We'll be posting more UGASports.com content throughout the month of August in the run up to the season opener.
The wait is over.
Thursday afternoon, Georgia kicks off fall practice ahead of the Aug. 31 season opener against Clemson at Mercedez-Benz Stadium.
Here’s what I’ll be looking for:
• Will quarterback Carson Beck continue improving and show even more leadership? From all indications, that’s already taking place.
C.J. Allen is looking to make his sophomore year even better than his freshman campaign. (Tony Walsh/UGA Sports Communications)
• The players, not the coaches, lead the best teams. In light of this offseason’s off-field issues, let’s start to see more accountability by the players and focus on doing the right thing – on and off the field.
• Left tackle Earnest Greene III can be a monster. Don’t let him get his hands on you.
• Who will win the starting left guard battle between Dylan Fairchild and Micah Morris? There’s a lot to love about both players. Both are starters in my book.
• Kirby Smart gave Branson Robinson a glowing recovery report when we spoke to him during SEC Media Days. If Robinson is truly ahead of schedule, Georgia’s running back room suddenly gets better.
• One area of Trevor Etienne’s game I feel is being overlooked is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. It won’t surprise me to see him catch 40 passes while rushing for 1,000-plus yards.
• The early reports on Stanford tight end transfer Benjamin Yurosek have been extremely positive. Per early reports, he will be yet another weapon for Beck and combine with Oscar Delp to give the Bulldogs what could be one of the better tight end combos in the SEC.
• Color me intrigued about Georgia’s wide receiver room.
• Even if RaRa Thomas is out of the equation until his legal situation is resolved, the Bulldogs’ depth at the position could be the best in Smart’s nine years as head coach.
• I agree with Jim Nagy of the Senior Bowl that Dillon Bell could not only be one of the more underrated receivers in the SEC, but he has a chance to become quite the NFL prospect.
Look for Dominic Lovett to catch everything in sight with Miami transfer Colbie Young potentially playing a huge role.
Anthony Evans III is ready to take the next step, while true freshman Sacovie White is a name I’ve heard mentioned more than once from folks who believe he might be an early contributor.
Others to watch are transfers Michael Jackson III and London Humphreys along with freshman Nitro Tuggle. I haven’t given up on Arian Smith, either.
•Will Mykel Williams “explode” this fall? The guess here is yes.
The sight of Williams as a standup pass rusher is going to cause a lot of quarterbacks sleepless afternoons. Don’t be surprised if the Columbus native leads the Bulldogs in sacks.
• There are already a lot of pundits out there with questions about Georgia’s defensive line.
I get it. The Bulldogs may not have what you’d consider a dominating force like Jordan Davis or Jalen Carter, players who made huge impacts up front. Nevertheless, what Georgia does have is quality, SEC-caliber players like Nazir Stackhouse, Warren Brinson, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (who continues to rehab from foot surgery), along with quality interior players like Christen Miller and South Carolina transfer Xzavier McLeod.
This group should be fine.
• Sophomore linebacker Raylen Wilson is another name who’s created a lot of buzz for the improvements he showed in the spring and summer workouts.
Georgia’s inside linebacker room is so incredibly stacked. CJ Allen reminds me so much of former Bulldog middle linebacker Rennie Curran for the way he plays. Jalon Walker, meanwhile, may be the best athlete on defense. He’s a hybrid defender in every sense of the word. It’s going to be fun watching how Glenn Schumann uses him this season.
• Sophomore outside linebacker Damon Wilson is ready to take the next step. At the least, it will not surprise me to see him play an even bigger role on passing downs than perhaps we saw a season ago.
• Is Joenel Aguero ready to take on the starting role at star? He certainly has the physical ability to do so.
• Another big storyline for the fall camp will be how Georgia’s secondary will play out. Malaki Starks may be the best safety in all of college football.
Julian Humphrey and Daylen Everette will be just fine at corner, but the other safety spot opposite Starks will be interesting to watch.
Is freshman K.J. Bolden ready to assume a starting role? Which of the other young cornerbacks will show Smart they’re ready to be on the field? Ellis Robinson IV, sophomore Daniel Harris, along with freshmen Ondre Evans and Demello Jones, will all receive long looks.
Veterans Dan Jackson and JaCorey Thomas, along with Alabama transfer Jake Pope, are three other names we’ll be hearing a lot about.
