ATHENS — Wide receiver wasn’t expected to be a position of worry for the Bulldogs during fall camp. Sure, Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint had to be replaced, but the Bulldogs brought in three wide receivers via the transfer portal, two freshman wide receivers and saw a number of contributors return from last season’s team.
But then Rara Thomas was dismissed from the program and now there’s a brighter spotlight on the room.
“I feel like we have a lot of good guys in the room. We have a lot of potential, honestly,” senior Arian Smith said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys of course, but we’ve got a lot of potential. I feel like the young guys can, like, follow the older guys’ footsteps and catch on during this long stretch of camp, they’ll be able to play and help us win games down the stretch.”
The leading returning receiver is Dominic Lovett, who brought in 54 passes for 613 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2023. Now in his second year in the program, Lovett is expected to make another leap.
Dillon Bell may be the biggest beneficiary of Thomas’ dismissal, as he now seems poised to be Georgia’s starting X receiver. The junior was working with the first team at practice on Thursday. This time last year, Bell’s responsibilities were split between wide receiver and running back.
Behind Bell is one of those transfer receivers in Colbie Young. He’s the most physically imposing of Georgia’s pass-catchers, standing at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. But following the dismissal of Thomas, Young may not be the only one Georgia is counting on to produce immediately.
“We have several guys that came in from the portal with Mike Jackson and London (Humphreys),” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “So I’m looking forward to the opportunity to each one gets to grow, and that really starts today, but I’m fired up about that group because we’ve got a good group of protectors around them and a good quarterback to get them the ball and a good group of tight ends.”
Having quarterback Carson Beck back helps, as he’s seen as one of the top quarterbacks in the country. He’ll be able to elevate those in the wide receiver room this fall.
But there will also be times when the wide receivers need to pick up Beck, as they form a symbiotic relationship.
Smith understands that better than most. He arrived in the same 2020 recruiting class as Beck. Smith was actually recruited to come to Georgia by James Coley, who will now be his wide receiver coach in his fifth season at Georgia.
Smith has a history of making big plays. There are also battles with injuries and drops during his time in Athens. He’s the last of Georgia’s 2020 wide receiver signing class, which featured McConkey, Rosemy-Jacksaint and Jermaine Burton.
Speed is still Smith’s No. 1 attribute and it’s why, through all the ups and downs of his career, he’s still confident he can make an impact in this room.
“He’s fast. Yeah, he’s got crazy speed,” cornerback Daylen Everette said. “I mean, yeah, that’s it. He’s definitely a good player, you know, and his speed — speed kills. That shows with him.”
Smith has long been the fastest player on Georgia’s team. He still believes that to be the case entering this season.
But he readily acknowledges there’s plenty of speed and athleticism and talent littered throughout the wide receiver room.
And it’s why there’s confidence the wide receiver group can weather losing a key contributor in Thomas.
“They know. I’m getting old. A lot of them can run with me now, a lot of people are getting faster,” Smith said. “The world is changing. I know I’m not always going to be the fastest and I have never always been the fastest.
“I’d probably say the whole room. We’ve got a lot of athletes in there. Ant, Dom, they’re athletes too. They run with me.”
