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Georgia football winners and losers following 2023 G-Day game
Winner: Arian Smith
ATHENS — Smith touched the ball three times on Saturday. Two of those plays ended in touchdowns. He capped Georgia’s first drive with a 2-yard run. He later hauled in a Carson Beck pass for a 6-yard touchdown catch.
Most encouraging though was that for the first time in his career, Smith was able to get through spring practice without injury. At last, Smith was able to focus solely on his development instead of rehab.
“I hold my breath every time. I’m worried about injury. He’s really a fast guy,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “At times, he gets some awkward tackles and it scares you. He had a good spring. We have to be smart about our workload and volume of work for him. The more he does, the more he becomes injury-prone. He stretches the field in ways that other guys can’t do. We have to be smart about that.”
Smith wasn’t the only wide receiver to impress on Saturday. Mekhi Mews had 91 receiving yards in addition to making a couple of strong plays on special teams. Jackson Meeks bullied his way into a 29-yard touchdown catch. Dillon Bell, Dominic Lovett, Ladd McConkey and Zeed Haynes all had explosive plays as well.
The Georgia wide receiver position is poised to be a strength for Georgia in 2023. Saturday only reinforced that idea.
Loser: The Bear Alexander situation
The biggest bit of news to come out of G-Day was the departure of Bear Alexander. The sophomore defensive tackle entered the transfer portal on Saturday afternoon, hours before G-Day.
According to sources DawgNation has spoken with, the expectation is that Alexander will indeed depart the program. USC is the most likely landing spot for the defensive tackle, with playing time being a driving force behind the decision.
Related: Georgia teammates share honest thoughts on Bear Alexander, what comes next for defensive line
When asked about the move afterward, Smart did not come off upset. He understands this is just the new reality in college football.
“It’s who handles it and manages it best. It’s a new climate we’re in,” Smart said. “The window will open and all across the country, there will be guys going in and looking for greener pastures. Ultimately the climate we have created and more power to them.”
Georgia did get some strong production out of its defensive line on Saturday, with Zion Logue, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Christen Miller picking up sacks. They will all play bigger roles for Georgia moving forward.
Many will also be interested in how Jordan Hall develops. The talented freshman had a strong spring, though he was mostly held in check on Saturday.
Either way, Georgia’s defensive line is a little thinner and without a potential impact player. While the Bulldogs have plenty of depth to overcome the loss, Georgia will have to prove it has the difference-makers on the defensive line.
Winner: The first play of the game
To open G-Day, Georgia took the field with 10 men. The Bulldogs left the left guard spot open in honor of Devin Willock, their teammate who tragically died in a car accident along with Georgia recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy on Jan. 15.
This was Georgia’s first public appearance since the crash. Georgia took a delay of game penalty and saw multiple members of the team take their helmets off and hug to embrace the moment.
“The players wanted to do something to remember those two, and we felt that was a good to honor them,” Smart said. “It was a good way to honor them, love them and that’s what we did.”
Willock and LeCroy will continue to have a significant impact on the Georgia team. The opening play of G-Day served as a small reminder of that and it will certainly not be the last time Georgia honors the fallen.
Loser: Georgia’s cornerback situation
The wide receivers had a great day on Saturday. It came at the expense of the cornerbacks. Georgia knows Kamari Lassiter is going to be one of the starting cornerbacks.
As for who the other starter might be, Smart doesn’t have a great feel for that yet. Nyland Green got the start, while Daylen Everette, Julian Humphrey and AJ Harris were all working with the second team.
Perhaps telling, Georgia is playing Smoke Bouie at the cornerback position.
“It’s a work in progress,” Smart said. “We kind of rolled guys through there today. I’d be remiss if I said somebody stood out. I didn’t think anybody really stood out at that position. They’ll continue to battle for it. We’ve got some more guys coming that will continue to battle for it. We’ve been there before. We’ve been going into the season where we’re trying to make decisions.”
Related: Emerging Georgia football leader Kamari Lassiter shares what makes this team tick
Smart did note that Georgia still has plenty of time to get things right at the cornerback position, as the Bulldogs are only through about 25 percent of their practices to this point.
Georgia is in a good spot from a depth standpoint at the cornerback position and the Bulldogs will add 4-star cornerback Chris Peal to the roster this summer. Green, Everette, Harris and Humphrey were all top-100 recruits.
Fran Brown is going to have plenty of options in selecting a replacement for Ringo. And while the group isn’t where it needs to be coming out of spring practice, Georgia still has plenty of time to get it right.
Winner: Georgia’s safety situation
While cornerback is a question, safety seems to be in a much better spot. We’ll roll the star position into this as well, as the two positions are tied together at this stage.
Georgia moved Javon Bullard into the starting safety spot opposite Malaki Starks. He played well on Saturday, coming down with an interception that was waived off due to a defensive penalty elsewhere.
Moving Bullard to safety allowed Tykee Smith to get the start at star. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the strong spring Smith had. He backed it up by picking off Brock Vandagriff, coming down with the first turnover of the game.
“We felt like we needed to invest reps in Bullard to create some safety depth where we’re short,” Smart said. Every rep that Bullard wasn’t taking star that was allowing him to develop as a safety and we need more stars,” Smart said. “And plus we wanted to get Joenel (Aguero) as much nickel/star work and Marcus (Washington Jr.) as much nickel/star work and if we had left Bullard there it would have eaten up some of those reps. You’re just trying to develop depth on your roster. That’s really what we’re trying to do with those guys to try to create some safeties.”
Georgia’s starting defense did not get off to a fast start as it gave up touchdowns on its opening three drives. But the group buckled down and improved as the afternoon went on.
The Bulldogs should get Dan Jackson back in the fall, adding another veteran piece to the mix. Starks, Bullard and Smith all still have some improving to do but the bones of a strong secondary seem to be in place with those three.
More Georgia football stories from around DawgNation
- Kirby Smart scripted ideal G-Day Game, good day for Georgia football
- Final grades for Georgia football spring game effort
- What social media is saying about Georgia following 2023 G-Day game
- Georgia teammates share honest thoughts on Bear Alexander, what comes next for defensive line
- Georgia QB Brock Vandagriff shares G-Day emotions and mistakes
- Kirby Smart explains Rara Thomas absence, injury update on Branson Robinson, Smael Mondon
- Georgia football instant observations as Carson Beck shines on G-Day
