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The Georgia Bulldogs' recent dominance in college football has raised expectations for another successful season in 2023. After securing back-to-back national titles, Kirby Smart's program faces the challenge of maintaining their status as a powerhouse and making a run for the College Football Playoff once again. To achieve this, the Georgia football team, as good as it is, must address some prominent issues ahead of the 2023 season.
Find a Quarterback
The departure of Stetson Bennett, the charismatic quarterback who defied expectations, leaves a significant void in Georgia's offense. Bennett may have had his share of flaws, and while he was never the most athletic, it's his leadership and determination that played a crucial role in the team's success that brought them two national titles. The Bulldogs' first challenge is identifying a worthy successor to Bennett.
Carson Beck, a redshirt junior with a powerful arm, seems to have an edge thus far. His NFL-ready physique and cannon-like throwing ability make him a promising prospect to take the starting job. However, former five-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff also brings dynamic qualities to the table. Georgia's coaching staff, which now includes new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, will need to carefully evaluate and develop the next leader under center to ensure a seamless transition and maintain offensive efficiency. Whoever takes the reigns, Georgia will hope to replicate their top-10 scoring offense as a means to getting back to the playoff.
Reloading the defense
Despite losing several key players from their defense to the NFL, the Bulldogs look primed again to replicate what was the fifth-ranked overall defense in the country last season. The Bulldogs have consistently excelled on that side of the ball since Smart's arrival. He's essentially built Georgia into a yearly NFL defensive talent factory, where it's become reload rather than rebuild every year.
While the departures of Jalen Carter, Kelee Ringo and Christopher Smith will leave a void, the Bulldogs' depth will help fill those gaps. Players like Mykel Williams, Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Smael Mondon, and Malaki Starks are poised to become the next stars of Georgia's defense. In a tough SEC conference, that includes visits to Ole Miss, Florida and Tennessee, the Bulldogs will need to maintain their defensive dominance if they want to make it back to the College Football Playoff.
Guarding against complacency, expectations
Winning back-to-back national titles is nothing short of remarkable, but the challenge for Georgia football now lies in avoiding complacency and even the high expectations assumed of them now. Smart in the past has recognized the need for his team to find self-motivation. This is the same coach that somehow convinced his team last season that people weren't giving them a chance and that they were going to finish 7-5. (No wonder he's such a good recruiter.)
Smart's emphasis on eliminating entitlement — that he says was already starting to “creep in” during last season's run — within the program suggests that complacency is a legitimate concern. As dominant as this Georgia football team has been over the last two seasons, it's easy to believe that this roster could believe they are untouchable at this point. That's not an easy hurdle to overcome, even as talented as Georgia will be this season. Coming off an unprecedented second national championship has set the bar extremely high at Georgia, where the expectations are now through the roof, and they're not met with another national title, it's a failed season.
If Georgia somehow doesn't get back to the playoff this season, it certainly won't be because there's a lack of talent. It will be due to complacency and huge ego.
Put a stop to off-the-field issues
Perhaps the biggest hurdle of getting back to the College Football Playoff might be addressing and avoiding the off-the-field issues that have been surfacing within the program over the last several months that date back Georgia's first title.
Despite Smart's insistence that there are no cultural concerns within his program, Georgia has implemented a comprehensive framework designed to minimize legal issues involving players and prevent them from gaining public attention. However, the internal disciplinary measures implemented by the team rarely result in game suspensions or player dismissals. Why? Because winning matters more than anything, that's why. But what happens when the winning stops?
Most will probably continue to gloss over these incidents, believing it will result in nothing. But rest assured, the bigger that Georgia gets, the greater their false sense of invincibility gets.
While their on-field achievements and talent are undeniable, the negative attention and potential distractions stemming from disciplinary problems could overshadow and hinder the Bulldogs path back to the playoffs. Only time will tell.
