters of the season against Texas and Notre Dame. What still needs to be answered is whether he can be that next elite quarterback for the Bulldogs. Georgia has won the past two decades with a five-star talent like Matthew Stafford and a gutty former walk-on like Stetson Bennett, so backgrounds don’t always matter. A mammoth question for the Bulldogs is whether their offensive productivity can match Stockton’s obvious grit.
2. Lots of youth
Kirby Smart didn’t waste time at SEC media days last month pointing out that 54% of his roster is comprised of players in their first or second year in the program. He then added that last year’s team was one of the most veteran he had been around. Last season’s Bulldogs won three of their four one-possession games and nearly overcame that 28-0 hole at Alabama, so will this year’s team be able to deliver in crunch time?
3. League parity
Today’s SEC landscape is very different from just two years ago, when it seemed like Alabama and Georgia were destined to meet in every SEC championship game. Texas and its vast resources entered the league last year, while LSU and South Carolina have high hopes for this season based off their returning quarterbacks. It’s no longer the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs and everyone else. Georgia reached last December’s league championship game with two league losses, earning the tiebreaker over Tennessee, but will the Bulldogs be as fortunate should they repeat a 6-2 SEC finish?
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.