georgia football spring game grades

ATHENS — G-Day is over and done with and the Bulldogs have now wrapped up all 15 spring practices. A number of players had standout performances on Saturday, while some position groups showed they’ll need to use the offseason to continue to develop.

Below are our takeaways on each position group following the Red Team’s 31-26 win over the Black team.

Quarterbacks: A-

Carson Beck made an emphatic case that he should be the starting quarterback. He was crisp and spread the ball around, completing 13 of his 18 pass attempts for 211 yards while working with the first-team offense.

Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton both made some plays as well, as each quarterback showcased their athleticism. But both quarterbacks also turned the ball over, as Vandagriff was intercepted by Tykee Smith. Stockton had a ball ricochet off a receiver and into the hands of linebacker Raylen Wilson.

The turnovers prevent this from being an A grade but each quarterback did some nice things on Saturday to show that Georgia still has plenty of talent, even after losing Stetson Bennett.

Running backs: C

Running backs rarely ever have strong spring games. Georgia ran for only 84 yards on 34 carries. The longest run of the day was a 22-yard scramble by Vandagriff. Daijun Edwards had just two receptions for 13 yards, a far cry from what Kenny McIntosh was capable of doing as a pass catcher a season ago. Cash Jones proved to be the most productive running back on G-Day.

Roderick Robinson picked up 42 yards on 11 carries.

But Georgia was also hamstrung at the position. Three of Georgia’s five scholarship running backs did not register a snap, as Kendall Milton, Andrew Paul and Branson Robinson were all held out due to various injuries.

Smart still feels good about the talent in Georgia’s running back room. What will be vital in the offseason is getting this room back to full strength.

Wide receiver: A

No position group had a stronger day than the wide receiver room. Arian Smith, Mekhi Mews and Jackson Meeks all caught touchdowns, while Smith added a rushing touchdown as well.

Dillon Bell, Zeed Haynes, Dominic Lovett and Ladd McConkey all had receptions that would register as explosive plays.

The position group is both deep and talented, something that hasn’t been the case in recent years. Whoever ends up being Georgia’s likely starting quarterback — Beck is the clear frontrunner — will have plenty of toys to play with in Mike Bobo’s offense.

Tight end: A

Brock Bowers didn’t need to prove anything, yet he still made a handful of impressive plays on the afternoon. Oscar Delp capped off a strong spring while Lawson Luckie showed why he’s gotten so much praise.

Georgia isn’t as deep at this position as it was a season ago but it has three players who are capable of making plays for this offense. Health will be a critical factor to monitor with this group but the tight ends will play a big part in Georgia’s offense in 2023, as they did under Todd Monken.

Offensive line: A

This group gets an A for the simple gesture of honoring Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy. On Georgia’s first play of the scrimmage, the Bulldogs took the field with only 10 men, leaving the left guard spot open in honor of Willock.

As for the on-field play, Georgia’s starting offensive line gave Beck plenty of time to operate in the pocket. It’s hard to discern much about the team’s running blocking abilities given the format of the game, but with Sedrick Van Pran, Tate Ratledge and Xavier Truss, Georgia should be plenty strong on the interior.

Earnest Greene started the first two series at left tackle, with Austin Blaske coming on the third series of the game. The second-team offensive line did give up some pressures, but Georgia feels very good about what it has in the offensive line from a depth standpoint.

Defensive line: B

The top storyline regarding Georgia’s defensive line was the departure of Bear Alexander. Expected to be one of Georgia’s most productive defensive linemen this coming season, Alexander intends to play his college football elsewhere next season.

The loss of Alexander hurts on a number of fronts. It will force a number of young players to grow up quickly, such as Christen Miller, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Jonathan Jefferson.

We also got our first looks at Jordan Hall and Jamaal Jarrett yesterday. In the long run, Tray Scott’s defensive line should be more than fine. But in the short term, the loss of Alexander does raise some questions about the ceiling of this group will be in 2023.

Outside linebacker: B

In an ideal world, we would’ve gotten to see how Marvin Jones Jr. and Jalon Walker look. But both of those expected contributors were held out due to shoulder injuries. Smart has assured reporters that both will be good to go for the start of fall camp.

Instead, we saw some promising glimpses from Georgia’s less experienced players. Damon Wilson showed why he was rated as a 5-star talent, as the freshman had 2.0 sacks. Gabe Harris and Darris Smith also had some nice moments on Saturday.

Chaz Chambliss is the only known commodity at this position. That was always going to be the case coming out of spring practice. While the long-term future for this group is very bright, there’s still many unknowns as far as how this group will look this season.

Inside linebacker: A

Even with Smael Mondon being held out with what Smart called a lower extremity injury, this group flashed all afternoon. Jamon Dumas-Johnson got the start and showed why he’ll be an All-American candidate.

Xavian Sorey started opposite Dumas-Johnson and ended up leading the team in tackles with seven. CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson both showed why they’ve gotten so much praise this offseason as freshmen.

Glenn Schumann has stacked this room with talent and even with some injuries, it’s clear this group will be the strength of the Georgia defense.

Defensive back: B

Georgia saw Tykee Smith and Javon Bullard both make plays from the star and safety positions respectively. Replacing Chris Smith won’t be easy but those two plus Malaki Starks should have Georgia fans feeling confident about what Georgia has at the safety spot.

The cornerback position is a little less clear. Nobody stood out to Smart, with Nyland Green got the start at cornerback opposite Kamari Lassiter. Daylen Everette, Julian Humphrey and AJ Harris will all continue to compete for the starting job in replacing Kelee Ringo.

The secondary got better as the day went on but Bullard admitted it wasn’t a sharp start to the afternoon for the group. Georgia’s secondary gave up some big plays at the end of the year and will look to rectify some of those issues come the fall.

Special teams: C+

All three field goals attempted were good, including a 51-yarder from walk-on Liam Badger. But Georgia also saw Jared Zirkel miss an extra point. That can’t happen during the regular season.

Zirkel’s opening kickoff also need multiple bounces to reach the end zone. Mekhi Mews also reeled off long kick and punt returns. While that’s great for Mews, Smart will no doubt want to clean those areas up come the fall.

Kirby Smart assesses Georgia football spring game

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