Georgia is in the exact opposite position this offseason compared to last year. Last season they didn't return many starters and had one of the youngest teams in the country, but this year they have the second most returning starters in the country.
That could be an argument for why Kirby Smart has a good chance to win his third National Championship, but he is refusing to let that stat get in his player's heads.
“I've seen a lot of things said or written about guys coming back, number of starters,” Smart said via 247sports.com. “I'd probably look at it that we have the least number of starters coming back we've ever had in terms of competition for positions.”
Kirby Smart sharpens his focus after outside noise predicts a big season ahead
Smart recognizes that having a lot of starters coming back is a good thing. That is especially the case after they just won the SEC and made the College Football Playoff a year ago. But evne though Georgia has a lot of starters returning, their depth isn't where he wants it to be.
Georgia's 14 returning starters can't win football games on their own. They need a lot of quality depth behind them (along with eight other starters) if they want a chance at winning a lot of games this fall. So Smart won't let the fact that they have a lot of starters returning impact their mindset heading into spring ball.
The good news for Georgia is that no one is better at developing talent than Smart and his staff. Georgia also has one of the best cultures in the country that contributes to wins on the field as well. So Smart undoubtedly will have the rest of the team ready to go this fall to step into much larger roles than many players had last season.