Don’t let the Twitter hot takes fool you, Georgia football’s recruiting prowess means that 2019 will likely be Kirby Smart’s best year yet.
Between the Justin Fields transferring, and four key juniors leaving for the NFL, many people across the country feel as though Georgia football will take a step back next season. Many fans across the SEC and the nation as a whole are salivating at the thought of the Dawgs taking a step back. While Georgia will certainly be losing a sizable amount of talent, they won’t be rebuilding. Kirby Smart has recruited too well, and the Dawgs are too deep for them to be forced to rebuild.
Riley Ridley, Mecole Hardman, Deandre Baker, and Elijah Holyfield are the biggest names leaving Athens. They’re all extremely talented players that should have good careers in the NFL. It’s easy to see how someone from the outside looking in how Georgia might be in trouble, but they have been in this situation before. After Georgia’s National Championship appearance two seasons ago, there was a massive exodus of talent. The Dawgs lost the best running back duo in college football history, three first round picks, and one of the best players in the nation in Roquan Smith. A grand total of six players went from Athens to the NFL that year. Despite that, Georgia was right back in the SEC Championship Game the following season.
Hardman and Ridley were a sensational duo at wide receiver. With that being said, Kirby has made sure that they will be replaced with top level talent. Five-star receiver Dominick Blaylock, who had two receiving touchdowns in the Under Armour All American Game, is a potential superstar. The same can also be said about a fellow former 5-star recruit, Demetris Robertson. Jeremiah Holloman will be the leader of a receiving core that also includes a plethora of other talented young players as well.
Between Elijah Holyfield’s departure and the fact that the Dawgs missed out on Trey Sanders, some people may have the idea that Georgia’s collection of running backs is subpar. This could not be farther from the truth. D’Andre Swift, one of the best returning running backs in the nation, will pick up right where he left off. Former 5-star Zamir White will look to team up with James Cook to replace some of Holyfield’s workload. Brian Herrien will also be looking to increase his workload as well. Make no mistake about it, Georgia is still RBU.
The Dawgs have a whole host of young offensive talent at their disposal. Jamaree Slayer, Cade Mays, and Clay Webb are all five star underclassmen on the offensive line. Running back Kenny McIntosh and tight end Ryan Goede are both 4-star recruits that will look to possibly make some noise as freshmen. Dwan Mathis, the former 4-star and Ohio State commit, is an extremely talented quarterback option behind Jake Fromm.
Defensively, there might be even more incoming talent. Jonathan Ledbetter is the biggest name departing from the defensive line. With that being said, Georgia’s defensive line should be even better next season. The Dawgs signed the number one recruit in the country in Nolan Smith. The edge rusher will be joined on the defensive line by fellow 5-star recruit Travon Walker. Brenton Cox is yet another five star from last year’s number one recruiting class that will help bolster the pass rush. Devonte Wyatt, Jordan Davis, and Xavier Truss are also talented underclassmen that will try to battle for time in the interior.
Moving back to the second level, young talent is oozing from the linebackers as well. Even though they’ll be without a few pieces from last year, Monty Rice will be returning. Rice looked like the readiest to play LB this season, and he’ll be able to play with a lot of young talent. The no. 1 inside linebacker in the country, Nakobe Dean, will be in Athens in 2019. Rian Davis, Trezmen Marshall, Adam Anderson, Otis Reese, Channing Tindall, and Quay Walker are all highly recruited underclassmen. Keep in mind these names are competing with Tae Crowder, Jaden Hunter, Nate McBride, and Walter Grant even after Juwan Taylor’s departure. The Dawgs have never been more loaded at linebacker.
Deandre Baker, the leader of Georgia’s secondary, was the best player in Athens. Despite Baker’s departure, the Dawgs are loaded on the back end. Although he struggled at times as a freshman, Tyson Campbell is still an unbelievably talented former 5-star recruit. Eric Stokes, Deangelo Gibbs, Tyrique McGhee, and Mark Webb will push for playing time at corner as well. The secondary will also welcome the addition of DJ Daniel and Tyrique Stevenson, two highly touted 4-star recruits. Richard LeCounte will be starting at free safety with a full year of experience under his belt. It looks like JR Reed will return and start at strong safety, providing much-needed experience.
There will be a number of quality players departing that made the Georgia program proud. With that being said, there is more than enough talent in Athens to absorb those losses. Kirby has turned in a top 3 recruiting class for the third consecutive year, including the no. 1 class in 2018. Let other SEC fans gloat this offseason, the fact remains that come September, it will be clear once again just how good Georgia is.