With the All-SEC Teams being released in earnest on Tuesday afternoon, it was incredibly interesting to see where the many great Georgia Bulldogs landed. While it was largely expected that players such as Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia and Missouri Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy would be among the first-team inclusions, Georgia only had two players make the All-SEC First Team.
Of the 28 possible spots for a Georgia player to be on the first team, only linebacker extraordinaire CJ Allen and long snapper Beau Gardner were good enough to make the first team in the SEC's eyes. Despite Georgia clearly being the best team in the SEC for the second consecutive season, it is without debate that this is Kirby Smart's greatest coaching undertaking. His staff has been incredible!
Here are the 11 players who made one of the three All-SEC teams for Georgia after this past season.
- First Team: CJ Allen (LB), Beau Gardner (LS)
- Second Team: Zachariah Branch (WR), Monroe Freeling (OL), Drew Bobo (C), KJ Bolden (DB), Peyton Woodring (PK), Brett Thorson (P)
- Third Team: Gunner Stockton (QB), Nate Frazier (RB), Zachariah Branch (AP), Daylen Everette (DB)
While it is good to see some of these players recognized, is Gunner Stockton really the fourth best quarterback in the SEC? Keep in mind that Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss and Alabama's Ty Simpson were tied on the All-SEC Second Team. At least Arch Manning did not make any of these teams... Regardless, we all know that Smart is going to use every slight the SEC put on his team as motivation.
Let's now discuss why this is in fact the greatest coaching season of Smart's career up to this point.
Georgia Bulldogs' All-SEC Team standings shows Kirby Smart is unrivaled
Let's go back to the start of the season. Georgia may have been ranked inside the top five, but Stockton was unproven at quarterback. The Dawgs must have lost something like 10 or 12 players to the NFL Draft like they do seemingly every offseason. While they did win their first three games, they were a bit disjointed. Stockton was up and down. Glenn Schumann's defense was dreadful early on.
But after the three-point home loss to Alabama at the end of September, Georgia went on to win its next eight regular-season games to finish the year at 11-1 (7-1) before defeating Alabama in the title bout rematch for the SEC Championship. Georgia was given the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff, but probably earned better than the Ohio State Buckeyes being gift-wrapped the No. 2 seed.
Overall, whether it has been Smart, Schumann, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, or really anyone on the Georgia coaching staff, this team is on the precipice of another national title run because of the staff in place. The players still have to make plays, but this is what tremendous coaching looks like to a T. Georgia needed the first half of the season to really find its footing in that regard, but it sure did!
In the end, Georgia has honestly overachieved its supposedly depressed talent tremendously this season. By looking at the All-SEC Teams, you would have thought that Texas A&M or Alabama won the league. While they both made the playoff, just like Georgia, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma did as well, there can only be one best team, and that is Georgia. They are SEC champions playing with pride.
For now, it is time for Georgia to rest up, get healthier, and be ready for its clash in the Sugar Bowl.