Georgia football earned nine players on the AP All-SEC First and Second Teams that dropped on Monday. The Dawgs had five First Team players and four Second Team guys. That number is the second most behind Alabama, who has 10. There are a lot of excellent football players from Georgia that got left off, but the Dawgs are the only SEC team in the playoff and reigning SEC champs, so those are the only two things that truly matter.
The Dawgs put together a heck of a regular season and SEC Championship run, but their season is far from over, as there are one to two games left to win. These Dawgs that landed on the last appreciate the honor, but there is still too much left on the table to enjoy those accolades right now.
Head coach Kirby Smart finished third in the SEC Coach of the Year race receiving three votes among the 15 voters. Tennessee’s Josh Heupel won the award, and Brian Kelly finished behind him. While Smart should have won the award, this article is about his players honoring the nine who received this honor.
Georgia football had nine All-SEC players after the 2022 regular season.
Brock Bowers was the lone unanimous player for the Dawgs as he landed on the First Team. Joining Bowers on the First Team are offensive tackler Broderick Jones, kicker Jack Podlesny, defensive tackle Jalen Carter and safety Christopher Smith.
This group of players is an excellent list of Dawgs — they all deserved to be on First Team. Bowers was a monster. Jones helped protect one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC and helped open holes for those running backs. Podlesny was almost perfect with his kicks, and he is someone the Dawgs can trust to make any kick when the pressure is elevated.
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— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) December 5, 2022
Carter was a disruptor and a difference-maker when on the field. Even with him missing some time due to injury, it was with a vengeance when he came back. Of the entire secondary, Smith was the most deserving of the First Team honor because he was incredible on this 13-0 run.
On the Second Team All-SEC list, the players that made it were center Sedrick Van Pran, tight end Darnell Washington, linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson and cornerback Kelee Ringo. This list needs some editing because leaving off the likes of Ladd McConkey, Kenny McIntosh, Malaki Starks and Smael Mondon is a crime.
All of those guys had the stats and the numbers to be on this list. I know Georgia cannot have every player on the list, but those guys were too good to get excluded. Don’t even get us started on Stetson Bennett, but Hendon Hooker and Bryce Young had better stats. Heaven forbid Bennett to win an SEC, take down five ranked opponents this season, and get on one of the All-SEC lists.
Van Pran and Dumas-Johnson both should have been First Team. However, it’s understandable why they were on Second Team. It’s a shame they didn’t get what they deserved, but Second Team is still an honor.
Georgia is the reigning SEC Champions and is undefeated, there is a reason for that, and unfortunately, the SEC didn’t see it. Georgia had a hellacious team full of elite playmakers that made things happen every week. While the Dawgs cannot have all the love, and the other 13 teams deserve some credit, too, it would have been nice to see the league give these guys more credit. We’re not complaining because we’re ungrateful that nine Georgia players made the two lists, but still, it feels like something is missing.