For the first three years at Georgia for Kirby Smart, the offense was run by quarterbacks coach, turned tight ends coach, Jim Chaney. Chaney a veteran play-caller who has developed many quarterbacks throughout his years as a coach, including Drew Brees. Chaney served at Pittsburgh in the same position before leaving to go serve under Head Coach Kirby Smart.
In 2016, the Dawgs offense ranked 83rd in total offense with 4,904 yards of offense in Chaney’s first season as coordinator. This season also ended with Georgia ranked 104 in passing offense with 2,406 yards through the air. The one upside to the season was the Georgia rushing offense which ranked 38th with 2,498 yards on the ground. One of Chaney’s biggest criticisms in his time at Georgia was his late-game play calling, as he would often make mistakes in late-game situations. The biggest example in his time was against Vanderbilt in 2016, where on 4th and 1, Chaney called a jet sweep to Isaiah McKenzie, instead of running it with one of the backs. This result ended with Vanderbilt beating Georgia, as the Dawgs couldn’t convert on 4th down. In two of the biggest games of Chaney’s career as a coach, both against Alabama, he decided to try and run the clock out instead of being aggressive. This all led to at the end of the 2018 season, Sam Pittman the offensive line coach got a contract extension that would make him the highest-paid assistant in College Football. It is believed that Chaney wanted a pay raise, and Georgia resisted, which resulted in Chaney leaving for Tennessee. Now, Georgia has been left with two-time offensive coordinator, and current quarterback coach, James Coley to lead the offense from up in the booth. Coley was promoted last season to the role of co-offensive coordinator and was swapped to the quarterback's coach. Coley previously served at Florida State and Miami as offensive coordinators and their quarterback's coach. In fact, Coley has coached a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard receiver, and two 1,000 yard rushers. In Coley’s final season at Florida State, he coached quarterback EJ Manuel to a 3,397 yards passing season, 23 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 310 yards rushing. This team also featured Devonta Freeman in the backfield as he rushed for 660 yards and 8 touchdowns. In three seasons at Florida State, his offense averaged 31.4, 30.6, and 39.3 points per game. He also ended up coaching three future NFL quarterbacks who were first-round picks in Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel, and Jamis Winston. In his time at Miami, his offense was known for its explosiveness, as it averaged 430.3 yards per game in 2014. Coley was known for his passing plays in his two stints previously as Offensive Coordinator, but at Georgia, we know that Kirby likes to run the football as he has a Heisman candidate in D’Andre Swift in the backfield, along with a host of backs behind him. Coley will be very familiar with the weapons in this offense this season as he will have been apart of the recruitment of most of them. Coley is known for being an approachable guy, as he is up for suggestions on his offense. Coley will have the advantage of already working with Fromm for a season now, as the two are familiar with each other and know the expectations. This season I expect the Georgia offense to look for the explosive plays, just like the Miami offense in 2014. Georgia will look to use the ground game as the base of their offense, as Swift will be expecting a 1,000 yards rushing season. Georgia will look to capitalize on the opponent's defense trying to zero in on the run game. Coley likes to spread the offense out wide and spread the ball around, which is something Fromm is already used to doing. Georgia doesn’t have a noticeable returning receiver for defensives to shut down, so look for everyone to be getting multiple touches. At his past two schools, Coley’s offense has been able to go up-tempo at times with a little no huddle involved. Georgia for some reason has found success in the hurry-up offense, as Georgia was able to score two touchdowns late in the Sugar Bowl against Texas, and against LSU. I think we could see some moments next season where Coley turns up the tempo a little and tries to catch defensives off-guard. I predict this Georgia offense to be the most dynamic offense that Coach Smart has had as of yet in his time at Georgia. With Jake Fromm and D’Andre Swift both becoming Draft eligible at the end of the season, I expect both to play at the top of their game each day. The inexperience and the unknown of the wide recieving core will be a plus for Georgia, as they will be able to find their playmakers early on.
