Georgia football was well represented on All-American teams in 2023, with Brock Bowers, Sedrick Van Pran and Malaki Starks being among the players to earn honors.
And ESPN’s Chris Low expects Georgia to once again have plenty of All-American candidates. Georgia placed three players on Low’s ‘Way-Too-Early’ All-American team for the 2024 season.
At quarterback, Low had Carson Beck. In his first season as a starter, Beck threw for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdown passes. He’s expected to build off that strong season in his second year as a starter for the Bulldogs.
“He could’ve come out, and it would’ve been the right decision for him. He could’ve stayed, and it would’ve been the right decision for him,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “There was no true right or wrong for him. He made the decision that fit him best, and his long term goals are to play a long time in the NFL, and he wants to prepare a little more and win some games while doing it. It’s certainly big for us because it had a major impact, not only on recruiting but also the guys deciding to stay along with him.”
Tate Ratledge was one of the offensive guard selections. He earned Second Team All-American honors last season and started 13 games for the Bulldogs. He bypassed the NFL draft to return for another season, no doubt helping an offensive line that has to replace Van Pran and right tackle Amarius Mims.
Stepping in for Van Pran and Mims could be first-time starters Jared Wilson and Monroe Freeling. Ratledge’s experience could go a long way in helping the offensive line.
Low had left tackle Earnest Greene and left guard Dylan Fairchild as second-team selections. Greene started 14 games at left tackle for Georgia in 2024 while Fairchild started nine games this past season.
On the defensive side of the ball, Starks was once again. an easy selection for one of the safety spots.
“There are a lot of important pieces to Kirby Smart’s defense at Georgia, and Starks has been one of the cornerstones each of the past two seasons,” Low wrote. “A starter since he was a freshman, Starks was a consensus first-team All-American last season. He was fourth on the Bulldogs with 52 total tackles and also had three interceptions.”
Starks will have a new position coach, as Travaris Robinson will take over for Will Muschamp. Georgia will have to replace Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith at the other safety and star positions.
Only Ohio State had more First-Team selections than Georgia’s three. One of those was safety Caleb Downs, who transferred from Alabama.
The Bulldogs open the 2024 season against Clemson, which placed one player on Low’s list in linebacker Barrett Carter. The game is set for Aug. 31 and will be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
