Christmas is just nine days away. But Bowl season has begun and Early Signing Day is this Wednesday. Here’s what Georgia football is hoping for this holiday season.
Merry Christmas Georgia fans. Many around the world have already began opening gifts this holiday season. Some wait til Christmas morning, will likely be receiving gifts into the new year. Georgia football is no different this year, with a Christmas list full of items to be opened before and after December 25.
A Sugar Bowl victory
Obviously, Georgia wants to end the 2018 season on a high-note. They’ll get the chance to do so on New Year’s Day in the Sugar Bowl against Texas. Despite their 9-4 record, the Longhorns are a formidable foe offensively. In loses, they never scored less than 27 points and they averaged 31.3 points per game.
Beating Texas, and slowing down their offense in the process, would be a great way to end the season. The defense, which likely returns eight starters, will enter the 2019 season with momentum and confidence.
Players staying another year
Georgia has six players who could forgo their senior (or redshirt junior) seasons and join the NFL draft. Hopefully, each of them decide to stay and help the Dawgs win another championship in 2019. The biggest junior to keep an eye on is Isaac Nauta. The starting tight end is third on the team with 427 yards and he has 902 yards in his three years at Georgia. But regardless of his stats, he’s an impressive player physically with good hands and surprising speed for a 240-pounder. He’s probably Georgia’s most NFL ready player.
Running back Elijah Holyfield, wide receivers Mecole Hardman, Riley Ridley and Demetris Robertson, and safety J.R. Reed are also eligible for the NFL Draft. Worst case scenario; Georgia’s top three receivers of 2018 could all decide to leave school next month. And you can’t overlook Robertson either, he may have had an uneventful 2018, but he could shine in 2019 after a year in a system that asks a lot more of wide outs than most schools.
If all six of those players return, Georgia will enter 2019 with astronomically high expectations, especially on offense with the top four receivers all remaining on the team, and the newest running back duo remaining intact.
Big haul in the National Signing Period
If this year’s Early Signing Period is anything like last year’s, Georgia fans will have a very merry Christmas. 16 of Georgia’s five and four-star signees from the 2018 class signed during the Early Signing Period. Seven of those players were previously uncommitted.
The 2018 Early Signing Period, which begins this Wednesday, could yield similar results. A few of the high school stars that Georgia is in the mix for this week are Nakobe Dean, five-star no. 1 inside linebacker; Trey Sanders, five-star no. 1 running back; Noah Cain, four-star no. 7 running back; Tyrique Stevenson, four-star no. 4 cornerback; among others.
Georgia’s 2019 recruiting class is currently ranked no. 2 nationally behind Alabama. But the Dawgs have five less commits and two more five-star players. Signing a few of these players now will help the Dawgs capture their second-straight no. 1 recruiting class.