My first season preview is going to focus on the Georgia offense, and any discussion about the offense has to start in the obvious place: quarterback.
It is amazing that this is even a discussion after last season. Jake Fromm had, in my opinion, the greatest freshman season since Herschel in 1980. Early in the season he was a game manager and by the end of the season, he was driving his team down the field in the Rose Bowl against the Heisman trophy winner to send the Dawgs to overtime. Not too bad for a guy that I predicted would take a redshirt last year. (Please keep reading even though I obviously don't know anything).
So why is there a conversation about Georgia's quarterbacks this season? Because of Justin Fields. He was ESPN's number one player in the nation last year. He is a five-star, duel-threat quarterback who has come in and impressed his coaches and teammates since he got on campus back in January.
So here is the good news. Georgia has a quarterback that won the SEC last year, and he may miss some snaps this season because the guy behind him is special. There is nothing bad about Georgia's quarterback situation, and I trust Kirby Smart to make sure that there isn't any internal issues surrounding which quarterback is playing. He managed the QB situation perfectly last season, so why would we expect anything different this season?
I think both quarterbacks will play. I think Fields is going to add another level to the offense and to the team. I think this is going to be fun.
As stacked as Georgia is at quarterback, they are even more stacked at running back. D'Andre Swift returns after an impressive freshman year to head up a five-headed attack at running back. If you need to know just how good Swift is, think about this: last year, he got carries on a team that featured two of the top three running backs in Georgia's history. Brian Herrian is back for what seems like his 10th season in Athens. And Elijah Holyfield is also back for his junior season.
Georgia also brought in a five-star running back, James Cook, whose brother you might have heard of, Dalvin Cook. That is right, Georgia managed to recruit the brother of an NFL running back to Athens instead of going to his brother's alma mater. James is supposed to be electric, think Keith Marshall before the knee injury at Tennessee.
But of course, I have saved the best for last. By the end of this season, the number one running back on the team is going to be Zamir "Zeus" White. Just put Zamir White in your Google Machine and click on the YouTube video of his senior highlights. The video is less than 3 minutes long, so take the time.
If you are like my, you have a grinch-like small growing on your face. Want to smile some more? Just this week, Kirby said that Zeus is fully cleared for fall practice following an ACL injury last year. Zeus is going to be special in Athens. Enjoy every minute, because he will be gone in three short years, and I wouldn't be shocked if he left town with a Heisman. He is going to be that good.
The receiving group is solid, but easily the weakest part of Georgia's offense. Terry Godwin and Mecole Hardman both return and are the presumptive starters, but Georgia could get a huge boost if the NCAA says that transfer WR Demetrius Robinson is declared eligible for the 2018 season. Georgia has a lot of young wide receivers that haven't played a lot, so it will be interesting to see who earns playing time early in the season. I would imagine, much like last year, Georgia will settle in on four or five guys that will see the most playing time.
For me, the wild card at receiver is Riley Ridley. As a freshman he was the guy who caught the should-have-been game winning touchdown against Tennessee. He didn't show up as a sophomore until the National title game where he looked like the best receiver on the field. If Ridley can get his head on straight and show some consistency, he could be a difference maker for Georgia.
I know we have tight ends. I know that they are good. But in two years under Kirby Smart, they haven't featured in the offense, so I'm going to move on.
It is not an insult to the offensive line that I have saved them for last. They are, without a doubt, the most important unit on the entire team. Spoiler Alert, I think the ceiling for Georgia in 2018 will be decided on how good the offensive line can be. The defense, who I will preview later, is going to be good, but not great. So the offense has to be great this year for Georgia to get back to the playoff. Georgia has all the pieces to be great, but they need the line to be great.
Andrew Thomas will move from right tackle to left tackle to replace Isaiah Wynn. Isaiah Wilson, the five-star giant who red-shirted last year will most likely be the right tackle. The line took a huge step forward last year when Ben Cleveland started at guard, so I would assume he would keep that job. Kendall Baker should stay at center where he was very good last year. After that, it's a guessing game. If you look at Georgia's roster, there are 9 guys who are either freshman or sophomores who are highly recruited who can play offensive line. They are young, but they are talented. Sam Pittman, Georgia's offensive line coach has done a great job of getting these guys on campus, if he can coach them up, then Georgia can have one of the best offensive lines in the country.
The old adage would tell you that defense wins championships, but in 2018, I believe the offense is the key to Georgia's success. Georgia is blessed to play in the SEC least, where there are more question marks than viable quarterbacks. Georgia's defense doesn't have to be elite to keep most of these teams under 20 points, so as long as the offense can score, the Dawgs should be dancing towards Mercedes-Benz for the second straight year.
Have a great Sunday and Go Dawgs!
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