The three most pressing Georgia needs that the transfer site has revealed
According to Josh Yourish, a college football reporter for FanSided, Georgia may suffer consequences for failing to handle these three roster holes in the transfer portal.
It’s difficult to argue a team has any significant roster gaps that haven’t been filled when they consistently bring in the best or second-best recruiting class in the nation and have a two-time national champion coach lounging on a mountain of NIL riches like a dragon in a castle.
Kirby Smart can extort Trevor Etienne from Florida if he loses his top two running backs to the NFL, as he did with Kendall Milton and Daijuan Edwards this offseason. If Ladd McConkey departs, he may go get his body double from Vanderbilt, London Humphreys, who has an equally southern name.
It is always a stretch to claim that Georgia has “glaring needs,” but as we saw in the SEC championship game against Alabama the previous season, this program is not flawless. Six outstanding newcomers and the nation’s top high school class haven’t completely fixed all of the shortcomings on the 2023 squad.
Georgia could still afford a couple more additions, even after all that player turnover. Should Kirby remain silent during the transfer portal window in May, it is possible that these three position groupings will be the cause of Georgia’s defeat the next season.
offensive line
Rather of strengthening his offensive line, Kirby Smart prioritized replacing Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey, Daijuan Edwards, and Kendall Milton at the skill positions in the transfer portal. But the front group could have used some help when Amarius Mims and Sedrick Van Pran were traded to the NFL.
Tate Ratledge and Dylan Fairchild will return at right guard and left guard, respectively, and Xavier Truss and Earnest Greene II are back to play the tackle roles, with Truss on the right and Greene on the left. Although it’s a solid group, Jared Wilson will have to take on the role of starting center in 2023 after seeing just 111 snaps there due to the loss of experienced depth.
A powerful center is essential for a club that still prioritizes the run game. Carsen Beck, in his second year as the starter, is better equipped to handle checks at the line, so it’s less significant for pass protection, but early in the season there might still be some growing pains.
When Mims missed time during the previous season, Wilson and Truss could easily step in at right tackle and left guard, respectively. However, with those seasoned depth players now starting on a full-time basis, Georgia is obliged to develop more adaptable backups who may find themselves in key situations by 2024.
Although the Bulldogs had enough skill on the roster to cover gaps, Kirby and Mike Bobo might have benefitted from adding an experienced offensive tackle through the transfer portal.
Line of defense
Georgia’s rushing defense, which allowed just 3.8 yards per carry, placed them 20th at the end of 2023. Although it wasn’t a major flaw, the defensive line wasn’t as strong as it usually was when players like Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter were on the field. Alabama’s 114-yard run and on-the-ground touchdown to win the game exposed that bunch even further.
In the passing game, the D-line posed a greater threat. In terms of sacks per game, the Bulldogs dropped from eighth in 2021 to 40th in 2022 and finally to 65th in the previous year. Athens finds it unacceptable that the pass rush is now pedestrian.
Both Jalon Walker, a linebacker, and Mykel Williams, the team’s top pressurer, will be back in 2024. However, Walker only had the seventh-most pass rush snaps on the defense in the previous season. Another linebacker, Smael Mondon, was third in terms of pressures.
While Zion Logue is leaving for the league, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse are both returning, but neither player is a significant pass rusher. Instead of taking a chance on an edge or interior rusher in the portal, Kirby only acquired Xzavier McLeod, a 6-foot-5, 284-pound freshman at South Carolina who played just 30 snaps. Quarterback
There is absolutely no issue with starting quarterback. In his first year of replacing Stetson Bennett, Carsen Beck did well, even appearing to be an improvement at the position. But Brock Vandagriff, the player he defeated, moved to Kentucky to start for Mark Stoops because he was fed up with waiting for playing time, leaving UGA without a solid backup.
Although Gunnar Stockton is the obvious number two on the depth chart, he has only attempted 19 passes in his career, with ten of those coming during Florida State’s crushing Orange Bowl victory. In the event that Beck is hurt as a sophomore the following season, Stockton might be prepared to step in and take over in spurts, but that’s not the best insurance plan.
Kirby ought to have looked here as well to bring more nuance to the experience. Georgia is always focused on winning, and if Florida State’s season taught us anything last year, it’s that you need a game-winning strategy that involves players outside your leading quarterback. If only to demonstrate to the committee that you remain among the top 12 teams.
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