Georgia football has had a busy week with all the college football award stuff going on, and the Bulldogs racked up some hardware.
It started with Nakobe Dean winning the Butkus Award last Sunday and from there, the week got better and better.
The Dawgs have had such a special season so far, and it was only deserving. They were some of the best to play the game this season, and finally, a Georgia team got what they deserved.
Georgia made history with its two big winners in Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis.
Georgia football earned the awards they won during this historic season.
Head coach Kirby Smart earned SEC Coach of the Year, Brock Bowers SEC Freshman of the year. Multiple names landed on the SEC All-Freshman, All-SEC First and Second Teams, and three earned Walter Camp All-America honors.
The Dawgs closed the week with Davis winning the Bednarik and the Outland Trophy.
Voted by his fellow SEC coaches, Smart won Coach of the Year not just because he led his team to a 12-0 start and another SEC Championship, but for what he could do when the injury list wouldn’t quit growing.
He was still able to coach up this team with a former walk-on quarterback to win the SEC East in dominating fashion and remain undefeated until the SEC Championship game.
It’s hard to go undefeated all season, and because the Dawgs did, it secured them a spot in the playoffs even with the Alabama loss.
Bowers won Freshman of the Year because he should have. His 11 receiving touchdowns, 791 yards and four 100-yard games made it an easy choice. He should have won the John Mackey award too, but we’ve said enough on that.
Ten players landed on the All-SEC First and Second Teams, with five on each.
Bowers, Davis, Dean, Devonte Wyatt, and Jake Camarda were the first-team selections. Those five names deserved to be on the first team for their efforts and all they did this season.
Wyatt came back like Davis did for their final year, and look what they made happen. Dean is a lethal weapon, and Camarda is the best punter in the country. It sucks he won’t get that trophy because, well, the Dawgs didn’t have to use him enough.
Five more Dawgs landed on the All-SEC Second Team in Jamaree Salyer, Justin Shaffer, Jalen Carter, Derion Kendrick and Lewis Cine.
The Dawgs couldn’t have the entire first team, so it’s understandable why these young men landed on the Second Team.
Cine led the Dawgs with 61 tackles each, tying with Dean, and then the junior safety also had eight pass breakups and one interception on the year. Those eight breakups tied for the most on the team with Latavious Brini.
Carter will likely be on the first team next year if he continues to play the way he has. He finished the year with 61 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass breakup and led the team with 22 quarterback hurries.
The four names on the SEC All-Freshman Team were Bowers, Broderick Jones, Ladd McConkey and Kelee Ringo.
McConkey was the jelly to Bowers peanut butter as this duo impressed from the season’s opening week. He currently has 28 catches for 430 yards and five touchdowns with at least one game to play to improve those stats even more.
Ringo was a pleasant surprise after missing last season due to injury. The redshirt freshman was the Dawgs lockdown corner, who did a fabulous job throughout the season.
He finished with 27 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one interception and seven pass breakups. Ringo will be the secondary’s leader next season, and it’s going to be fun watching him evolve into an NFL corner.
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The three guys who earned Walter Camp All-America honors were Dean and Davis were First-Team, and Salyer landed on the Second-Team.
There is no denying that Dean and Davis are two of the best defenders in college football right now, and they’re both going to make NFL teams very happy. This week, they racked up trophies, making history, becoming the second Butkus Award winner and the second Bednarik and Outland Trophy winner.
Georgia still has at least one game to play, and while winning the national title would trump all these awards — it’s about time so many Dawgs receive honors like this.
These awards should tell you what kind of coach and players the Dawgs have in Athens and how this program is on the right track.