Georgia football will take full advantage of the redshirt rule in 2019. Those first four games will allow the Dawgs to rotate some key position and see who’s ready for an entire season or needs to redshirt.
One team who will utilize the redshirt rule the most is Georgia football.
The Dawgs open up against Vanderbilt in Nashville on Aug. 31. Then Georgia comes home for the next three games. The Dawgs play Murray State on Sept. 7, Arkansas State on Sept. 14, and Notre Dame on Sept. 21.
These four games will be crucial for the entire defense along with the wideouts and possibly the running backs.
While I imagine at least one person from each position will get a redshirt, these first games allow head coach Kirby Smart to evaluate them and see their progress.
According to the NCAA, “Division I college football players will now be able to play in up to four games per season without using a season of eligibility.”
I like this new redshirt rule. While it has implications with the transfer portal and stuff, but I think its more beneficial than the former one especially this season for the Dawgs.
Georgia has guys on the defensive line and in the linebacker group who may not entirely be ready for SEC football yet.
According to Our Lads, Georgia’s defensive line starters will likely be Tyler Clark, Jordan Davis, and Malik Herring. Those three guys have the experience, but who will be the guys behind them?
The defensive line depth includes Devonte Wyatt, Michael Barnett, David Marshall, Travon Walker, Julian Rochester, Justin Young, Netori Johnson, Michail Carter, Zion Logue, Tymon Mitchell, Bill Norton, and Tramel Walthour.
Georgia may have 15 guys that can play on the defensive line; five guys haven’t been on the field for the Dawgs.
This number is where the redshirt rule comes in for the Dawgs. Georgia could rotate players like Walker, Logue, Mitchell, Norton, Wyatt, and Walthour through those first four games and see who needs to be redshirted or not.
Walker came into Georgia as one of the best defensive tackles in the country. However, it’s sporadic to see a true freshman start on an SEC defensive line. So while I doubt the staff redshirts him, but I also think they’ll be watching him closely.
The same can be said for Georgia’s linebackers and the depth at that position. Our Lads have Walter Grant starting at the SAM position, Brenton Cox at JACK, Tae Crowder at MIKE, and Monty Rice at WILL.
Behind those four guys include names like Adam Anderson, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, Jermaine Johnson, Quay Walker, Trezmen Marshall, and Channing Tindall.
Georgia has so much depth at this position; there are three complete rotations on Our Lads.
Smith may have come in as one of the top rated players, and he looks like a grown man, who knows if after a couple of games he isn’t ready, I’m glad the redshirt rule would be there. The same can be said for Nakobe Dean and a couple of others.
While the list of names isn’t all of the guys on the linebacker roster, these are the ones who will more than likely see the field a good bit this season.
I could continue about how these four games will help the team, but I think that Dawg fans need to take into consideration what we’re going to see those first four games.
Georgia’s going to rotate positions those first four games, and it’ll show how much depth we have on the field. I think that my doing these committee type positions allows players to step up, hold themselves accountable, and earn time on the field.
If there is a player ready for the field, after those first couple games, the staff will know it and we will actually see how good these four and five-stars are in the SEC.
While the Dawgs use the redshirt to their advantage at times, I think 2019 will be the year we see the depth begin to build with guys getting redshirted to make the team better in the long run.