Georgia football has a team full of selfless players that want to battle for each other and have made history through the regular season going 12-0 and 8-0 in SEC play. With the regular season over with, it’s only fitting to award some yearly awards ahead of the postseason.
Every player on this team deserves an award for the countless sacrifices they’ve taken for this team.
However, some players have gone above and beyond for the Dawgs and made themselves known as a force. There are guys who no one thought would ever put up the numbers they have this year and guys who have shocked the college football world.
These 10 Georgia football players deserve the regular-season superlatives.
Georgia has one of the best offenses and the best defense in the country, so picking and choosing who won was a challenge. The Dawgs play as one unit, and they aren’t about individual awards. Instead, they all have common goals.
They’ve accomplished things all season long, from going undefeated in conference play to finishing 12-0. Now there are three left — the SEC title, semifinal playoff game and the national title.
This team has the talent to do all three of those things. They have to keep playing their hearts out like they have all season because they’ve proved the talent is there. Now it’s just about playing the games and finding ways to win them.
These ten players have all played key roles and must be successful in the next two to three games. For now, though, they deserve someone bragging about them. They’ve earned the love, and while they must stay focused for the last stretch of the year, it’s also important to point out the players who helped get the Dawgs where they are right now.
After thinking about it, we will award an Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP, the Heisman Trophy winner, the Comeback Player of the Year, Most Underrated Offensive and Defensive players, the Most Under-Appreciated Offensive and Defensive players and Offensive and Defensive Newcomers.
Here are the 10 players who won the regular season superlatives.
Georgia football Offensive MVP: Brock Bowers
The easiest superlative to give out has to be the Offensive MVP award because one guy from the first game has shocked the world and proved his worth. True freshman tight end Brock Bowers won our hearts over from the jump. Since then, he has broken a handful of records and has emerged as the top receiver for Georgia.
On the season, Bowers has 37 catches for 652 yards and 10 scores. He averages 17.62 yards a catch and 54.33 yards a game.
Bowers recorded three 100-yard games this year against UAB, where he had three catches for 107 yards, Kentucky with five catches for 101 yards, and last week against Georgia Tech when he had three catches for 100 yards.
He also has three rushes for 55 yards and one touchdown giving him 11 total on the season.
That total yardage broke Orson Charles’ single-season yards record he set in 2011, and the freshman could become the second-ever player since Terrance Edwards to record 1000 yards in a single season. Bowers has a little ways to go, but it’s possible for sure.
There isn’t much this young man cannot do. He can catch, run, and block. Bowers does whatever gets asked of him, and it’s made a huge difference this year.
He earns our Offensive MVP title for that reason alone — no one has an answer for him, and he is Georgia’s biggest weapon.
Georgia football Defensive MVP: Nakobe Dean
Nakobe Dean has also been someone that makes a considerable difference on the football field. He is one of the main leaders for Georgia’s elite defense and probably one of the most intelligent guys on the entire team. Dean is this year’s Defensive MVP because he has led this defense to such a dominant season that without him, who knows how it would have looked.
Dean leads the team in sacks with five and is the second-leading tackler on the team behind his fellow linebacker Channing Tindall. However, he edged out Tindall because of his leadership skill and ability to put guys in the right place, call that line shuffle at the right moment, and well, he is just so damn good at what he does.
Overall, Dean has 56 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, two interceptions, three pass breakups, 18 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. His speed and ability to be everywhere are quite incredible and I don’t think we’ve seen everything he can do. He is so unique and a guy who hopefully comes back and helps keep this dominance train going.
Dean is another Roquan Smith and someone who hasn’t hit his ceiling regarding what he can do on a football field.
He is a significant asset for the Dawgs and a big reason they are so dominant on the defensive side of the ball.
Georgia football Heisman Trophy winner: Jordan Davis
The Jordan Davis Heisman Trophy campaign began early on in the season, and it continues to grow as we type this out. The big man up front is the unsung hero who doesn’t necessarily get the most stats but does a ton in the trenches.
Davis doesn’t need a ton of stats for people to see what he means to this defense and team. He came back for his senior season to do something great and is doing just that.
However, he wins the team’s Heisman Trophy because Davis can do it all. Davis has 24 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and nine quarterback hurries. The big man also has two rushes for two yards and a touchdown after getting a couple of carries against Charleston Southern for Senior Day.
Davis is so good, and the nose tackle, to be as large as he is, is extremely fast too. He can run down opponents and get in on the tackle. To be a nose tackle, Davis sure can get to a guy quickly, and when that is barreling towards an opponent, you have to feel bad for them.
