Georgia will have its first road SEC clash of the 2021 season when it visits Vanderbilt on Saturday. That means the Bulldogs will have to bring a smaller roster than usual, as the SEC limits teams to 70-man travel rosters.
That means some interesting decisions will have to be made as far as who makes the trip and who does not.
We do have a better idea of who will be making this trip compared to past years due to the fact that Georgia’s first road SEC game comes as the fourth game of the season. The 2019 and 2020 seasons saw Georgia open on the road against an SEC opponent.
Quarterback: JT Daniels, Stetson Bennett, Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff (4)
Daniels, Bennett and Beck are all locks. Vandagriff might be on the cusp but Georgia has traveled with four quarterbacks before and given the nature of this matchup, it might be a chance for Vandagriff to get some reps. That warrants his inclusion.
Running backs: Zamir White, James Cook, Kenny McIntosh, Kendall Milton, Daijun Edwards (5)
No surprises here. All five scholarship running backs travel and play. They each also play on special teams as well. Edwards also impressed when given carries in garbage time beforehand.
Wide receiver: Jermaine Burton, Kearis Jackson, Adonai Mitchell, Ladd McConkey, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Jaylen Johnson, Justin Robinson, Arian Smith, Dominick Blaylock (9)
Injuries will be worth monitoring here for Georgia. The first seven players listed are locks, with Georgia not being all that deep at the position in 2021. Smith and Blaylock have dressed in recent games but neither played against South Carolina. Smith is dealing with a bruise while Blaylock has a hamstring injury. Georgia could work them out beforehand to see where they are at physically but they will still have to make the trip to do so.
Tight end: Brock Bowers, John FitzPatrick, Brett Seither, Darnell Washington (4)
Similar to Smith and Blaylock, Washington will be an interesting decision. He’s back practicing, but not yet at full speed and sounds doubtful for this week’s game against Vanderbilt. Georgia may want him to go through warm-ups as a way to prepare for the Arkansas game but hold him out of this week’s game against Vanderbilt.
Offensive line: Jamaree Salyer, Justin Shaffer, Sedrick Van Pran, Warren Ericson, Warren McClendon, Broderick Jones, Amarius Mims, Xavier Truss, Austin Blaske, Chad Lindberg, Devin Willock (11)
Georgia usually brings 10 offensive linemen but with its top three center options all starting — Van Pran, Ericson and Salyer — that squeezes Blaske onto the trip. Jones, Mims, Truss, Lindberg and Willock all travel as back-ups who will likely earn valuable playing time this week.
Defensive line: Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, Jalen Carter, Tramel Walthour, Nazir Stackhouse, Warren Brinson, Bill Norton, Zion Logue, Tymon Mitchell (10)
No real surprises here. Georgia has a deep and veteran bunch. None of Georgia’s three freshman defensive linemen make the trip, which speaks to the depth and health of this group.
Outside linebacker: Adam Anderson, Nolan Smith, Robert Beal, MJ Sherman, Chaz Chambliss (5)
These five are locks, with Chambliss playing a valuable role on a few special teams. Many might wonder where 5-star freshman Xavian Sorey is here and he could make the trip, but Georgia is electing to bring him along slowly.
Inside linebacker: Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, Channing Tindall, Trezman Marshall, Smael Mondon, Jamon Dumas-Johnson (6)
Similar to outside linebacker, the first five are locks for the Bulldogs. Dumas-Johnson gets to make the trip due to the season-ending injury suffered by Rian Davis. Dumas-Johnson did have a defensive touchdown in the win over UAB and has shown up on some special teams as well.
Defensive backs: Derion Kendrick, Lewis Cine, Chris Smith, Ameer Speed, Latavious Brini, Tykee Smith, Kelee Ringo, Javon Bullard, Dan Jackson, Kamari Lassiter, David Daniel, Nyland Green (12)
Like with Washington, Smith could be a dress but doesn’t play guy. Bullard, the lowest-ranked of Georgia’s 2021 defensive signees, has shown up a lot on tape for the Bulldogs and can safely be considered a lock to make the trip. Daniel and Green could see significant action at the end of the game. If he were eligible, William Poole likely would’ve made the trip but he is serving a four-game suspension due to academics. He will be able to return to the field against Arkansas.
Specialists: Jake Camarda, Jack Podlesny, Payne Walker, William Mote (4)
Camarda and Podlesny will respectively handle punts and kicks. Walker will handle snapping duties on field goals, with Mote serving as the team’s long snapper on punts.
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