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Top Dawg Take: Tradition over Recruiting? Should the Georgia-Florida game Stay in Jacksonville?7/29/2019 The Georgia-Florida game is one of the most traditional rivalries in College Football today. Dating back to the 1950s it has always been held in Jacksonville, Florida. The one game all year that Dawg fans from around world would travel just to go to be apart of this tradition. Even though it is held in Florida, the fan turnout is 50-50 split between Georgia and Florida fans.
Many great players have played in the rivalry dating back to the 50s and many more to come will play in this historic tradition that will go on. For many years it is was a no brainer that the rivalry would stay in Florida, because of the great tradition. Herschel Walker and Tim Tebow are just some of the players that have taken part in the tradition. It could all end in 2021 as the contract that was made between the Universities of Florida and Georgia, and the city of Jacksonville, come to an end in 2021. Head Coach Kirby Smart promised to shake things up in Athens when he took over as Head Coach. And, so far he has done just that. Kirby has started recruiting the top talent in each class, to come to the University of Georgia. This hardcore recruiting by Smart and co have contributed to the record that the Bulldogs have put up in Kirby Smarts first three seasons in between the hedges. Back at the spring meetings, Coach Smart said this about moving the rivalry game, “You are always to see what you can do to make your program better,” He also went on to say “nothing is off the table, but nothing has been decided.” It is very well known that recruiting opportunities are lost for Georgia while having the games in Jacksonville. One less weekend for the coaches to be in Athens and hosting a recruit in town. Which is opposed to having the game hosted in Athens every other year. Smart spoke to this point as well, “Yeah, absolutely it costs you a recruiting weekend. You don’t get to have anybody, they don’t get to have anybody,” We all know that Smart has made recruiting one of his priority at Georgia, as he has be ready to replace departing talent each year. Which is why he wants to go to a home and home series with Florida as it would be more conducive to recruiting. I understand his point of view and many Dawg fans do, but there is another side to the argument as part of the fanbase want to keep it in Jacksonville. The Georgia-Florida game is known as the “World’s Largest Cocktail Party.” This game has been a tradition for both universities as it is a representation for the greatest rivalry in College Football. Coach Smart and his staff should be able to use this game and its location as a pitch to recruits, they should be able to tell them about all the greats that have played in that game. Every NFL player, and Heisman winner, that has come out of Athens, has played in this rivalry and has played in Jacksonville, Florida. Every school has a different culture and different traditions that should never be broken. That also applies for the University of Georgia, which has its own tradition and culture which is unlike Alabama and any other school. We want Georgia to live up to those cultures and traditions that have been built over many, many years. The Georgia-Florida game is a tradition and is what makes Georgia so great. The rivalry is one of the few things in College Football that doesn’t change. Jake Fromm, the Warner Robins product has become one of the most recognized names in College Football today. Fromm has been the starting quarterback at Georgia since he took over for the injured Jacob Eason, who hurt his knee against Appalachian State in the season opener of the 2017 season.