The senior sacrificed everything to come back and do it one more time. Now, look at the season Davis has put together and all that he has gotten to do this year. Honorary Red Coat Marching band member, a Heisman Trophy contender — there is truly nothing he cannot do for this team or wouldn’t do.
Georgia football comeback player of the year: Stetson Bennett
The Comeback Player of the Year has to go to Georgia football starting quarterback Stetson Bennett.
After JT Daniels came in and took over for the final four or five games, everyone thought Bennett’s time as the starter was over, and it was Daniels’ time. However, that wasn’t the case at all. He was the third-string quarterback going into fall camp and the season, but that didn’t deter him.
Bennett kept working, and when he got his opportunity to shine, boy did he. When Daniels went down with an injury, the senior beat out Carson Beck for the job, and since then, it’s been the Mailman’s show, and we’re all just living in it.
He got his first start against UAB and went 10-of-12 for 288 yards and five touchdowns. Welcome back, Mr. Mailman. He looked like a completely different quarterback — one that had worked their tail off to improve and get better at his craft.
After that game, he would come in for clean-up duties against South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Daniels injury nagged on, so Bennett started the Arkansas game, and since then, he has gone 8-0 as the starter.
Bennett completed 119-of-183 passes for 1,985 yards, 21 touchdowns, and five interceptions on the regular season.
His relationship with the offense grew, and even when Daniels returned, they stuck with Bennett. When someone is playing that good, why would anyone change?
He gets the comeback award because no one thought he would be the starting quarterback that helped get Georgia to the SEC Championship and finish the regular season out 12-0 and 8-0 in conference play.
Bennett has helped this team accomplish many firsts this year, so no one else deserved the comeback award more than him.
Georgia football most underrated on defense: Devonte Wyatt & Jalen Carter
This Georgia football defense is so elite that picking the most underrated guy on the team was almost impossible, so this award sees two winners. Two of the most underrated guys on this defense have to be Jalen Carter and Devonte Wyatt.
While they are both well-known, they aren’t nearly acknowledged as much as their fellow big man Jordan Davis. However, without these two guys, Georgia wouldn’t be where they are right now.
Carter will be better than Davis by the time he is a senior, and Wyatt was part of the senior group who came back and decided to do something great this season.
These two both have emerged as forces on the defensive front and guys who intimidate opponents. Wyatt finally grew into the player we all thought he would become out of high school while Carter is silently proving what kind of weapon he is.
Carter has 28 tackles on the season, leads the team with 8.5 tackles for loss, has three sacks, one pass breakup, 22 quarterback hurries and a blocked kick. He has been quite productive this year, and it’s been incredible to watch him blossom as the season progressed.
Wyatt has 31 tackles, six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one pass break up, 17 quarterback hurries, one forced fumble, and one blocked kick. He has also become quite the football player for the Dawgs this year, and by coming back, he raised his draft stock by a ton.
While they are loved by many, these two are still underappreciated for all they’ve done for this team. Wyatt and Carter both have been guys who played sick, played hurt, and just trucked right along.
You know the Grateful Dead song, “Truckin,” well, that is what they’re doing this season. No matter the task, they have climbed it and accomplished what they needed to. Now they can get the recognition they deserve for their hard work and sacrifices.
Georgia football most underrated on offense: James Cook
James Cook has to be the most underrated offensive player because he has finally emerged as the running back Georgia football needed him to be.
While the fans all love him and have since he got to Georgia, there have been times where we felt underwhelmed by his performances, but this season it’s like something clicked for him, and he has been dynamite.
He is another senior who could have likely gone pro after last season but instead chose to come back and make this year special.
As the season progressed, so did Cook, and he has emerged as the best running back on the team. Fans love his counterpart Zamir White, but there has been something about how Cook has done things this year that elevates him above his fellow running backs.
Cook has 90 carries for 581 yards and seven scores on the season. He averages 6.5 yards a rush and 48.42 yards a game. However, when the Dawgs needed him most, Cook stepped up and led the team against Tennessee. He recorded his first 100-yard game on 10 carries for 104 yards, and it was a massive moment for him.
That game showed how much he has grown as a running back and the potential that is there.
Cook does it all and does it well. He also has 17 catches for 129 yards and three touchdowns. His vision is incredible on the field, and Cook is growing into an all-purpose running back that can do whatever an offense needs him to.
