What the national media is saying about Georgia football as spring practice starts

Georgia football is set to begin spring practice this month, with March 16 being the intended start date.

The Bulldogs will have a number of areas to focus on ahead of the 2021 season. Georgia figures to be one of the top-ranked teams in the country at the start of the season with all the Bulldogs return on the offensive side of the ball.

As Georgia and the rest of college football getting spring practice underway, the national media has taken an interest in Georgia and how it will look this spring.

ESPN tabbed Georgia as one of its most compelling storylines, as the Bulldogs go about closing the gap between themselves and Alabama.

“Georgia is loaded at running back and wide receiver, and it has good depth on the offensive line,” ESPN’s Mark Schlabach said. “Its defense should again be among the best in the FBS. Its schedule is favorable. Is this the year Kirby Smart’s team finally catches the Crimson Tide?

The headliner for Georgia is quarterback JT Daniels and how he looks in year two under Todd Monken. In the final four games of the 2020 season, Daniels tossed 10 touchdowns to two interceptions with Georgia averaging 36 points per game and winning all four of those contests.

Daniels will look to continue to build chemistry with Georgia’s wide receivers, specifically George Pickens. The Bulldogs finally seem to have the pass catchers on par with what Alabama and Clemson have had in the past.

But the team isn’t without its concerns. Schlabach named the cornerback position as one of the biggest concerns across the sport this spring.

The Bulldogs must replace all four players that had starting experience in 2020. Kelee Ringo will be an often discussed name, as the redshirt freshman was the No. 1 ranked defensive back in the 2020 recruiting class. Georgia also signed Nyland Green in the 2021 recruiting class, who was the No. 4 overall cornerback in the 2021 signing class.

Last week, Georgia coach Kirby Smart remarked how young his team is this spring, with 52 of the 82 scholarship players going through their first spring practice. With that in mind, there are a handful of players who have breakout potential.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports singled out tight Darnell Washington as Georgia’s rising star. As a freshman, Washington caught only seven passes for 166 yards. But five of those receptions and 107 yards came in Georgia’s final two games.

With Tre’ McKitty off to the NFL, Washington figures to take on a bigger role in Georgia’s passing offense.

Georgia will get a chance to show its improvements on April 17, as that is when Georgia’s G-Day is scheduled. A time or television network have not yet been announced.

More Georgia football stories from around DawgNation