The day that Eason got hurt, would be the day the legend of Fromm was born. “When one door closes, another one opens.” A great, and fitting saying that summarizes Jake Fromm’s career at Georgia so far. Fromm has thrown for 5,364 yards, 54 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. In two seasons Fromm has put up numbers that we haven’t seen since Aaron Murray left Athens after his eligibility ran out. Jake Fromm has been a great fit with Georgia Football, as he is a high IQ, poised, composed, and efficient quarterback. That is exactly what we needed at Georgia, someone who loves the game of football and is a true student of the game. Fromm is a very accurate quarterback, and one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation. In the past two seasons, Fromm has been surrounded with great talent, not only on the line of scrimmage, but he has talent with him in the backfield, and out wide. Fromm has always had two great running backs lining up with him in the backfield. In 2017, he had Nick Chubb and Sony Michel lining up behind him and beside him at times in the backfield. The dynamic duo at running back provided the Dawgs with great leadership and a high work ethic that would influence the rest of the team. Chubb and Michel combined for 2,572 yards and 31 touchdowns, on 379 total carries. Fromm was also blessed with a good receiving core that was led by Senior Javon Wims, who led the Dawgs receivers with 720 yard and 7 touchdowns, on 45 receptions. Very early on Wims proved to be a reliable target for the Fromm to look at every snap. The young and explosive offense was backed up by a great defense that was one the best in the nations, that was led by a group of seniors who wanted nothing less than a National Championship. After the 2017 season ended in a disappointing loss in the season, Fromm was lost his running back duo, his favorite receiver, and some of his playmakers on defense. The 2018 season was left up to Jake Fromm to help take the reins on offense and work with the receivers he had left to produce in 2018. Fromm threw for 2,749 yards, 30 touchdowns, and had 6 interceptions. After his sophomore season, Fromm is being considered a top four quarterback in College Football. He has led to the Dawgs to a SEC Championship and two appearances, a Rose Bowl win, National Championship game appearance, and a Sugar Bowl appearance in just two years. But that is not the standard at the University of Georgia, as the goal for every team at UGA is to win a National Championship. Georgia has yet to win a championship in football since 1980,when Herschal Walker led the Dawgs to a National Championship win over Notre Dame. The Georgia offense has lost it’s top four receivering options from a year ago, as three of the four left for the NFL and one has been removed from the program. Fromm lost one of his dyanmic running backs from a year ago as well. Going into his junior season Fromm will be working with a new receivering core which is expected to lean on freshman and former backups to step up and make up for the lost of yards and touchdowns from a year ago. Jake has been known for his great ability to play well under pressure as he knows the gameplan and is very intelligent when it comes down to big games. Adversity gets the best out of the Georgia quarterback. Fromm is very good at spreading the ball around and knowing where the play is going to be made. That same quality is going to be expected of Fromm this season, even though he doesn’t know where his playmakers are going to come from. The SEC East has shown to be the most predictable division in the SEC, because of the fact that there isn’t an Alabama in the East division. Georgia is the defending SEC East champion, as the Dawgs have won the division for the past two years and have won an SEC Championship in one of those seasons as well.
There is a lot of hype coming out of the SEC East as Georgia fans are hoping for a National Championship at the end of the season, and Florida fans are hoping to knock off the Dawgs and win the East. Then there are some underdogs that people are predicting to surprise the world, those being Missouri, Kentucky, and South Carolina. Yes, Kentucky finished second in the division last year but many don’t even see the Wildcats making a bowl game. SEC East Predictions 1: Georgia There is no doubt in my mind that Georgia is going to win the SEC East this season. Georgia is returning four out of the five starting offensive linemen from a year ago. They are also returning Jake Fromm and D’Andre Swift for their junior seasons. Georgia is bringing back a more talented and experienced defense, which is being led by seniors JR Reed, Richard LeCounte, Tyler Clark, and Tae Crowder. The Dawgs defense is going to have a talented secondary that can make plays, along with a talented linebacking core that has brought back some upperclassman and has brought in some great freshman. Georgia will be hosting the best special teams unit in the SEC, as Rodrigo Blakenship is back for his senior season. Georgia will also have their sophomore punter, Jake Camarda coming back for another season in between the hedges. 