Georgia football: the long-term benefits of Chubb and Michel returning

Nick Chubb and Sony Michel surprised the Bulldog Nation when they announced they were staying in Athens to play one more year of Georgia football.

These days, when a junior or redshirt sophomore has a chance to get selected in the NFL draft, they run with the opportunity. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel were no different.

A pair of great backs for Georgia football. In three seasons Chubb has rushed for over 3,000 yards while Michel surpassed 2,000 last year. They’ve been honored in All-SEC teams and impressed NFL scouts.

With the short shelf life of many NFL running backs and the risk of a devastating injury they had every reason enter their name in the draft. But that isn’t what they did. Instead the duo decided to stay in Athens to spend their senior year playing for the Bulldogs.

And with their decision, the expectations for Georgia’s 2017 season instantly sky rocketed. Before fans expected a rebuilding year in the backfield. Even with Jacob Eason entering his second year as a starter with what should be a better group of receivers, it was hard to think Georgia could win the SEC East or any more than nine games.

More from Dawn of the Dawg

• Georgia Football: Top 5 Nick Chubb Moments at Georgia
• Georgia Football: Know the enemy UAB Blazers
• Nick Chubb is America’s running back, and he will return
• Georgia Football: Should laundry list of injuries be a cause to panic?
• Georgia Football: Report cards for Week 3 game against South Carolina

After learning that Chubb and Michel planned on playing another year in college, Georgia became a popular favorite to win the SEC East.

But expectations still aren’t anywhere past that. This Georgia team still doesn’t look like one that can defeat Alabama in Atlanta let alone win a playoff game against another top-four team. Which you think would be another reason for Chubb and Michel to leave.

That’s not how they see it. Chubb and Michel believe they have unfinished business in Athens. Chubb said that losing to Georgia Tech at home tore him up and he wanted to leave Georgia by putting the Yellow Jackets in their place. Michel recently stated that he just evaluated himself and believed he needed to stay.

However, Chubb will do more than just beat Tech and Michel will do more than just raise their stock. They know that, they also know that Georgia winning anything more than the SEC East will be a long shot. What they can do though is help change the trajectory of the Georgia football program.

Without Chubb and Michel, Georgia was looking forward to another 8-5, maybe a 9-4 season. Now Georgia has a chance of winning the SEC East. And by the time the 2018 season begins, Kirby Smart will have developed and recruited the team he truly wants and they’ll be ready to take over the East.

Because winning the SEC East on the legs of Chubb and Michel, as other players mature and strive around them, will raise the confidence level of the team. Georgia can win the SEC East again in 2018 and truly take over the division like they should in 2019. All because Chubb and Michel stayed.

They’re going to speed up the process of developing a championship caliber team. And if Georgia wins the SEC or even a National Championship within the next three-to-five years after 2017, we’ll have Chubb and Michel and their choice to stay to thank for that.

Next: The key to winning the SEC East in 2017

I’d even go as far as saying that they would deserve honorary championship rings. As a fan, we should see Chubb and Michel’s return as more than just our enjoyment for one more year. Our immediate fortune’s changed when they chose to stay.