Georgia football 2022 roster still championship caliber, even after roster turnover

We learned a lot about the Georgia roster this week. For starters, the school released the updated jersey numbers and positions for the 2022 signing class. Edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr. will wear No. 7. Malaki Starks is curiously listed as an athlete.

The 30 members of Georgia’s 2022 signing class are now all on campus getting ready for the start of fall camp, which is set to begin at the beginning of August. We’re just 50 days away from the start of the 2022 season, when the Bulldogs open against the Oregon Ducks.

We know that game against Oregon will be one of the tougher games on Georgia’s schedule this season. Not just because it is the Bulldogs’ first game after last season’s championship, but also because of the teams on Georgia’s schedule, the Ducks have the most talented roster.

Thanks to the work of Bud Elliott of 247Sports, we now have a better idea of the true talent make-up on Georgia’s roster. Elliott updated his annual blue-chip ratio, which tracks how many 4-and 5-star prospects are on a team’s roster. Since the start of the College Football Playoff, every championship winner has had a roster made-up of at least 50 percent blue-chip recruits.

Last year Georgia came in at 80 percent, good for second in the country. After 15 players were taken in the 2022 NFL Draft and another 13 elected to transfer, the Bulldogs have seen a great deal of roster turnover. That somewhat explains why the Bulldogs dipped from an 80 percent mark to 77 percent.

The Bulldogs still rank third in the country in blue-chip ratio, behind Alabama at 89 percent and Ohio State at 80 percent. It shouldn’t be seen as a coincidence that the three teams with the best title odds are the teams that have the highest blue-chip ratio.

Georgia’s number dropped partly because of its 2022 recruiting class. It was still an elite haul for the Bulldogs, as Georgia signed 11 top-100 overall prospects and finished with the No. 3 overall class. But the Bulldogs signed eight 3-star prospects in the cycle. By comparison, Alabama has signed nine 3-star prospects in the last three cycle combined.

Those additional 3-star prospects though shouldn’t be seen as a determinant. Jordan Davis and Eric Stokes were both 3-star prospects coming out of high school. After their Georgia careers, they both ended up being first-round picks.

Adonai Mitchell was also a 3-star prospect as a member of the 2021 recruiting class. He very quickly outplayed said ranking and ended up scoring the go-ahead touchdown in last season’s national championship game.

Kirby Smart and his recruiting staff have certainly earned the benefit of the doubt to this point when it comes to identifying and developing talent. And it’s not like the Bulldogs are eschewing elite prospects to mine for diamonds in the rough. The next closest team on Georgia’s schedule from a blue-chip ratio standpoint is Oregon, which checks in at 60 percent.

Georgia saw an unprecedented amount of roster turnover this offseason. Yet because of how well Georgia has recruited and developed across the program, the Bulldogs are still one of the best teams in college football.

This team will still have its challenges to overcome this season and may find itself matched up against Alabama or Ohio State at the end of the season. But Alabama had a better blue-chip ratio than Georgia last season, and the Bulldogs still found a way to come out on top.

Georgia football 2022 roster still championship caliber, even after roster turnover

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