Front Porch Football2018 Georgia Season Preview
by Chris Paschal
1st – SEC East
Athens, GA| Sanford Stadium (92, 746) | 2017 Record: 13-2 (7-1)
The Dawgs are back. After years of competing, but not winning anything of meaning in the SEC, the Dawgs won their first SEC title in over a decade. To show the progression of this Georgia program, let’s revisit what I wrote in the 2016 Front Porch Football Preview for Georgia: “The once proud Georgia Bulldogs have not won an SEC title in over a decade. Georgia has not won a national title since 1980. Since 1990, Georgia and Florida have played 26 times. The Dawgs have won six of those matchups. In the last six meetings against South Carolina, Georgia has won twice. Georgia has lost the last three games played against Alabama, including in the SEC Championship, and twice in routs in Sanford Stadium. Last year, Georgia lost to Tennessee after leading 24-3 with one-minute left before halftime. That is why there is a new head coach in Athens, Georgia.” That was then. This is now. In two quick years under Kirby Smart, Georgia has quickly put a stranglehold on the SEC East and has bellied up to, and almost beaten, the bully in Alabama.
Offense
Quarterbacks: Sophomore Jake Fromm (6-2, 225) returns after leading the Bulldogs to an SEC title, a Rose Bowl victory, and a berth in the national title game as a true freshman. Fromm is the ultimate competitor. He was named SEC Freshman of the Year, which should put to bed all of the arguments that he was a game manager. Fromm is big, physical, athletic, and clutch. He passed for over 2,600 yards last season and finished with 24 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. Fromm’s injury on his non throwing hand did not hinder him during the summer and won’t during the season.
Fromm returns after being named SEC Freshman of the Year. Image from CBS Sports.
But like Fromm pushed Jacob Eason (no longer on the team) last year, Fromm will be pushed by a true freshman as well. Justin Fields (6-3, 225) was possibly the most talented recruit in the nation last recruiting cycle. Not only did he sign with Georgia, but he enrolled early, too. And not only did he enroll early, but boy did he look good in the spring game. Fields is just as big as Fromm, but he may be even more athletic and even more of a threat in the run game. And he can make every throw. He doesn’t have the experience Fromm does, but he will benefit from having Fromm in his quarterback meetings. Fromm or Fields? Kirby Smart has a good problem on his hands.
Running Back: Georgia lost one of the greatest running back tandems in college football history in Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, and yet the Dawgs still have one of the best backfields in the SEC. Sophomore D’Andre Swift (5-9 ,215) returns after averaging over 7.5 yards per carry as a true freshman. Swift shined last year in a backfield in which most true freshmen would never see the light of day. He has top-end speed and has the “it factor” that we all observed in the SEC title game. Behind him will be a ton of Bulldogs including Elijah Holyfield (5-11, 215) and Brian Herrien (6-0, 210), plus true freshmen James Cook (6-0, 185) out of Miami and Zamir White (6-0, 210) from Laurinburg, NC. Both Cook and White were blue chip recruits in what was the nation’s top recruiting class, but Cook may be featured earlier on, as White is recovering from an ACL Tear. Although White was recently cleared for fall practice he should be used sparingly.
D’Andre Swift no longer has to play backup. Image from USA Today.
Wide Receiver: The Dawgs lost last year’s leading pass-catcher, Javon Wims, to the NFL Draft, but Georgia returns plenty of talent at wide receiver (are you detecting a pattern here?). Terry Godwin (5-11, 185) returns for his senior season. Godwin has been a constant for this Georgia passing attack for years, and he plays bigger than his size. He made some big-time plays last year, including a spectacular catch in South Bend during the Notre Dame game. While he entered camp with a minor knee injury look for Godwin to be in full force on opening kickoff.
Godwin is almost a guaranteed catch. Image from Ledger-Enquirer.
Another undersized, yet talented, receiver is junior Mecole Hardman (5-11, 185). Hardman has a little more speed than Godwin, but is a little less reliable catching the football in traffic. But the guy to keep your eye on is junior Riley Ridley (6-2, 200), the little brother of Alabama stud, Calvin Ridley. Riley is an athletic, big target that hasn’t yet lived up to his potential in Athens. Ridley came in as a big-time recruit, but to date he is best known for catching what was the first of two Hail Mary’s in Athens in 2016 against Tennessee, and for putting on quite the show in the 2017 national title game (six receptions for 82 yards).
