The chorus of worry amongst Georgia football fans reached a fever pitch during the month of August. To blame for all the anxious altos? Concerns about Georgia’s depth at the wide receiver position.
The wails started at the dawn of fall camp, as news leaked out that Dominick Blaylock, Kearis Jackson, and Jermaine Burton were all limited to start practice. With George Pickens already out for, presumably, the majority of the regular season, whispers of the Georgia curse started earlier than normal.
When news broke that Arik Gilbert left the team to deal with personal issues, the collective hyperventilating of Georgia football fans caused a paper bag shortage in Athens-area grocery stores.
This is a plea to shutter all that pessimism. Breathe in that delightfully fresh, three days from Dawgs football air.
There is no reason Georgia football fans should be worried about the receiving corps. In fact, they should be celebrating it as an area of strength.
@king_kearis pic.twitter.com/ZsuCy3jt4w
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) August 6, 2021
Let’s look at the output Georgia returns from 2020 in The Blurr Gang (hashtag, best nickname ever). Even though he is on the roster and could contribute later in the season, we are going to assume that George Pickens contributions are minimal.
Even given his absence, Georgia still returns 70% of its wide receiver production from last season. Georgia’s top 5 receivers in 2020 were Kearis Jackson, George Pickens, Jermaine Burton, James Cook, and Darnell Washington. The five of them accounted for 1,822 of Georgia’s 2,499 receiving yards in 2020.
The importance of having gamebreaker Arian Smith for an entire season also cannot be dismissed. He showed in the South Carolina and Cincinnati games last season how quickly he can flip the field for Georgia as a deep threat.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint gave Georgia fans a glimpse of what he could be as a true freshman, highlighted by his touchdown catch against Florida. Recovered from the injury that he suffered on that play, a healthy MRJ is another weapon in the Blurr Gang quiver.
Oh, and did we almost forget about Dominick Blaylock? After a promising true freshman season in 2019 that ended with an ACL tear in the SEC Championship Game, Blaylock saw his 2020 season end before it began when he suffered another ACL tear in fall camp.
After an offseason working diligently to rehab with Ron Courson and Georgia’s unparalleled sports medicine staff, Blaylock saw scout team action all week and is raring for an early season return.
Lest we discount the recruiting reinforcements. Georgia football fans became quickly acquainted with Adonai Mitchell after his explosive G-Day performance, and he will contribute early and often for the Dawgs in the 2021 season.
Todd Monken raved about freshman Brock Bowers during camp and teammate Kendall Milton referred to him as “a freak.” His ability to shift from H-back to tight end to even flexing him out in the slot gives Georgia another pass-catching weapon to give opposing defenses fits.
Georgia is going to beat Clemson in the Duke’s Mayo Classic on Saturday night. When the final whistle sounds, Georgia’s receivers will be a big reason why the Dawgs came out on top.