Georgia football and Kirby Smart are ready to begin spring practice as the team will officially kick things off on Tuesday, March 11. The 5-week schedule will be a very exciting time for Georgia fans because it will be the only taste of football they receive until the regular season begins later this fall.
However, Georgia fans will be paying extra close attention to spring practice this year as there are countless questions that need to be answered about this team. The rest of the country knows this as well, so ESPN named the biggest storyline, position and player to watch in Athens throughout spring practice.
Top Storyline - Georgia's offense bouncing back
"Much of Georgia's focus this spring will be focused on its offense, which struggled to catch the ball and run it when it mattered in 2024," ESPN said via 247Sports.com. "The Bulldogs went 11-3, won an SEC championship and reached the CFP last season. But Georgia's offensive production slipped mightily -- it scored 31.5 points per game (after averaging 40.1 in 2023) and ranked next-to-last in the SEC with 124.4 rushing yards. Georgia will be breaking in four new starting offensive linemen and a new quarterback. Newcomers will also be counted on to improve an inconsistent receiver corps."
As ESPN mentioned, Georgia's offense struggle for most of the 2024 season inlcuding the wide receivers leading the nation in drops and the run game never being as productive as anyone hoped. So it will be extremely interesting to watch how the offense develops throughout the spring.
Position to Watch - Offensive Line
"Georgia's offensive line was expected to be one of the best units in the FBS in 2024, but it struggled to create holes in the running game and protect the quarterback. Four starters are gone, including center Jared Wilson and All-American guard Tate Ratledge. Earnest Greene III and Monroe Freeling have a lot of experience at tackle, and Micah Morris has been a mainstay at guard. Drew Bobo and Daniel Calhoun are the favorites to take over at center and right guard, respectively.
The offensive line impacts everything that happens on offense. From pass protection to run blocking, Georgia needs to have better offensive play next season if they want to see their offense improve. The Bulldogs did lose four lineman to the NFL Draft, so it will be difficult to overcome those losses, but the Bulldogs have plenty of players ready to step up and prove themselves this spring.
Player to Watch - Zachariah Branch
"No position on the team was criticized more in 2024 than Georgia's receivers. The Bulldogs led Power 4 conference teams in dropped passes, and top receivers Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett left for the NFL. Georgia brought in two high-profile transfers, Zachariah Branch (USC) and Noah Thomas (Texas A&M), and Talyn Taylor and C.J. Wiley are two highly regarded freshman receivers. Branch had 1,863 all-purpose yards during his two seasons with the Trojans, including two kicks returned for touchdowns in 2023. He caught 78 passes for 823 yards and three scores."
There is a great chance that transfer wide receiver Zachariah Branch will be the most electric player at Georgia this season. There is also an eve better chance that he fixes the problems in UGA's wide receiver room from last season, but he will need to prove that throughout the spring.