Georgia 2024 nucleus takes shape, key players leaving and returning
ATHENS — The 2024 Georgia football team nucleus is taking shape, and there are some key holes to fill with stars headed to the NFL.
The answers aren’t as obvious as past seasons at this point, to the extent the Bulldogs need add more impact players through the NCAA transfer portal.
Kirby Smart knew there would be attrition; his program is tops at producing NFL draft picks: 9 in 2021, 15 in 2022 and 10 last season.
It was obvious Sedrick Van Pran would go pro, the top center prospect in the NFL draft according to some.
It made sense for Brock Bowers, Amarius Mims, and Kamari Lassiter to depart, each with first-round NFL projections.
But receiver Ladd McConkey and safety Javon Bullard had difficult decisions to make.
Each one projects as a second-day pick, but with another year at UGA, both or either could have worked into the first round.
There’s not a clear replacement on the current roster for McConkey or Bullard, both game-changing players and locker room leaders.
Georgia has other veterans who declared for the draft who will also be missed: Kendall Milton, Daijun Edwards, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Zion Logue and Tykee Smith among them.
Hot
Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson appear set to follow in the footsteps of Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, who famously returned for the 2021 season to compete for a championship and improve their draft stock.
Tate Ratledge, like Stackhouse, was a projected second-day pick who appears set to return for what could be an All-American season for the Bulldogs. What will Xavier Truss do?
Dominic Lovett is poised to be the leading returning receiver, and should be more settled in after one season in the system.
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Watching Michigan overpower the Alabama offensive line to the tune of 5 first-half sacks and a fourth-down stop in overtime was a reminder where UGA fell short last season. Stackhouse and Brinson need to stake the next step, and Jordan “Big Baby” Hall and Christen Miller need to grow into dominators.
Carson Beck returning for his senior season is pivotal, but as dominant as UGA was in the win over Florida State, Beck was slightly off. Beck, to his credit, has said he knows where he can make “huge” improvements.
Cold
Florida State just got DJ Uiagalelei to transfer in from Oregon State. Georgia remembers beating Uiagalelei in the 2021 opener when he was at Clemson. It’s hard to imagine “DJU” bringing the Seminoles back to glory.
Mike Norvell was named the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year the day before Georgia beat Florida State 63-3. How about these national coach of the year awards wait until AFTER the season, so maybe Smart will get proper recognition.
Georgia’s 2024 opening game looked a bit less daunting with each snap in the Clemson-Kentucky game. The Tigers won, but they were only marginally better than a mediocre Wildcats team.
Any takes that Mike Bobo was a drop off from Todd Monken do not take into account that Georgia’s offense dropped off in every position group this season: Stetson Bennett was more of a playmaker than the first-year version of Beck, the backfield lacked a pass-cathching threat, injuries plagued McConkey and the receiving corps along with tight end Bowers, and UGA missed first-round left tackle Broderick Jones.