Which Georgia legend would be the best addition to the 2024 Bulldogs offense?
By Josh Yourish
![Georgia Bulldogs running back Herschel Walker (34) Georgia Bulldogs running back Herschel Walker (34)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3900,h_2193,x_0,y_235/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/153/01j2c3nk1jc2awhh5pa0.jpg)
The arrival of EA Sports College Football 25 has unlocked a whole treasure trove of fun hypotheticals for the 2024-25 college football season. The game doesn’t just include the current rosters across the 134 FBS teams, it also includes legends.
These former players are featured in the “Ultimate Team” game mode, but they could even be added to the current roster. So, hypothetically, if the Georgia Bulldogs could add one legend to Kirby Smart’s 2024 team, who would he choose? Which player would do the most to increase Georgia's chances of winning the College Football Playoff for the third time in four years?
Georgia returns much of its offensive line with Earnest Greene III and Xavier Truss both locked in at the tackle spots and Tate Ratledge and Dylan Fairchild returning to start at right and left guard. Jared is the obvious replacement for Sedrick Van Pran, so there isn’t much need for Matt Stinchcomb, Ben Jones, David Andrews, Pat Dye, or Andrew Thomas as the returning legend.
With Carson Beck looking like the potential No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Stetson Bennett, Matthew Stafford, and Aaron Murray are off the hook. Beck could be the best quarterback in the country and even if the college version of Stafford would be a slight upgrade, that doesn’t raise the ceiling of this team.
Tight end is taken care of with Oscar Delp, so bringing back Brock Bowers for another year isn’t the move here either. So, let’s get into the possible options that Georgia should consider in this hypothetical.
The Options:
- Herschel Walker
- Todd Gurley
- Nick Chubb
- AJ Green
The most obvious position that fans would look to is running back, Georgia is Running Back U after all. So, whether your preference is Todd Gurley, Sony Michel, Nick Chubb, Charley Trippi, or the great Herschel Walker, the Bulldogs could get better in the backfield. The problem with that plan is that Kirby Smart already took care of it.
Florida transfer Trevor Etienne slots in as the No. 1 back in the offense this season and while he’s certainly not one of the best to ever do it like that illustrious list of legends, he’s one of the better running backs in the country at a position that has become severely devalued.
Adding Herschel Walker would make the 2024 Georgia Bulldogs better, but it wouldn’t guarantee a national championship and wouldn’t plug a hole on the roster, not that it has many. Other positions are more important in modern football and one is a bit of a question mark for the offense in Athens.
So, that leaves us with AJ Green. From 2008 to 2010, the eventual No. 4 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft dominated the SEC. Green posted three consecutive seasons with at least 50 catches and over 800 yards receiving. He finished his career with 23 receiving touchdowns and would instantly be the No. 1 receiver on this current roster.
UGA legend AJ Green has announced he is retiring from the NFL.
— TPL Georgia (@TPLGeorgia) February 6, 2023
One of the all-time greats! Wish nothing but the best for him 🙏pic.twitter.com/5IZzhQoEVa
With both Bowers and Ladd McConkey gone, Beck needs more dynamic receivers to have a truly elite offense. Dominic Lovett finished last season with 613 yards and four touchdowns on 54 grabs, just 11.4 yards per reception. Green’s career low yards per catch came in 2010 as a junior when he averaged 14.9 and in the modern game, he’d see even more downfield opportunities.
Lovett, Rara Thomas, Dillon Bell, and Miami transfer Colbie Young are a solid group of receivers, but that group is the clear weakness on the Georgia offense, and adding AJ Green would take Georgia from being a national title favorite to being a prohibitive one.
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