Riley Ridley has glimpses of greatness. Image from Sporting News.
Georgia signed some future contributors in tight end Luke Ford and wide receivers Tommy Bush and Kearis Jackson. Tight end Isaac Nauta also returns, but the former five-star recruit hasn’t yet validated his advance billing in Athens.
Offensive Line: Georgia lost two great run blockers in left tackle Isaiah Wynn and tight end Jeb Blazevich. Both are currently trying to make NFL rosters. Besides that, Georgia returns a ton of experience and brings in a ton of talent. This offensive line will be possibly the best offensive line the SEC has seen since 2012 Alabama.
At tackle, Georgia has sophomore Andrew Thomas (6-5, 320), who returns after playing a significant amount of football last season as a true freshman; redshirt freshman Isaiah Wilson (6-7, 345), who was one of the top-rated offensive linemen in the 2017 recruiting cycle; junior D’Marcus Hayes (6-5, 315), who now enters his junior season as one of the veteran voices on this offensive line, and who should be hungry to try and win a starting spot; and true freshman Cade Mays (6-6, 320), who was a five-star recruit out of Knoxville who flipped from Tennessee to Georgia late in the recruiting process (another reason Butch Jones had to go at Tennessee).
Andrew Thomas returns at tackle. Image from Georgia Sports Communication.
At guard, Georgia returns just as much experience with senior Kendall Baker (6-6, 305) and sophomores Ben Cleveland (6-6, 340) and Solomon Kindley (6-4, 340). These are some big boys, which Georgia made a priority in recruiting under offensive line coach Sam Pittman. And just like at tackle, there is an influx of talent at the guard position with true freshman Jamaree Slayer (6-4, 340) and Trey Hill (6-4, 330) who were considered two of the best guard prospects in the 2018 recruiting cycle. Senior Lamont Gaillard (6-2, 310) out of Fayetteville, NC returns as the starting center.
Lamont Gaillard (53) enters senior year at center. Image from UGA Athletics.
Defense
Defensive Line: I’m just going to say it. Georgia does not have one of the five best defensive lines in the SEC. Blasphemous, I know, but who do the Dawgs really have? Michail Carter (6-3, 295) returns as a defensive/nose tackle, but his body of work isn’t terribly impressive. Tyler Clark (6-4, 300) is a solid defensive tackle who finished last season with 41 tackles, 6 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks. David Marshall (6-3, 275) is a solid defensive end who played well in the Rose Bowl, but otherwise was not noteworthy. Johnathon Ledbetter (6-4, 280) joins Marshall as a solid defensive end who finished last year with 38 tackles and 2.5 sacks. And nose tackle Julian Rochester (6-5, 300) played well at times last year with 22 tackles and one sack.
Julian Rochester looks for a standout 2018 season. Image from Red & Black Attack.
My point is that Georgia has fine players, but nothing special. LSU, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, and Mississippi State all have better defensive lines, and South Carolina and Texas A&M’s are competitive with Georgia’s. If Georgia can get consistent play out of the five listed players and maybe bring along junior Michael Barnett (6-4, 305), sophomore Malik Herring (6-3, 280), or sophomore Devonte Wyatt (6-3, 300), then the Dawgs will be fine. But this defensive line was somewhat bailed out at times last season by one of the best linebacking corps in the country. Lorenzo Carter, David Bellamy, and Roquan Smith are no longer with the Dawgs. If this defensive line can’t tie up blockers and clog holes, or more likely, if Georgia’s defensive line gets tired in the second half, then this run defense may suffer.
Johnathon Ledbetter looks to bring some pressure off the edge. Image from Times Free Press.
Linebacker: Speaking of linebackers, this position group is still going to be good, even with the three aforementioned studs leaving. Replacing Roquan Smith will be tough, but Georgia has some talented candidates. Senior Natrez Patrick (6-3, 240) is the most talented and experienced option; unfortunately, he has been arrested not once, but twice already in his Georgia career, and he may be suspended heading for the beginning of the 2018 season (what was that Steve Spurrier line again?).
