Spring taught us that Georgia football reloads at an elite level

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart waves to fans during the Dawg Walk before the start of the G-Day spring football game in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, April 16, 2022.News Joshua L Jones
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart waves to fans during the Dawg Walk before the start of the G-Day spring football game in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, April 16, 2022.News Joshua L Jones

Georgia football finished spring practice with a competitive G-Day game that saw Stetson Bennett and the Black Team win 26-23 over the Red Team. However, Georgia’s spring practice taught college football something even more important — the Dawgs’ have reloaded.

Did the Dawgs lose 14 starters? Yes, but the talent returning showed the world on Saturday that Georgia is heading in the right direction.

So many opposing fans felt like another LSU situation could be in the works after Georgia won the national championship and all their “playmakers” left, but they are sadly mistaken.

Georgia football should have everyone shaking in their boots after spring ball.

Was Saturday perfect for Georgia? Not even close, but many positive things came away from it. Head coach Kirby Smart and his coaching staff had both teams prepared, and the issues were fixable. There didn’t seem to be any detrimental issues.

This spring was one of the most well-put-together ones since Smart got to Athens. These guys looked to be in a lot better shape than teams in past springs, which was a big takeaway.

There is no quarterback competition. The defense has returners stepping up all over the field, kicking seemed a lot better, and it was a good feeling to see the team look the way they did.

Now I’m not making any bold predictions on the season yet, but it’s safe to predict the Dawgs will not have an LSU meltdown after what we saw this spring. Smart has continued recruiting at such an elite level that it’s paying off immediately.

There will be a few more transfers, some guys may even return to Athens, but the Dawgs look like they can contend in 2022. The SEC East can start shaking in their boots now because the Junkyard Dawgs aren’t backing into a corner and bowing down — nope, they’re biting harder.