Georgia’s roster is set for the 2024 season. The Bulldogs signed 28 recruits in the 2024 recruiting cycle and an additional nine players from the transfer portal. Georgia returns a host of contributors like quarterback Carson Beck and safety Malaki Starks.
It’s as impressive as a roster as one can have in the modern college football era. But because of the transfer portal, and thus a greater drain on the overall depth of every roster, there are still questions for the Bulldogs.
While they might not be as stark or grave as other playoff contenders, there are still some real concerns that the Bulldogs face entering the 2024 season.
What happens if running back Trevor Etienne goes down?
Georgia’s biggest transfer portal addition this offseason was running back Trevor Etienne. The Florida import ran for over 700 yards in each of his two seasons in Gainesville and will be Georgia’s lead running back entering the 2024 season.
Football though is a physical game and injuries are a part of it. Georgia’s running back room understands this firsthand, as Kendall Milton, Daijun Edwards, Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson all missed time last year due to injury.
Georgia’s schedule was forgiving enough to allow it to weather the storm. That won’t be the case this year, with September road games against Kentucky and Alabama and the season-opener against Clemson.
Behind Etienne on the depth chart, Roderick Robinson enters the season as the No. 2 running back and someone who will carve out real carries. Branson Robinson is still working his way back from a patella tendon injury he suffered last August.
Behind those three are freshmen Nate Frazier, Dwight Phillips Jr. and Chauncey Bowens. Georgia would certainly like to bring those three along slowly, leaning on Etienne and Roderick Robinson early on in the season.
Cash Jones is back for another season and in a pinch, Georgia could move Dillon Bell to running back. But this team will likely be at its best with Etienne as the team’s top running back. The depth behind Eitenne only further illustrates that point.
What does the outside linebacker position actually look like?
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Mykel Williams in this upcoming season. The edge rusher is poised to have a breakout season after plateauing at 4.5 sacks in his sophomore season.
Part of the hype is because of Williams taking more snaps at outside linebacker. The edge rusher will work plenty with the defensive line this season, especially on early downs.
Williams won’t be an everydown outside linebacker. And Georgia will need to find answers at a position that skews young.
Senior Chaz Chambliss is back after starting last season. Chambliss excels at doing what is asked of him but he is not a disruptive defender. Behind him, there are sophomores Damon Wilson and Sam M’Pemba, each looking to show why they were coveted prospects in the 2023 recruiting cycle.
If need be, Georgia can also play Jalon Walker at the position, though it hopes to employ him mostly at inside linebacker.
Georgia’s best teams under Kirby Smart have been led by its defensive linemen and inside linebacker play. The outside linebacker room, once boasting the likes of Nolan Smith and Azeez Ojulari, has become less impactful in recent seasons.
Can Williams change that? And can Georgia get enough production from Chambliss, Wilson and M’Pemba so Williams doesn’t have to do it all on his own?
How capable are Georgia’s backup quarterbacks?
Georgia hopes it doesn’t have to answer this question in 2024. Carson Beck is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. In a way it hasn’t in recent seasons, Georgia will rely on Beck to carry the offense. It speaks to how talented Beck is that Georgia puts so much on his plate.
The Bulldogs have gotten good health at the quarterback position in the last three seasons. But one only needs to look at the 2020 season, when Georgia saw Stetson Bennett and JT Daniels both deal with injuries, to see how fragile the position can be. That was also the last time Georgia lost in the regular season, falling to Alabama and Florida.
Behind Beck, Georgia has three options on scholarship. The Bulldogs brought in Arizona State transfer Jaden Rashada to compete alongside Gunner Stockton and incoming freshman Ryan Puglisi. Stockton enters fall camp as the backup quarterback, due to his experience edge in the Georgia system.
The first big learning opportunity we’ll likely have with this spot on the roster will come in the home opener against Tennessee Tech. Georgia should coast to a big lead in that game, giving the Bulldogs a chance to see what they have behind Beck. In the 2022 season, contests against Vanderbilt and TCU proved huge for Beck to show what he was capable of doing.
In 2024, the hope is that those answers are found in games against UMass and Tennessee Tech, though Georgia fans will be more than glad to see the Bulldogs get a few blowout wins to give Stockton, Rashada or Puglisi could do.
