2021 Opponent Information

Spring football practice annually brings a renewed focus and excitement to the sport, but perhaps even more so in 2021. The coronavirus pandemic shut down the 2020 spring drills and led to a truncated season of just 10 games for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Coach Kirby Smart opens his sixth season in Athens having successfully navigated his 2020 team to an 8-2 mark, capped by a come-from-behind victory over 8th-ranked Cincinnati in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Georgia will begin spring drills with its top eight receivers, its top seven rushers, and its top two passers and tacklers back from a year ago. By the time G-Day rolls around in mid-April, Smart and his staff hope to have a sense of the makeup of the 2021 Bulldogs.

“We are really focused on what’s between our ears right now — not what our bench press is or what position we are going to play,” Smart said. “Those things will play out. Our focus has been more about how we get the best out of each person. Our objective never changes when it comes to spring practice. Having spring practice last year or not doesn’t control what we do this year. The objective is to get each and every player better.

“Every team has its own DNA, right? You’re not going to have the same exact team as you did the year before. The personalities are different; the makeup of what is between the ears of your players, that dynamic changes. I think defining that every year is really critical. Know who you are, know your strengths and weaknesses, and be intentional about that with your players.”

QUARTERBACKS

The Bulldogs enter the spring boasting two quarterbacks with starting experience and a bevy of talented understudies. JT Daniels engineered Georgia’s final four games, including the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl victory, finishing with 1,231 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. In his Georgia debut, Daniels passed for 401 yards and four scores against Mississippi State. Stetson Bennett started half of the Bulldogs’ contests, passing for 1,179 yards and eight TDs. Carson Beck redshirted a year ago and will look to make additional progress in his first spring practice. Early enrollee and local hero Brock Vandagriff threw for more than 4,000 yards and 46 touchdowns for Prince Avenue Christian, which won the 2020 state championship. The Bulldogs also return Jackson Muschamp, Nathan Priestley, and Austin Kirksey this spring.

The Bulldogs in 2021 welcome back their top five rushers, who combined for over 1,700 yards last season. Zamir White led this group with 779 yards and 11 TDs as a redshirt sophomore. Kearis Jackson led all Bulldog pass catchers last season with 36 receptions for 514 yards and three touchdowns. He was also the Dogs’ top returner of both kickoffs and punts, leading the SEC in the latter category.

running backs

Georgia is blessed with a stable of running backs who combined for more than 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns a year ago. Zamir White paced the Bulldogs in 2020 with 779 yards and 11 touchdowns as he started every contest. James Cook contributed 303 yards rushing and three scores and was Georgia’s fourth-leading receiver with 225 yards and two touchdowns. Kenny McIntosh rushed for 251 yards and a touchdown, Daijun Edwards pitched in 218 yards and a score, and Kendall Milton had 193 yards. Lovasea Carroll will throw his hat in the ring as an early enrollee after posting 2,500 yards and 40 TDs during his prep career. The Bulldogs also will take a look at Sevaughn Clark, Garrett Jones, and Kurt Knisely this spring. tight ends

Georgia remains strong at the tight end position with the return of veterans John FitzPatrick and Darnell Washington. They combined for 12 starts, 17 catches for 261 yards and a touchdown in 2020. FitzPatrick and Washington also ended the 2020 season with career-best days, the former with four catches, the latter three. Georgia also welcomes back Ryland Goede, who went through a redshirt campaign last season, and Brett Seither, Chase Harof, and Michael Hagerty. Early enrollee Brock Bowers arrived for Spring semester from his native California, where he was a multi-purpose high school player. wide receivers

The Bulldogs have both depth and experience at wide receiver this spring. Kearis Jackson and George Pickens had mirror-image stats last year as each had 36 catches with Jackson going for 514 yards and Pickens for 513. They also combined for nine TDs. Jermaine Burton emerged as a weapon, hauling in 27 passes for 404 yards and three scores. Demetris Robertson will return as sixth-year veteran, while Arian Smith showed elite speed in his limited snaps (including a touchdown on his first career catch) and Justin Robinson went through a redshirt season. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Dominick Blaylock will continue to work their way back from injuries. The Bulldogs also return Jaylen Johnson, Brady Tindall, George Vining, Kaustov Chakrabarti, and Ladd McConkey. Adonai Mitchell is an early enrollee from Texas hoping to make an impression and the Bulldogs additionally have Braxton Hicks, early enrollee Jackson Meeks, and Mercer transfer Steven Peterson.