The Bulldogs have a ton of starting positions up for grabs with the caliber of players on the Athens practice grounds.
rivalry. It’s the foundation of all great teams. Excellent players force other excellent players to improve or risk being ignored. Georgia engages in it to the same extent as any other college football team.
Georgia is in an intriguing situation as we approach 2024. It used to be possible to forecast a team’s success based on how many of its starters would return, but in the age of the Transfer Portal, this is becoming less and less common. That’s what the Bulldogs have. Only three players who start on both sides of the ball are out for them.
It must be wonderful to have all of that talent return, right? Kirby Smart, head coach, offers an alternative viewpoint. Your job is not guaranteed this season just because you started earlier.
Earlier this week, Smart asked, “I ask you: does that make you superior to other individuals because you’ve snapped snaps?
There will undoubtedly always be rivalries in Georgia. With five-star prospects that won’t just sit back and watch veterans take all the plays, the Bulldogs have added another class that ranks as the best overall recruit class.
“Experiences are definitely valuable, especially in this league,” Smart went on. However, you can turn around. Additionally, you have to exercise caution when interacting with older guys because if you don’t, they regress and the younger guy outperforms them.
Since we’ve been here, there hasn’t been a single year when a younger player hasn’t outperformed an older one because the latter wasn’t as hungry, focused, or motivated.
It is possible for two things to be true simultaneously. Although Smart frequently uses the media to deliver messages to his upperclassmen, it’s highly likely that he means every word when he says it.
Following the injury to two-year Georgia starting linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson last season, rookie CJ Allen took over as linebacker and never let go of the position. Upon arriving on campus as a freshman, Malaki Starks defeated several highly sought-after recruits to begin his college career.
We have a decent idea of what Georgia’s two-deep will look like against Clemson in Week 1 because so many guys are back, but don’t be surprised if a few younger players surprise us.
