So much of an incoming new staff’s job is to evaluate the current roster and decide where the holes are and what deficiencies need to be addressed immediately or put off for a class. New Georgia coach Kirby Smart at least brings a defensive scheme that his players are familiar with after having played under former defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt the past couple of years.
However, the offensive side will be playing for its third coordinator in three years. So now it is about determining who fits and making those assessments during spring ball so that Smart’s staff can hit the road in the spring and begin to fill those holes.
Here’s a look at which positions need emphasis after my visit to Athens.
Offensive tackle
This is an area of concern for Georgia due to depth and talent and the likelihood that Isaiah Wynn could remain at left tackle despite being more of a true guard based on his production a year ago. Wynn also provides a lot of value as a center. This could mean that two tackles end up being first-year starters and it doesn’t appear that the options are overly exciting for the incoming staff. Incoming freshman Ben Cleveland is not an option on the outside.
There are two viable options in-state in OTs Andrew Thomas and D’Antne Demery and Trey Smith out of Tennessee. Past that, the Dawgs will have to cast a wider net into Alabama, Florida and even New York as Isaiah Wilson is a priority.
Running back
On paper, this position looks just fine, but if all goes well health-wise for both Nick Chubb and Sony Michel in 2016, Georgia could be losing both players as early entries into the NFL draft. This creates quite the quandary when trying to stack the board without knowing if you need to take one, two or even three in this class alone.
Our belief is that Georgia has to move forward on the assumption it will lose both Chubb and Michel. Incoming freshman Elijah Holyfield should be expected to contribute especially if Chubb is limited. Many of this class’ top backs are already committed elsewhere and are also on the West Coast, so Georgia may have to expand the footprint a bit. But it has a lot of recruiting hooks to use given its success at the position and the fact that there could be a play-right-away situation.
Wide receiver
From a pure numbers standpoint Georgia looks fine here, but the overall talent base is a concern. Isaiah McKenzie and Terry Godwin bring some explosiveness, but lack size. The fact remains Georgia needs better speed and big-play ability. Incoming freshman Mecole Hardman is just what the doctor ordered (if he’s not on defense at corner given a defensive head coach).
The issue is the Dawgs don’t have enough just yet. While this class is nowhere near as deep top to bottom as the 2016 class at wide receiver, this is the one position where there is enough to go around. In-state product Xavier Jenkins has got to be a top priority, but it looks like the state of Florida may be where Georgia spends a lot of time hunting for wideouts.
Quarterback
When examining the depth here, think in terms of transferring. It may look adequate right now with the likes of Greyson Lambert, Brice Ramsey and Jacob Eason, but there is a high likelihood that if Smart and OC Jim Chaney decide to go with highly touted true freshman Eason, Ramsey could transfer immediately. With Lambert being a senior in the fall, that could leave Georgia with just one scholarship QB on the roster.
Georgia must bring in two quarterbacks in the 2017 class, which is extremely difficult to pull off. The state of Georgia has multiple solutions at QB in this class and the Dawgs already have Jake Fromm in the fold. The reality is they may have to take a guy they like, but aren’t totally sold on in order to get two in the class.