ATHENS — Georgia will have plenty of new faces on its roster this fall, as the Bulldogs signed 28 recruits and to this point have brought in seven players via the transfer portal.
And while not all of those players will come in and play right away, a few will undoubtedly make a big impact for Georgia.
ESPN recently tried its hand at predicting which of those newcomers will be Georgia’s most important for the 2024 season. Transfers Trevor Etienne and Colbie Young figure to play a key role this coming season, but ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren tabbed freshman cornerback Ellis Robinson.
“He’s a 6-foot-1, 180-pound corner from IMG Academy and should be an instant-impact recruit for the Dawgs,” VanHaaren wrote. “He will help continue the longstanding tradition of excellent secondary players and fits exactly what coach Kirby Smart and his staff want in a corner.”
Robinson is Georgia’s top-ranked signee for the 2024 recruiting cycle and finished as the No. 2 overall ranked prospect per the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Georgia does have some older players ahead of him on the depth chart, with 2023 starter Daylen Everette returning and Julian Humphrey and Daniel Harris back as well. Both players flirted with the idea of entering the transfer portal, only to remain at Georgia for the 2024 season.
Robinson has already gotten his Georgia career started, as he went through bowl practices with the team during December.
To no one’s surprise, Robinson quickly impressed.
“He’s young, but he’s very good,” former Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter said of Robinson. “He wants to learn. He wants to get better. He wants to get better so fast, you can tell he’s definitely one of those guys that wants to come in and play day one. I believe that with his work ethic and his talent, he can.”
Even with having one of the most talented teams on a consistent basis, Georgia has found roles for freshmen. Be it Brock Bowers, Mykel Williams or CJ Allen at inside linebacker last season, Smart has long shown that he’s playing to play freshman if they are good enough.
As for some other newcomers to watch, Etienne is expected to be Georgia’s top running back. The Bulldogs did bring in three transfer wide receivers and recently added Stanford tight end Benjamin Yurosek.
Robinson was one of five 5-star prospects Georgia signed in the 2024 recruiting cycle, with all five coming on the defensive side of the ball. Georgia did sign the nation’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class for the 2024 cycle. Safety KJ Bolden was a big signing day win for Georgia, as the Bulldogs flipped the No. 1 safety from Florida State.
Most of those new faces will be on campus this spring, with 22 of the 28 freshmen enrolling early. Of the six transfers Georgia added, only Yurosek will not be with the team for spring practice. He will arrive this summer after he graduates from Stanford.
Georgia has not yet announced the start of spring practice nor a date for the annual G-Day scrimmage, though that is usually on the second Saturday in April.