Coming back for this final year was a big positive for Cook as his NFL draft stock rose significantly. He is underrated because he shares the load with White, but this young man has stepped up this season and proven his worth.
Georgia football most under-appreciated offensive player: Stetson Bennett
No, it’s not a typo to see Stetson Bennett win the Comeback player of the year and the most under-appreciated offensive player because the fan base has been so divided on him.
After a couple of rough games last season, Bennett lost his job to JT Daniels, and everyone thought Bennett would never start again for Georgia unless something terrible happened. Well, look at him now.
Bennett leads the SEC in quarterback ratings at 188.55 ahead of Bryce Young at Alabama. He also leads the SEC in yards per attempt at 10.85. Bennett completes 65.03% of his passes and has gotten sacked the least times in the SEC.
Still, there are people out there that feel like he isn’t good enough to get the job done. Saturday will be an excellent chance for him to prove himself, but he doesn’t have to in all reality.
Bennett already proved himself this season and has done a great job to get Georgia to where it is right now.
Between him and Jordan Davis, I don’t know who loves the Dawgs more, and that matters during seasons like this. His passion for Georgia football and determination to play his best is why he is where he is right now.
Hands down, he has been the most under-appreciated player because people only see what he did in the past instead of seeing how much he grew from last year to now.
However, if he shines on Saturday against the Tide, that argument of not being good enough is forever squashed.
Georgia football’s most under-appreciated defensive player: Robert Beal
When Adam Anderson left the team for his circumstances, no one knew who could step into his role and perform, well Robert Beal did, and for that, he won the most under-appreciated defensive player.
On the season, Beal has 15 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks on the season one pass breakup, and 13 quarterback hurries.
He recorded a sack in the last three games, and all three of those came at the perfect moments. Beal has stepped into Anderson’s role, and his production has been plenty.
People forget he is on the team, but they know his name now after the last three weeks. Georgia needed someone to step up, and Beal did just that.
He may not have had the career at Georgia like a lot of fans thought he would, but this young man has done a great job at keeping pace and making sure he is contributing on defense in a place that lost its best player.
Beal has a lot of potential, so seeing him step up when it’s mattered most has been such a positive thing to see. He earns the most under-appreciated on the defense because Beal is producing while fans are so focused on the other defensive players.
Georgia football offensive Newcomer of the Year: Ladd McConkey
The last award is Newcomer of the year, and this was probably the easiest to pick as Ladd McConkey has exploded onto the scene.
Not only has he become one of the top wideouts for the Dawgs, but a heck of a punt returner and rusher if needed.
McConkey is the second-leading receiver for the Dawgs with 26 catches for 395 yards and four touchdowns. He also has two rushes for 39 yards and one score.
Return wise, he has five on the season for 82 yards, averaging 16.4 yards.
McConkey is a fast playmaker that the quarterbacks and the coaches trust to do his job and do it well. He had to step up and fill in for a lot of injured receivers toward the beginning of the season, and now he is a guy who gets targeted regularly.
Georgia took a chance on McConkey by giving him a scholarship, and so far, it has paid off in a big way. Between him and Brock Bowers, it’s been two freshmen leading the way on offense with a former walk-on quarterback delivering the ball to them.
He showed the world that he deserved to play at a Power 5 school for a team like Georgia and put up numbers as a redshirt freshman.
Georgia football Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Kelee Ringo
As for the defensive newcomer of the year, Kelee Ringo is hands down the winner. After missing the entire season last year due to an injury, the cornerback exploded onto the scene this year and has been such a great asset for a secondary no one thought would be this good.
The Dawgs lead the nation in passing defense, giving up 151.92 yards a game, and he has been a big reason they’ve been so successful back there.
Ringo has 22 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one interception, seven pass breakups and one quarterback hurry on the season.
He has made so many incredible plays this year, and it was only fitting to give this young man the newcomer of the year award.
Ringo came out of high school as one of the best secondary players in the country, and so far, he has lived up to the hype and expectations. The Dawgs need someone like him in their secondary because he knows how to play aggressively yet is smart about it as well.
There have been times where the wideout he covers gets targeted, and Ringo refused to let them catch the ball, and once he figured out how to do that without getting flagged for it, he became unstoppable.
Ringo has at least two more years with the Dawgs, and if this is year one, the next two will be even more exciting.
This season for Georgia football has been magical, and it can get even more magical with a win against Alabama on Saturday. However, these 10 Dawgs have put their heart and soul into this season and they deserve it all.