Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Georgia season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Georgia Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 11-3 overall, 7-1 in SEC
Head Coach: Kirby Smart, 4th year, 32-10
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GEORGIA OFFENSE
– It was brutally effective last year, finishing fifth in the SEC in total offense, but second in scoring averaging 38 points per game. There might be a whole lot of turnover with five starters gone – the skill spots take the big hit – but it’ll be more of the same.
This will be one of the best offenses in pass protection, it’ll either lead the SEC in rushing again or come close, and it’ll be explosive from the start, mostly because …
– Everyone will have time to work behind one of the nation’s best offensive lines. Four starters return, and it all works around the tackles that should be NFL starters in the near future. 6-5, 320-pound junior Andrew Thomas is the best OT in college football – or he’s in the top three – and big blaster 6-7, 345-pound Isaiah Wilson is a devastating run blocker. The interior is deep and talented, too, paving the way for …
– RB D’Andre Swift should be in the Heisman hunt if he gets the ball enough to crank up the stats. 1,000-yard runner Elijah Holyfield is gone, but Brian Herrien is a capable veteran No. 2 guy, but it’s the devastatingly fast Swift who has the talent to blow past the 1,500-yard mark after run-in for 1,049 yards and ten scores.
– The receiving corps will be interesting. Riley Ridley, Mecole Hardman, and TE Isaac Nauta are all gone after finishing 1-2-3, respectively, in catches. Fortunately, 6-3, 200-pound Jeremiah Holloman is a potential No. 1 target who should shine now that he’ll get the ball more – he caught 24 passes and averaged over 17 yards per catch – on the outside.
Charlie Woerner is a solid tight end, there are just enough talented veteran receivers in place to be okay, and the newbies should play a huge role. There’s a shot freshmen George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock become the team’s best receivers right after they get their feet wet. Helping the new group of receivers …
– Jake Fromm is now an established star. He might not be the most intimidating quarterback presence, and he’s not going to do anything on the ground, but he’s an NFL starter next year at this time. He’s a proven talent who has been through the wars, and now he has to make all the new receivers better right away … and he has to stay healthy.
Freshman D’Wan Mathis has the talent and poise to be the next star quarterback up after Fromm is done, but first he has to get healthy after a frightening surgery to have a cyst removed on his brain.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GEORGIA DEFENSE
– There might not be the brand name stars on the defensive side like there are for the offense, but it was an effective group – finishing second overall in total D behind Mississippi State – equally strong at stopping the run and the pass. Four of the top five tacklers are back after undergoing a bit of a youth movement, but there are still holes to fill, starting with …
– Can a corner replace Thorpe winner Deandre Baker? 45-tackle sophomore Tyson Campbell will give it a shot on the other side of star Eric Stokes – these are BIG corners – all around the loaded safety tandem of JR Reed and Richard LeCounte that could and should be among the nation’s best. But now, the secondary needs …
– The pass rush has to emerge. It went bye-bye last season for long stretches, but it didn’t hurt the overall D all that much. Even so, it would be nice to get more big plays in the backfield from the more experienced linebackers. Tae Crowder is the 235-pound man in the middle, and Monty Rice was third on the team with 59 stops from his spot on the weakside, but the pressure has to come from all spots.
– It’ll be a solid defensive front three full of 300-pounders that won’t be splashy, but should be effective. 6-6, 330-pound sophomore Jordan Davis is the Coke machine that defines what SEC defensive tackles are supposed to look and play like.
The rotation on the ends in the 3-4 will have to emerge in fall camp, and the superstar tweener recruits have to be ready to go. Nolan Smith will end up as a true linebacker, and top JUCO transfer Jermaine Johnson has the size and ability to find a role right away on the outside.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP GEORGIA PLAYERS
Best Georgia Offensive Player
QB Jake Fromm, Jr.
No beef if you want to put Andrew Thomas here, but Dawgs have a star at quarterback who’s rising up in the NFL Draft rankings.
The 6-2, 220-pounder went from being the guy who was going to back up Jacob Eason, to the guy who was about to be pushed out by Justin Fields, to the guy who might just be the second quarterback taken in the 2020 NFL Draft after Tua Tagovailoa. He’s the tough veteran who’s accurate, efficient, and as cool as they come.
With a changing offense and with a slew of new receiving parts, he’ll have to be even sharper. There’s no concern there. With Eason now at Washington and Fields at Ohio State, staying healthy is going to be a really big deal.
2. OT Andrew Thomas Jr.
3. RB D’Andre Swift, Jr.
4. OT Isaiah Wilson, Soph.
5. PK Rodrigo Blankenship, Sr.
Best Georgia Defensive Player
S JR Reed, Sr.
The 6-1, 194-pound Reed combines with Richard LeCounte to give Georgia one of the nation’s better safety tandems. Reed could do more when the ball is in the air, and LeCounte led the team in tackles, but the senior is the better pro prospect and should be the biggest playmaker in the secondary.