What we'll be looking for
By: Anthony Dasher - UGASports.comThe wait is over.
Thursday afternoon, Georgia kicks off fall practice ahead of the Aug. 31 season opener against Clemson at Mercedez-Benz Stadium.
Here’s what I’ll be looking for:
• Will quarterback Carson Beck continue improving and show even more leadership? From all indications, that’s already taking place.
C.J. Allen is looking to make his sophomore year even better than his freshman campaign. (Tony Walsh/UGA Sports Communications)
• The players, not the coaches, lead the best teams. In light of this offseason’s off-field issues, let’s start to see more accountability by the players and focus on doing the right thing – on and off the field.
• Left tackle Earnest Greene III can be a monster. Don’t let him get his hands on you.
• Who will win the starting left guard battle between Dylan Fairchild and Micah Morris? There’s a lot to love about both players. Both are starters in my book.
• Kirby Smart gave Branson Robinson a glowing recovery report when we spoke to him during SEC Media Days. If Robinson is truly ahead of schedule, Georgia’s running back room suddenly gets better.
• One area of Trevor Etienne’s game I feel is being overlooked is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. It won’t surprise me to see him catch 40 passes while rushing for 1,000-plus yards.
• The early reports on Stanford tight end transfer Benjamin Yurosek have been extremely positive. Per early reports, he will be yet another weapon for Beck and combine with Oscar Delp to give the Bulldogs what could be one of the better tight end combos in the SEC.
• Color me intrigued about Georgia’s wide receiver room.
• Even if RaRa Thomas is out of the equation until his legal situation is resolved, the Bulldogs’ depth at the position could be the best in Smart’s nine years as head coach.
• I agree with Jim Nagy of the Senior Bowl that Dillon Bell could not only be one of the more underrated receivers in the SEC, but he has a chance to become quite the NFL prospect.
Look for Dominic Lovett to catch everything in sight with Miami transfer Colbie Young potentially playing a huge role.
Anthony Evans III is ready to take the next step, while true freshman Sacovie White is a name I’ve heard mentioned more than once from folks who believe he might be an early contributor.
Others to watch are transfers Michael Jackson III and London Humphreys along with freshman Nitro Tuggle. I haven’t given up on Arian Smith, either.
•Will Mykel Williams “explode” this fall? The guess here is yes.
The sight of Williams as a standup pass rusher is going to cause a lot of quarterbacks sleepless afternoons. Don’t be surprised if the Columbus native leads the Bulldogs in sacks.
• There are already a lot of pundits out there with questions about Georgia’s defensive line.
I get it. The Bulldogs may not have what you’d consider a dominating force like Jordan Davis or Jalen Carter, players who made huge impacts up front. Nevertheless, what Georgia does have is quality, SEC-caliber players like Nazir Stackhouse, Warren Brinson, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (who continues to rehab from foot surgery), along with quality interior players like Christen Miller and South Carolina transfer Xzavier McLeod.
This group should be fine.
• Sophomore linebacker Raylen Wilson is another name who’s created a lot of buzz for the improvements he showed in the spring and summer workouts.
Georgia’s inside linebacker room is so incredibly stacked. CJ Allen reminds me so much of former Bulldog middle linebacker Rennie Curran for the way he plays. Jalon Walker, meanwhile, may be the best athlete on defense. He’s a hybrid defender in every sense of the word. It’s going to be fun watching how Glenn Schumann uses him this season.
• Sophomore outside linebacker Damon Wilson is ready to take the next step. At the least, it will not surprise me to see him play an even bigger role on passing downs than perhaps we saw a season ago.
• Is Joenel Aguero ready to take on the starting role at star? He certainly has the physical ability to do so.
• Another big storyline for the fall camp will be how Georgia’s secondary will play out. Malaki Starks may be the best safety in all of college football.
Julian Humphrey and Daylen Everette will be just fine at corner, but the other safety spot opposite Starks will be interesting to watch.
Is freshman K.J. Bolden ready to assume a starting role? Which of the other young cornerbacks will show Smart they’re ready to be on the field? Ellis Robinson IV, sophomore Daniel Harris, along with freshmen Ondre Evans and Demello Jones, will all receive long looks.
Veterans Dan Jackson and JaCorey Thomas, along with Alabama transfer Jake Pope, are three other names we’ll be hearing a lot about.
