The issue with the rich is that, in college football especially, they tend to get richer. The Georgia Bulldogs, led by Kirby Smart, who had only won 42-2 in the previous three seasons, have added one of the top transfer portal classes in the nation.
Despite losing 20 players to the portal, Kirby has added six players, giving Georgia’s already strong team even more strength. Georgia’s class is ranked No. 31 in the country by 247 Sports, but the Dawgs are performing okay when compared against the top high school class in the nation.
Georgia wanted to surround Carsen Beck with some impact players on offense because Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey were leaving for the NFL. He succeeded in doing so by raiding two SEC rivals.
Georgia added three wide receivers, a defensive lineman, a safety, and one running back overall. In 2024, these three individuals will have the greatest influence. Caleb Downs, the defensive back for Alabama, turned down the Bulldogs in favor of Ohio State, though there might have been a fourth.
Three players that Georgia acquired the most through the transfer portal: Josh Yourish, a fan-focused college football writer, assessed Kirby Smart’s haul through the site and determined that these three players were the top finds for the Bulldogs.
Colbie Young
In order to improve its passing game, Georgia needed to replace 6-foot-4 Brock Bowers, and 6-foot-5 Colbie Young could be the solution. Although Young weighs 25 pounds less than the projected first-round tight end, Mike Bobo’s scheme will benefit from having an enormous receiver.
Young, who lined up on the outside for 95.5% of his snaps, caught 47 receptions for 563 yards and five touchdowns in his second season at Miami. With just two drops, he caught 74.6% of his 63 targets, and he was 12 of 18 when it came to contest catch possibilities. Among wide receivers who saw at least 50 targets in the previous season, his 1.79 yards per route run ranked 162nd; nonetheless, an improvement at the quarterback position will result in an explosive production in 2024.
Thanks to McConkey and Bowers, Georgia had 65 throwing plays of 20 yards or more in 2023, good for sixth place in the nation. Although Young only caught three of his eleven targets of more than 20 yards downfield, he won’t deliver explosives, but he will be a true chain mover for the Bulldogs. 34.9% of his targets from the previous season came from downfield, when he was seven of eight on contested catches and had 12 of his 20 receptions go for first downs.
Humphreys of London
London Humphreys was a three-star recruit in 2022 who didn’t even receive an offer from Georgia. However, Kirby changed his mind following Humphreys’ first season at Vanderbilt, where he caught 22 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns.
Although Humphreys only completed 45.7% of his targets in the previous season, Vanderbilt’s quarterbacking was miles apart from that of Carsen Beck. Humphreys will be a playmaker with the ball in his hands even if he doesn’t immediately establish dominance, as seen by his average of 6.0 yards after the catch per reception.
Humphreys’s physicality at the catch point is his main problem. At 6-foot-2 and 186 pounds, in 2023, he only succeeded in bringing down three of his thirteen competitive catch opportunities. Nevertheless, he had excellent SEC rookie statistics, and he will play a key role in Georgia’s passing attack the next year.
Trevor Etienne, RB
Even though Georgia’s offense was excellent—it was sixth in overall offense and fourth in yards per play—the Dawgs had never had a great running back of the NFL caliber. Despite finishing with 881 yards and 13 touchdowns and an average of 5.4 yards per rush, Daijun Edwards was not the kind of athlete who could dominate a game.
Despite having 14 touchdowns this season and an average of 6.5 yards per carry, Kendall Milton only carried the ball 121 times and has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. Since Edwards and Milton are both destined for the NFL, Kirby needed to provide his offense with a dynamic backfield player.
After averaging 6.1 yards per run as a freshman, Etienne improved to 5.7 yards per carry as a sophomore at Florida. He concluded the previous season with 753 running yards and eight touchdowns in a split backfield, while also catching 21 receptions for 172 yards and an additional score.
His output should rise for the Bulldogs because he was playing behind a weaker offensive line at Florida, but he can still produce plays even if the O-line struggles. He was 24th in the nation in 2023 with an average of 4.01 yards after contact per attempt, two positions below Milton’s 4.12 average. With a 3.04, Edwards was 156th.
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