But this could all change in a hurry in terms of who the best defensive player really is.
Freshman LB Nolan Smith and ends Jermaine Johnson and Travon Walker are special, and there’s a whole lot more talent coming in. For now, though, the secondary will be the star.
2. S Richard LeCounte, Jr.
3. CB Eric Stokes, Soph.
4. DT Jordan Davis, Soph.
5. LB Tae Crowder, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Georgia Offense
The receivers have to be outstanding and sharp from Day One. There’s not that much of a concern. Georgia had to replace its top two receivers going into last season, and now it has to do it again. However, Riley Ridley and Mecole Harman were reliable parts of the puzzle, and just one wideout who caught more than nine passes – Jeremiah Holloman – returns.
RB D’Andre Swift can catch, and TE Isaac Nauta leaving early just isn’t that big a deal – he was good, but he didn’t produce up to the prep hype – but the pressure is now on Holloman, speedy junior Demetris Robertson and senior Tyler Simmons to rise up and rock.
Jake Fromm will make everyone better, and the recruiting class is loading up the corps with talent, but this group will have to earn its stripes.
Biggest Key To The Georgia Defense
Get to the quarterback more. D’Andre Walker was fine with 7.5 sacks, but he’s gone, and the No. 2 sack man was Channing Tindall with his mere two sacks.
The paltry 24 sacks didn’t turn out to matter all that much to the defensive production – the secondary was and is good enough to make up for the lack of pressure – but doing more to force big mistakes would make life a lot easier.
Scheme-style or not, Georgia is too talented to finish last in the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss again. The secondary is too good to only pick off four passes in ten games like it did after the first part of last year.
Key Player To A Successful Season
RB D’Andre Swift
Beyond the receiver situation – needing Jeremiah Holloman, or one of the young prospects, to become a reliable No. 1 guy – getting a huge and healthy season from Swift is a must. He’s not just a terrific runner, he’s one of the big keys to the passing game as a dangerous midrange target for Jake Fromm.
It’s Georgia, so there are plenty of good backs to work into the mix – Bran Herrien is a decent veteran, Zamir White has the talent once he’s back from a knee injury, and James Cook can be a factor – but after leading the SEC in rushing, Georgia needs No. 7 to be special again.
Key Game To The Georgia Season
Florida, Nov. 2 (in Jacksonville)
The Bulldogs have to go to Tennessee, and they have to deal with Auburn and Texas A&M from the West, but this is it. With all due respect to the Kentuckys, Missouris and South Carolinas of the SEC world, the party in Jacksonville will be for the East title.
Georgia has won two in a row and five of the last eight in the series, but this time around, the Gators appear to be ready to make a big step forward under Dan Mullen. The Bulldogs can be amazing, and they might be good enough to rip through the rest of the slate, but lose on November 2nd, and the SEC title hopes will probably be out of their hands.
– Georgia Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Georgia Fun Stats
– 1st Quarter Scoring: Georgia 124 – Opponents 51
– Field Goals: Georgia 19-of-23 – Opponents 15-of-18
– Touchdown Passes: Georgia 34 – Opponents 13
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. GEORGIA WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
With four double-digit win seasons in the last five, Georgia has established itself as one of the current superpowers – with Kirby Smart taking things to another level over the last few seasons – and now the bar is set higher.
Being really good is fun, but the program hasn’t won a national title since 1980, was painfully close to getting one in 2017, and – please blow off the Sugar Bowl against Texas; teams just aren’t the same once they’re not playing for the big prize – were one of the four best teams in college football at the end of the last regular season.
There might be a little reloading to do at some positions, and the talent is a half-click below what Alabama and Clemson will bring, but it’s all there to make the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years.
The Bulldogs have the NFL starting quarterback in Jake Fromm. They have an NFL starting running back in D’Andre Swift. They have one of the nation’s best offensive tackle tandems, one of the nation’s best safety situations, one of the nation’s best kicking games, and one of the nation’s best recruiting classes to restock the shelves.
The receiver situation isn’t shaky, but it’s unproven after losing the top three targets. The defensive front seven has to get to the quarterback once in a while, losing a cornerback the caliber of Deandre Baker hurts, and the season might have to be deleted if something happens to Fromm.
But again, it’s all there to be among the top four teams in college football again. That includes the schedule.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 11
Outside of injuries, there’s no reason to not be 11-1 – there will be a loss along the way – for the third straight regular season.
It’s the SEC, and even Georgia can never take a road date at Vanderbilt for granted, Tennessee will be better, and home games against South Carolina, Missouri and Kentucky won’t be layups.
The spotlight will be on the Florida game, Notre Dame has to come to Athens, and the finishing kick of at Auburn, Texas A&M and at Georgia Tech will be dangerous. But there’s no LSU in the regular season slate, and best of all, there’s no Alabama.
The Georgia machine will keep on rolling. Keep putting out great teams, keep infusing the program with next-level football players, and eventually, it’ll be the right year when things break the right way.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