Patrick has shown that he has the talent needed to be an elite linebacker in the SEC. I was in Sanford Stadium in 2016 when Georgia played Tennessee, and I personally watched Patrick single-handedly take over that game. He finished with 10 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and a sack. I went into that game knowing who he was, but I left thinking he was an All-SEC linebacker. He still might be if he can get his life together. Other inside linebackers include Tae Crowder (6-3, 235), Monty Rice (6-1, 235) and true freshman Channing Tindall (6-2, 220).
Natrez Patrick has the talent…if he can stay on the right side of the law. Image from 247 Sports.
At outside linebacker, Georgia has a lot of long, fast athletes to choose from, similar to old Georgia pass rushers Leonard Floyd and Lorenzo Carter. Walter Grant (6-4, 245) and D’Andre Walker (6-3, 245) are both talented and capable of being big-time SEC linebackers. But don’t be surprised if true freshman Brenton Cox (6-4, 250) and redshirt freshman Robert Beal (6-4, 245) get some playing time, as well. All four of these guys were highly recruited out of high school, and each will be eager to show that he is the next great Georgia pass rusher.
Defensive Backs: Gone is safety Dominick Sanders, who was one of the better defenders in this secondary for the past couple of years, and gone are cornerbacks Malkom Parrish and Aaron Davis. J.R Reed (6-1, 195) returns at safety, and Deandre Baker (5-11, 185) returns at cornerback. Both will be asked to carry much of the load, as sophomore safety Richard LeCounte (5-11, 185), sophomore defensive back Deangelo Gibbs (6-1, 205), junior cornerback Tyrique McGhee (5-10, 185), and freshmen Tyson Campbell (6-3, 180), Divaad Wilson (6-0, 180), Chris Smith (5-11, 175), and Nadab Joseph (6-0, 180) all compete for playing time. Every player listed, with the exception of McGhee, was highly-recruited out of high school, but being thrown into an SEC atmosphere may create too steep a learning curve for some of these freshmen to thrive.
Hard hitting safety, J.R. Reed, is a nightmare for any offense. Image from DawgNation.
Special Teams
Rodrigo Blankenship returns for his junior season after having on heckuva sophomore season. The Dawgs do lose one of the better back up kickers in the country in David Marvin, but Blankenship should be all the Dawgs need. I won’t know who the punter is until September 1st. Mecole Hardman should retain his duties as the kick and punt returner.
Coaching Staff
Year three for Kirby and his staff. This has been quite the turnaround, but compared to other programs that needed to “rebuild,” Georgia was basically already built. It just needed a new captain, and it certainly appears Kirby was the man for the job. Smart will retire from Georgia with a few more SEC titles and at least one national championship.
Kirby Smart enters his third year at UGA. Image from Sports Illustrated.
Biggest Strength: Attitude – Georgia has had many great quarterbacks, running backs, and defensive players since the turn of the century 18 years ago. But not until now did it feel like Georgia was strong enough to compete with the elite programs in the game. Even though they ultimately lost, it felt like Georgia was Alabama’s equal in the national title game. That type of attitude and hunger is dangerous for the rest of the SEC, and for the rest of the nation.
Biggest Weakness: Depth/Inexperience on Defense… Kinda – We know that Georgia has recruited well these past few years on the defensive side of the ball, especially at linebacker and defensive back. But so did Alabama in 2010. Alabama had some studs playing on the defensive side of the ball back then (and many of them are now in the NFL), but in 2010 they were green behind the ears. Don’t get me wrong, they played well, but in big games on the road (South Carolina and LSU), and at home against Cam Newton and Auburn, the Tide defense couldn’t hold on, giving up their most points all season in those three games. Will that happen to Georgia in 2018? Only time will tell. I don’t think so, but you never know.
Offensive, Defensive, and Freshman Players of the Year
Offensive: Riley Ridley. My prediction seems outrageous, and maybe it is, but I think Ridley carries the momentum of the national championship game into the 2018 season. Wims was the big-bodied option in the passing attack last year, and with Wims no longer playing college football, Ridley will become that option. He has the talent, and I think he puts up big numbers in his junior season.
