Even before officially arriving at the offseason, you could tell that things were going to be different for Georgia.

After a strong finish to the 2020 campaign, there was a real sense of excitement about what the 2021 team could look like. That was before Georgia officially knew that JT Daniels, James Cook, Zamir White, Jordan Davis and others would be returning as well.

Daniels is perhaps the biggest reason for optimism, as he threw for 10 touchdowns compared to just two interceptions for the Bulldogs in the final four games of the season.

Related: ESPN makes obvious choice for Georgia football 2021 breakout player

Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken really summed why Daniels seems to be the catalyst for Georgia’s promising offseason.

“As we’re able to move forward, a guy like JT, who is certainly capable of distributing the ball, understanding where we want to go with the football,” Monken told reporters prior to the Peach Bowl. “It’s an exciting time, especially for me. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to have a legit off-season, be able to study what we did, what the difference is that we want to change as we move forward.”

There’s also a rather large carrot to keep the Georgia football team motivated throughout the offseason, as the Bulldogs will open against Clemson to start the 2021 season.

The Tigers do have to replace Trevor Lawrence and a number of other offensive contributors. But Clemson will still be a top-5 team and the Tigers learned that wide receiver Justyn Ross would return after missing the entire 2020 season due to a spinal condition.

DawgNation’s Brandon Adams, Jeff Sentell, Mike Griffith and Connor Riley examine how the 2021 offseason will shake out for Georgia as it takes on Clemson on Sept. 4.

Among some of the other topics discussed:

  • What does the Zamir White news mean for Georgia’s running back room?
  • Does Georgia have a great running back on its roster?
  • How much has Georgia been helped by the 2021 returnees?
  • What is going on at Tennessee, Auburn, South Carolina and Alabama?
  • What should we make of the Name, Image and Likeness bill and transfer rule changes getting kicked down the road?

Cover 4 Live takes place every Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on the DawgNation Facebook and Youtube pages.

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