A recent ESPN round table on the 2023 season brought up an interesting topic. The stable of writers batted around the idea of which teams, players and transfers had the most to prove entering the 2023 season.
The article was filled with names you’d expect. Jimbo Fisher, LSU, Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton and new Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman were all among the names debated and questioned regarding what they need to get done during the upcoming season.
Absent from the article however was nearly any mention of the Georgia Bulldogs.
A year or two ago it would’ve been commonplace to find Georgia on this list, along with a number of possible players. Winning back-to-back national championships in the manner that Georgia did answers a lot of those questions and concerns. The Bulldogs have earned their place atop the sport.
That the national media though does not believe Georgia has anything to prove in 2023 does not line up with reality however. There are plenty of hungry players out to show that they can live up to the Georgia standard.
Quarterbacks Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton will all look to show that the wait was worth as they try and replace Stetson Bennett. Amarius Mims can show on an everydown basis that he is as good as he was hyped to be as a 5-star prospect.
Related: Georgia quarterbacks preview crucial 2023 position battle: ‘It will be a lot of fun’
On the defensive side of the ball, the unit as a whole has to replace some big names in Jalen Carter, Chris Smith and Kelee Ringo. They’ll be looking to show that they’re every bit as talented as those that came before them.
Mike Bobo has surely seen or read what has been written about him as he replaces offensive coordinator Todd Monken. He’ll have to answer questions and show why Kirby Smart put so much faith in him to be Georgia’s new play-caller.
Minutes after the 65-7 win over TCU in this year’s national championship game, Smart seemed well aware of what lie ahead of the Bulldogs for the 2023 season. This team didn’t have as many scores to settle as past iterations and knew that overcoming entitlement would be a challenge for this group of players.
The 2022 team was fueled by public doubt. This next version of the Bulldogs won’t face that same level of adversity, with the ESPN article being the latest example of that.
Instead of relying on external motivation as it so often did last season, Georgia is going to have to look inward if it is going to accomplish its lofty goals in 2023.
“The disease that creeps into your program is called entitlement. I’ve seen it firsthand,” Smart said. “If you can stomp it out with leadership, then you can stay hungry. And we have a saying around our place: We eat off the floor. And if you’re willing to eat off the floor, you can be special.”
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