Georgia Football: What is the Dawgs "Achilles heel" in 2024?

Georgia Football is knocking the rust off from a long offseason and started spring practice this week. As soon as the calendar hits April, fans can sit inside Sanford Stadium again. Though the game will have zero meaning, we will all be interested in the G-Day scrimmage.

Some will just be glad to see the Dawgs play, while others will want to see who wins the second-string quarterback position. One way or another, there will be interest in G-Day. 

 The boys in the coffee shop were talking about the Falcons and how Kirk Cousins had his kids in Georgia gear at his contract signing. One of the boys even speculated if Kirby had already recruited and signed Cousins’ sons.

I do not have any interest in anything related to the Falcons, and seeing that we were on a trivial topic of Kirby Smart recruiting Kirk Cousins's 5-year-old son, I segued that topic to spring practice. 

One of the boys asked me what position group I was watching during spring and fall camp. I studied the question for a few beats. There are only two position groups that worry me. I am sure you are concerned about the same two as well. Both are on defense, the defensive line, and the secondary. 

I had to whittle the answer to one group, and I am not worried about the defensive backs. Not only do the Dawgs have tremendous talent in that group, Kirby Smart is the head coach. Smart will always have an excellent secondary play. I cannot think of a year where the Dawgs were not one of the best in the nation at corner or safety. 

So, I answered simply that I would pay the most attention to the defensive line all spring and fall. I don’t think it would surprise you that a fan is worried about the defensive line for the Dawgs. Kirby Smart has even talked about the depth and experience of the Dawgs upfront. 

Here are the defensive linemen who played significant snaps on the D-line in 2023: 

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins

Nazir Stackhouse

Warren Brinson

Three guys! Furthermore, Ingram-Dawkins was limited in 2023 because of injury, so only two starters are coming back for 2024. However, it is not all bad news. Jordan Hall, Jamal Jarret, and Christen Miller played some in the 2023 season, but only in reserve roles. 

My point is that if there is a perceived "Achilles heel" for the Dawgs in 2024, it will be the defensive line. Not to be too negative, but it was also the 2023 team's weakness. Alabama did just enough by running the ball on the Dawgs, and they were able to win. Looking back at the 2023 season, there were warning signs that the defensive line was not playing up to a championship level. 

Georgia recruited some talented defensive linemen in the last recruiting cycle, but is that enough for the Dawgs to win a title in 2024? That is why spring practice and fall camp will be crucial. If the D-line can improve and have great depth, the Dawgs could once again be hoisting that beautiful gold trophy in January.