Georgia football wide receiver Terry Godwin is expected to make his 2018 debut this Saturday at South Carolina. The former five-star is Georgia’s best returning receiver.
One Georgia football star will likely make his 2018 debut this Saturday. Terry Godwin appears like he’s recovered from his knee injury and is ready to go Saturday as the Dawgs open SEC play against rival South Carolina.
Godwin’s return cannot be overstated, he’s one of the biggest weapons on the team. He makes tough catches look easy. His leadership is almost unparalleled. He makes the quarterback’s job a lot easier. If Georgia accomplishes all of their goals for this year, it won’t come without him.
Godwin is a former five-star prospect according to 247 Sports. They ranked him no. 27 overall, no. 4 in Georgia and no. 1 out of all athletes. In three years as a Bulldog, Godwin has lived up to that hype. He’s caught 111 passes for 1,415 yards with eight touchdowns.
He had his best season last year, with 38 catches for 639 yards and six scores, good enough for second on the team behind senior Javon Wims. He peaked at the perfect time in 2017. During the Dawgs final three games of the season, Godwin caught 14 passes for 147 yards with one touchdown and a two-point conversion.
Head coach Kirby Smart explained how important Godwin is to the team Monday during a meeting with reporters. It was during that meeting where Smart announced that Godwin will likely play against South Carolina.
"“You can’t put a measurement on the value of confidence he brings to the room and the quarterbacks. They feel very confident. They know Terry’s going to run the right route. They trust Terry’s going to be at the right depth. Terry’s one of our best fade throw guys. He’s very good at that. We’ve been missing some back shoulders. Terry’s good at that. There’s a lot of things Terry’s really good at and it gives us some confidence out there to go play.”"
Godwin’s return makes preparation much more difficult for the Gamecocks coaching staff. They already had to deal with Riley Ridley, Mecole Hardman, Demetris Robertson and Ahkil Crumpton. Now they have to find away to slow down them, and Godwin, who like Smart said, is one of Georgia’s best when it comes to fade routes.
Georgia and South Carolina kick off right after 3:30 p.m. this Saturday. The Bulldogs enter the contest ranked no. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25. The Gamecocks are unranked, yet they are confident they can compete for the SEC East Championship this season.