2: Florida Florida is coming into this season with a more experienced quarterback in Felipe Franks. Dan Mullen has shown the ability to make quarterbacks better in their second season under his watch. I believe the Florida offense will have a solid run game to complement their quarterback. But don’t underestimate the Florida defense as they have leaders and playmakers coming back especially in the secondary. I think Florida will lose to Auburn, LSU, and Georgia in conference play this coming season. But all will be good games to watch. 3: Missouri They might’ve lost their starting quarterback from a year ago in Drew Locke but they quickly found his replacement in grad transfer, Kelly Bryant from Clemson. Bryant has the leadership ability to lead this Missouri team to an average season in the SEC. He will have some of the weapons returning offensively. But the defense will end up hurting Missouri as they’ve done for the past few years. I don’t think Missouri has the defense to place top 2 in the SEC East this season. Missouri will lose four SEC games this season. 4. South Carolina Jake Bently is coming back to South Carolina for his senior season. He has shown great strides since first being named starting quarterback for the Gamecocks. But I don’t think the Gamecocks have the talent on the offensive to contend for the SEC title. The same thing can be said about their defense. I think South Carolina will lose five games in the conference this year. 5. Kentucky Kentucky was the breakout team from a year ago, as their talented offense showed up for the great season and led the Wildcats to a win against the Gators of Florida. Kentucky lost a lot of talent from that team a year ago. Which includes their talented running back in Benny Snell Jr. The Wildcats defense didn’t play very well last year in big games and they won’t be enough to help the Wildcats out. Kentucky will also lose five games this year in the SEC. 6. Tennessee Many have predicted Tennessee to be the breakout team of this year in the SEC. But I just don’t see it happening because they don’t have the offense to do it. They do have a returning quarterback who showed potential last season. Along with a running game that had flashes. But they don’t have the offensive line to contend in Pruitt’s second season. Tennessee will lose seven conference games this season. 7. Vanderbilt Vanderbilt has been rebuilding for a long time now and it just hasn’t worked out for their head coach, Derek Mason. Vandy just doesn’t have the talent to compete in the SEC with some teams. As there offense struggles along with their defense. Vandy will lose every conference game this season, which will get Derek Mason fired. It all starts in the trenches, not only in World War I but it also applies to football. For the University of Georgia, it has all started in the trenches. Georgia has made the run game a staple of its program. Georgia wants to run the ground and pound run style, that so many teams made famous back in the eighties and nineties. In the day of the spread offenses, Georgia has been the staple of the ground and pound pro-style offense.
One of Kirby Smart’s first hires as Georgia Head Coach was an offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. That is one of the most sacred bonds on a coaching staff, the offensive coordinator needs to have a relationship with the offensive line coach because that is how the coordinator can set up its offense. Those two coaches have to share the same philosophies, in order to produce a fluid offense. In Georgia’s case, it was the hiring of Sam Pittman and Jim Chaney, those two were the dynamic duo that came to Athens and transformed the Georgia program. Jim Chaney trusted Pittman to do his job and create an amazing offensive line that would prove to be vital to Georgia’s success. Pittman and Smart’s criteria for recruiting offensive linemen have been revealed by the type of prospects they’ve been recruiting. Georgia likes heavy-set, tall, powerful offensive linemen that can blast their defender off the line of scrimmage. Look at left tackle Andrew Thomas, he is 6’5 and weighs 320 pounds. That is a very large offensive lineman, who by the way was only a four-star tackle coming out of high school. Under Pittman’s watch, Thomas has been transformed into the best-left tackle in college football right now. Thomas has shown that he is a reliable pass protector, and a great run blocker as he can create holes for the running backs. Thomas is returning to Athens for his much anticipated Junior season, as many are expecting Thomas to declare for the NFL Draft after this season. Thomas hasn’t been the most vocal leader for the offensive line, as he is a lead by example guy. But he has been challenged by Coach Smart and Pittman to be more of a leader for the Dawgs this season. Thomas was one of three players to attend SEC Media Day 2019, with Coach Smart. It is expected that those three players will be captains this coming season. Soloman Kindley another junior will be back in Athens