ATHENS — Georgia enters the season as the No. 1 team in the country. The biggest reason for that lofty ranking is the presence of quarterback Carson Beck.

After starting 14 games a season ago, Beck is back and looking to build off what he did in 2023. He threw for 3,941 yards while accounting for 28 touchdowns.

Beck was voted a First Team All-American entering the year. And with some of the lofty praise he’s received from the national media, it’s not hard to see why expectations are so high for the Georgia program.

“The potential No. 1 overall pick overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is Carson Beck,” ESPN’s Greg McElroy said while appearing on Get Up. “He’s amazing. He is so, so good when his feet are set. So similar in his stature and his game looks a little like Tom Brady in the sense that if his feet are set he’ll tear you apart.”

McElroy, who will call Saturday’s game between Georgia and Clemson, wasn’t the only one to heap praise onto the shoulders of Beck. Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports ranked Beck as his No. 1 quarterback in his quarterback rankings.

“Beck and the Bulldogs fell short last season when their undefeated season came to an end against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game,” Fornelli wrote. “As a result, the two-time defending champs were left out of the College Football Playoff and instead dismantled the decaying husk of what was left of Florida State in the Orange Bowl. But now Beck returns at the helm of the No. 1 team in both major polls with the same expectations as last season: win the whole damn thing.”

As for a new name to know, the Bulldogs have plenty of talented freshmen they can turn to. Georgia signed the No. 1 overall class in the country for the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Cornerback Ellis Robinson is expected to see the field early, while running back Nate Frazier will take on a bigger load in the event Trevor Etienne doesn’t play.

But the most excitement might stem from freshman safety KJ Bolden.

“The 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back has impressed as a playmaker since arriving in Athens as a midyear enrollee,” ESPN’s Eli Lederman wrote. “Coach Kirby Smart is keeping his depth chart a secret ahead of Georgia’s Week 1 opener against Clemson, but Bolden is certain to see early playing time in the secondary, and he might be pushing for a starting role by the back half of the season as the Bulldogs’ latest standout freshman contributor.”

Bolden is not expected to start. Malaki Starks didn’t either in his first game as a freshman, yet he still found a way to make a massive impact in Georgia’s 49-3 win over Oregon.

As for how Saturday’s game against Clemson might play out, Fornelli sees the quarterback play from both sides being the deciding factor.

“I’ve never been a fan of QB Cade Klubnik, and it’s hard for me to trust him against this Georgia defense,” Fornelli wrote. “On the other side, there’s QB Carson Beck and one of the best offensive lines in the country. One of the few offensive lines out there I believe can mitigate the damage done by the Clemson defensive line. I don’t think the Bulldogs blow the Tigers out, but I don’t believe the Tigers will score enough to keep it within this number.”

Georgia is a 13.5-point favorite against Clemson. Georgia beat Clemson 10-3 when the two teams met back in 2021.

Saturday’s game is set for a 12 p.m. ET kickoff, with ABC broadcasting the game.