Georgia football has the most valuable player of 2022 — a kicker
Georgia football starting kicker Jack Podlensy is one of the most trustworthy kickers in the SEC, maybe in all of college football. This 2022 season has proven that to win ballgames, you need an elite kicker, and without Podlesny, Georgia could have gotten upset by Missouri.
There have been two games this season that Podlensy has had to have ice in his veins and kick under whatever pressure there is. The Dawgs have needed him quite a bit through these first five games, but this season has proven it isn’t bad.
Against Missouri, Podlesny made 4-of-4 field goals and 2-of-2 PATs. He scored 14 points, one shy of Rodrigo Blankenship’s record of most scored in a game. Georgia is blessed to have a kicker who doesn’t get shaken much. We’ve seen him stumble in the past, but Podlesny has been what Georgia needs out of its kicker this season.
Teams would kill to have a guy like Podlesny kicking for them, and in a season like 2022, he may be one of the biggest assets on the team.
Georgia football has something teams desire, an elite kicker.
Through five games, Podlesny is 12-of-13 on his field goals, with a 92.31% completion rating. The only field goal he missed was one over 50-yards, so Podlesny is a serious weapon for the Dawgs. He also has 37 kickoffs, with 27 of them going for touchbacks. While this stat isn’t as good as his field goal one, it’s still something that allows the Dawgs to pin their opponents deep.
Podlesny is also at the top of the conference in PATs making 22-of-22 on the season.
Right now, Podlesny is one of the most reliable kickers in the country and the SEC. Nationally, he is a Top-20 kicker, sitting at No.19. South Carolina’s kicker Mitch Jeter is the only one better than Podlesny, making 5-of-5 field goals.
There are still 17 kickers perfect on the year, but most of them haven’t kicked much, which isn’t a negative thing. It isn’t a negative thing that Podlesny has kicked 13, either. Sometimes you have to score whatever points you can to start the momentum.
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Not everyone is lucky to have a kicker like Podlesny, so Georgia has that advantage among some of its SEC foes. While it wasn’t pretty, having a kicker that can score and keep the Dawgs in the game is a blessing and something to appreciate.