next season as he is expected to take back his starting spot next to Andrew Thomas at the left guard spot. Kindley and Thomas have not on Gaillard formed a bond on the field but they have been forming one off the field. Kindley has shown his ability to be a great pass protector as a guard, but he is a vital part of a run game as he is a great run blocker for the guys in the backfield. Kindley will also be expected to be a leader for the offensive line as well. The biggest question mark along the Georgia offensive line is at the center position, as Lamont Gailard graduated this offseason as he is starting his career in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals. Sophomore Trey Hill is expected to take over as starting center as he started one game at center last year against Kentucky. Hill played well that game and looked like he’s been playing center for a little while. Hill was also center for one game with high school, and that was when Jake Fromm was in high school with him. Ben Cleveland and Cade Mays will be battling it out for the starting spot at right guard as Cleveland was injured for part of last season and Mays took his spot for a few games. Mayes played well in that position and it now looks like he could be in a position battle for the spot. The last and not least spot left on the offensive line is at right tackle, as it is no question as to who is going to take that spot next year for the Dawgs. Isaiah Wilson last year started as a redshirt freshman and played very well for Georgia. Wilson looked like a veteran along the line and showed some serious potential to hold that spot until he leaves. Wilson did well in the run game as he was able to clear a path for the backs. But he needs to work on his pass blocking this coming season. He showed at times last year, the ability to get beat off the edge by speed rushers. Wilson wasn’t fast enough to get off the edge and block those edge linebackers. The offensive line should be the best in college football next season as long as they stay healthy and play to the best of their ability. Georgia was plagued by injuries along the offensive line last season, which cause them to shift guys around last season which kind of killed the continuity of the group. If healthy Georgia will have the best offensive line in college football and have every chance of winning the National Championship. The 2019 season, has been one that is being filled with anticipation as many fanbases are expecting a National Championship from their respective college football teams. But one of the most notable fanbases, are of course the dawgs of dawgnation.
It has long been expected, since Kirby Smart took over at the University of Georgia, that he would be able to lead the Georgia Bulldogs back to the National Championship and win it for the first time since 1980. It has been 39 years since the Georgia Bulldogs have won a National Championship and I am sure we all know that number very well because of all the other trolls that like to show up on our social media feed. Under Coach Smart, Georgia from the very start has been building to be the new dynasty of College Football. Alabama wasn’t built in a year, it took Saban three seasons to win a national championship. In just his third year as Head Coach at Alabama, he took the Tide to the National Championship game and beat a great Texas team. Coach Smart in just his second year took the Dawgs to the National Championship game against his mentor, and former boss Nick Saban. Where the Dawgs lost in overtime after one great performance from Tua Tagovailoa. Which was just two seasons ago. Now going into his fourth year which has been marked as the year since his arrival that Coach Smart would bring home, to Athens the National Championship trophy. Smart has a lot riding on this year, as Dawg fans are even hungrier than they’ve ever been. Having just a taste of the National Championship game, and just being so close to being able to say 2017, instead of 1980. It makes every fan just agonize about the thought of being so more, to winning the game. Can Georgia Win it All? Yes, the answer is yes. Georgia has every chance to win it all this year, no matter who or who is not coming back for this season in between the hedges. Georgia has the talent and potential to win the National Championship this coming season. They’re bringing back quarterback Jake Fromm, the rising junior who has been considered one of the top five quarterbacks in college football right now. Fromm has been on the crisp of winning the National Championship, and he has been on the crisp of being that star quarterback we’ve wanted ever since Aaron Murray left. Fromm has the arm, accuracy, and decision making that no other quarterback in College Football has. Jake has been a leader from day one, even as a freshman he had the poise and composure to led the team through Auburn, and Oklahoma in tough games. Georgia is also bringing back its biggest playmaker and star running back, D’Andre Swift. Swift will be a junior this season and will be looking to make his mark, as he has the whole backfield to himself in year three. He had to play behind Nick Chubb and Sony Michel his freshman year. Then he had to split carries with Elijah Holyfield last season, now it is all up to Swift as he has Brian Herrien backing him up if he needs a breather. Swift is a quick, elusive back that can make cuts without slowing down and losing speed. He has the hands of a receiver and can make plays out of the backfield for Georgia. He is Fromm’s favorite check down target, as Swift makes every reception more than what it is supposed to be. On defense, the Dawgs will have a lot more experience and leadership, as they bringing back both safeties, Richard LeCounte, and JR Reed. Along with defensive lineman Tyler Clark, as they are all back for their senior seasons. Georgia is coming into this season with some serious talent and depth at linebacker, as they brought in three top linebackers from their respective positions. Georgia brought in the number one recruit in the nation, and top outside linebacker in Nolan Smith, along with JUCO Junior Jermaine Johnson. Georgia also landed inside linebacker Nakobe Dean. Georgia is stacked and loaded at linebacker as they bringing back leading tackler, Monty Rice, a junior who is great in the open field. Along with senior Tae Crowder who has sat behind RoQuan Smith and Jawan Taylor. Georgia has brought back Eric Stokes, the breakout talent in the Dawgs secondary last season as he is being looked at as the replacement for Deandre Baker. Stokes in his redshirt freshman season made plays as a defensive back who excelled in man coverage. Stokes will be lining up across from sophomore Tyson Campbell, who struggled early on at Georgia, as he got beat too easily in man coverage. But after bowl practices with Coach Smart temporarily coaching the defensive backs, Tyson Campbell looks ready to go for year two in Athens. Now most importantly, Georgia will be bringing back the most underrated player in College Football, as kicker Hot Rod (Rodrigo Blakenship) will be returning for his senior season at UGA. He has arguably the best kicker of all time for the Dawgs, as he has shown to be a consistent kicker for Georgia. And Georgia will have sophomore punter Jake Camarda coming back after a roller-coaster season as a freshman. Camarda showed potential as he would knock down punts inside the 10 and the 5. But then he would occasionally shank a kick and give up field position. Bust? It is not all roses and sunshine for Georgia as we all know that the fanbase was very upset after the crushing loss to Alabama in last year’s SEC Championship game. Georgia had the Crimson Tide beat, only for Jalen Hurts to come off the bench to save the Tide and send them to the Playoffs. Georgia has been plagued in the past by bad performances against marquee games in the middle of the season. Back with Richt, it was usually against South Carolina or Florida. Under Smart, we’ve seen the loss to Auburn and LSU get the better of UGA. So the questions are and always will be, can the Dawgs overcome this “Mark Richt syndrome” and seriously contend for a title without having the committee debate whether or not to put you in? We saw it against Texas last season in the Sugar Bowl, as the Georgia players were on Twitter talking about how they should’ve been in the Playoffs instead of a Notre Dame team who was getting crushed by Clemson. The Dawgs then went into the Sugar Bowl with a demotivating performance and got beat by a Texas team that shouldn’t have had a chance of winning the game. Georgia always is being questioned because of the mass exodus at the wide receiver position, which had the top 4 receivers leave in the offseason. That is not including tight end Isaac Nauta who left early for the NFL Draft alongside Riley Ridley, and Mecole Hardman. Georgia will be asked to replace those five guys with some young and inexperienced players who either haven’t gotten much playtime or are just arriving on campus. Georgia will need to find its reliable targets fast. Top Dawg Take So, will Georgia win it all this year? Yes, I believe Georgia has the talent to win it all this year, but it going to take hard work and dedication on their part if they want to get it done. Georgia will have to “Do More” on and off-field if they want to win the National Championship. We also have to remember that Alabama is coming off a loss in the National Championship game which means his Tide will be motivated even more. Georgia will be coming off a loss in the Sugar Bowl and I am sure the world will remember that very clearly. Georgia needs to come out with a chip on their shoulder, and need to send a statement to the world of College Football against Vanderbilt. The Dawgs secondary has been a roller coaster ride for Georgia over the last three years. As sometimes it has won us some big games and at times it has cost us some games. In the 2016 season, Kirby Smart knew that the secondary was something he was going to have to fix. Especially at Defensive Back because he had some young talent who had a lot of potential but hasn't put it all together just yet.
DeAndre Baker was the star of the defense last year because of the fact that he hasn't let up a touchdown in 2 years. Baker showed in his three years under Coach Smart that he had what it takes to go to the NFL and succeed. Which we know, he did end up getting picked by the Giants in the NFL Draft. Baker was the Thorpe Award winner in the 2018 season because he was the best defensive back in the nation a year ago. Baker locked down every receiver that he had the opportunity to face. Baker wasn't the only star that shined, as there was a breakout star that nobody saw coming. Eric Stokes the redshirt freshman was involved in a season-long battle for that number two defensive back spot on the depth chart. Stokes had been battling with freshman five stars Tyson Campbell for that spot opposite of Baker. Campbell, the freshman started at the beginning of the season for Georgia but ended up getting benched in favor of Stokes, who would go on to run away with the job. Stokes finished the season with 20 stops and was second on the team in passes broken up. Stokes became known for his ability to play man-to-man and break up any pass that comes his way. Stokes only 6 foot 1 inch, was a very aggressive defensive back that wasn't scared of any receiver he played. He always tried to knock the ball down no matter where the ball was being placed. Stokes is expected to be the replacing Baker's spot on the depth chart, and if Stokes improves his numbers from a year ago, I don't think we'll even notice a difference in the defense with or without Baker on the field. The biggest question for the defensive backs with is returning sophomore Tyson Campbell, as he will be expected to take back his starting spot on the depth chart as the number 2 defensive back. For the first half of the season, that was where he played before he got injured. Campbell showed potential in his coverage but would get beat too many times in man coverage. If Campbell can play as he did in the Sugar Bowl, then you can expect a big season from the sophomore. Senior Tyrique McGhee will be returning for his senior season in Athens, as he will look to return to his spot as the nickel in the Georgia defense. McGhee missed the season opener last year against Austin Peay but started the last 7 games for the Dawgs. He played well in big games for Georgia and they will be hoping he can stay on the field. I expect we will see a breakout star this season come out of the secondary as we usually do, and I believe the JUCO Junior DJ Daniel will have a big season for the Dawgs. Daniel performed well in the spring and I think he could get some immediate playing time opposite of Eric Stokes if Campbell doesn't play well. Daniel would be a perfect dime for the defense. I believe Daniel will have a big season for the Dawgs. It will be a committee effort for the Dawgs defensive backs if they want to replace the DeAndre Baker sized gap in the defense. I believe that Stokes will have a big season for the Dawgs, but I urge all Dawg fans to not hype him up too much because I've seen many times a sophomore slump in players, after a great freshman year. Georgia will need players to step up everywhere on the field and especially in the secondary this season.
The bringer of thunder and lighting has not only given us an update but showed us! Zamir White was seen in a video doing footwork drills in a sand drill.
Zamir White came to Athens apart of the 2018 Recruiting Class with an ACL tear which was from his high school season. Just practices after starting Spring Practice, White tore his ACL once again which effectively ended his season. The video has received a very positive, optimistic response from Dawg fans as they can't wait to see number 3 hit the field for the Dawgs. After looking over the newly released the "University of Georgia Football 2019 Media Guide" I noticed two names of former Georgia players that have signed on to become apart of the Football support staff.
Former All-American Linebacker, and one of the best to ever play the position at UGA, Jarvis Jones will be returning to Athens, but this time as apart of the support staff. Also notably, former middle linebacker last season Juwan Taylor was added on to the support staff. According to the Media Guide. Under Coach Smart and his staff, the Georgia defense has taken a step forward every season because of his coaching ability to develop players, and his ability to recruit talent from all over the world to come to play at the University of Georgia. Smart has been signing four and five-star recruits at an unbelievably high rate. In Coach Smart's first three recruiting classes (2017,2018,2019) Smart has signed 15 five stars. Which is one of the contributing factors of what makes this Georgia team so good. Georgia under Coach Smart is becoming a National Championship contender every season. Which under Richt in his final few seasons, Georgia was just lucky to win the SEC East. Coach Smart and his staff have recruited linebackers, safeties, and defensive backs at a high rate. Smart has signed linebackers exclusively for the past four years, as he has been able to pitch to them about the past UGA linebackers who came into the program and developed into an NFL ready career. Players like Roquan Smith and Leonard Floyd, Thomas Davis have all came from Georgia and went onto NFL careers. Kirby was the coach for one of them, but still, it is a great heritage at linebacker. The same can be said for the secondary, as Smart played at Georgia as safety and became an All-SEC Safety in time at Georgia. Smart then went on from a playing career to coaching the defensive backs and being the defensive coordinator to the greatest coach of all time, Nick Saban. Who wouldn't want to play for a man that has brought in and developed so many defensive backs in his coaching career? Then we look at the defensive line which hasn't always been the best attribute of Georgia's football program. It is very rare that Georgia gets a transcendent defensive line talent, the last one was Geno Atkins. Atkins has gone on to a career in the NFL and is being successful. But that is not enough to pitch to a five-star lineman. The defensive lineman is always one of the last priorities on Georgia's list when it comes to recruiting new talent. The list goes Quarterback, Offensive Line, Running Back, receiver, defensive back, safety and then we get to the defensive line. Now that is nothing against Georgia for the way they set their priorities because they are being very successful in the way they are recruiting. But it is rather an explanation for why the defensive line hasn't been producing like expected. When I asked Brent Wilson of Bulldog Maven, he said this, "Georgia has never really been a place that develops a lot of defensive linemen. It’s harder to recruit the best defensive linemen when the program hasn’t been known for it. But, you can definitely see they are turning the corner. Tyler Clark has been the stud of Kirby’s first full class. I’m a firm believer Malik Herring is going to come alive. Jordan Davis has been a beast so far, and they recruited one of the highest DL in school history in Travon Walker." Wilson makes the exact same points that I have been trying to make. He then added this, "Also have to remember Georgia runs a 3-4 base defense. There are more linebackers on the field than defensive linemen, so you’re going to see more production out of the linebackers." Wilson is speaking 100% truth about the whys. I then looked for a second opinion that might give another reason, so I turned to another contributor, Stepfan Salter a military veteran, and he said this "Under Tucker in 2016 - Played in multiple fronts, with blitzes, and the secondary killed us. In 2017 Multiple Fronts, blitzes, secondary killed us. 2018 - Stayed in basic a 3-4. A banged up D line scheme required punch, shed blocks to keep everything in front to protect the secondary. Couldn't establish the edge basically, the defensive coordinator kept them in bad fits & schemes. " Nothing against Coach Tucker, but Salter is right for the first two years Georgia had a pretty average secondary that if exposed would be a liability for the defense. Tucker wanted to play aggressive up front but couldn't because of a weak secondary. So just like any good coach would, in 2018 he tried to keep away from blitzes and help out the secondary a little. And it did wonders for the secondary last season, as they looked a lot better. But still in big games, the secondary looked tired going into the fourth quarter and they couldn't hold it together. Never mind the fact that the offense went stagnant. This Georgia defensive line will not change unless we start getting highly touted recruits to come in and play in that front. Wilson said that he has been very high on Herring, Davis, and Clark. So if those three guys can produce numbers this year then there is no doubt in my mind that we will win the National Championship. But it could also be the play calling at times, we saw the difference in the defense against Alabama. Tucker was sending the pressure and forcing quick decisions very early on and it worked for 3 quarters. But the defense got tired. Coach Lanning needs to find a balance so that doesn't happen again. We need our defensive line just like we need our offensive line. Brent Wilson: ContributorFollow on Twitter @RodrigoSpecs Stepfan Salter: ContributorFollow on Twitter @StepfanSalter |
Harrison Reno
Is the founder and author of Top Dawg Blogging. Harrison has been blogging for the past 4 years Archives
April 2020
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