The 2022 Georgia Bulldogs will be replacing a lot of experience on both sides of the ball — especially on defense. The Bulldogs do return 10 starters this fall, and many of them are All-SEC candidates. That roster remains loaded with veteran talent. For reference, Georgia returned 14 starters on its 2021 National Championship team and 10 starters on its 2020 squad.
- Chris Smith, S
- Kelee Ringo, CB
- Nolan Smith, OLB
- Warren McClendon, RT
- Warren Ericson, RG
- Sedrick Van Pran, C
- Brock Bowers, TE
- Ladd McConkey, WR
- Adonai Mitchell, WR
- Stetson Bennett IV, QB
The most notable thing there is the complete absence of anyone on the defensive line (not that there isn’t plenty of talent with game experience on the ’22 roster) and at inside linebacker (where there’s talent, but not much experience). The defensive coaches have their work cut out for them, that’s for sure.
Get The Picture 
I never dreamed that one day we would simply reload like the late 80s/1990s FSU squads, yet here we are. Gonna pinch myself and rewatch the Orange Bowl and Natty again today.
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Welp, we’ll see if they rotated enough and with the right players last year.
Also, it’s fair to note that a couple of the starters that are listed were freshmen last year. So it’s not crazy to expect some incoming freshman to step up in 2022. We’re going to be fine…after we beat Oregon, we’ll start building steam and by early October we’ll be a force to reckon with…if Monken stays, this offense is going to be a monster.
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UGA football is build on “D”, all three phases exist and excel, “D” leads the way and sets the tone…GO DAWGS!
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Get ‘em DIW…it is interesting that 7 of the 10 returning starters are on the offense…but with Kirby and with Boom…our defense is going to be mean AF…might take a step back from last season…but last season is arguably the best defense in the history of college football.
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Tru dat…
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Jalen Carter? Idk how they are figuring starters but seems like he was
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Exactly my point made below.
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The story says, “Using the criteria for a returning starter as a player who started seven or more games in 2021”
Jalen was technically second string behind Wyatt and Davis.
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Right. He’d rotate in on the very first 3rd down of the game. With our rotations we use there are plenty of meaningful snaps played by the guys coming back. Agree with the Senator there are big holes to fill, but plenty of seasoned folks coming back.
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And a lot of talent. The roster Kirby and crew have assembled points to sustainability.
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Predictions:
15-0
SEC and national title game: 70-0.
#GoDawgs
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I back this energy
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Until Dec 3 the Dawgs don’t play nobody y’aaaaaaall! Then probably it’ll be the Heisman winning, NC losing QB and his fairy band of fellow losers. Buckle up, bitches. It’s gonna be another great season.
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Logue, Stackhouse, Brinson, Norton all got a lot of snaps last year and looked pretty good doing it. And one fella not on that list is that Carter guy. He looked pretty good.
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I’m fine looking at it this way as it gives our opponents false hope but the better way to look it is returning snaps or plays. Given the way Kirby substitutes we have a lot of players with meaningful game experience that likely never started a game. We should be fine on both sides of the ball.
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Yeah, it’s interesting that perhaps the best player on the entire team is not a returning starter in Jalen Carter.
We’ll be fine. I’m not worried about talent. I’m worried about complacency and the backsliding that happens when you’ve reached your ultimate goal. It will happen here, just like it happened at Bama in 2010. It unavoidable.
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“It unavoidable.” That’s negative wave marketing and you should resist the urge to purchase those wares.
Me? I’m going out to the woods and cut this little hickory sapling down to the root ball to make a walking stick with a knot on the end for whacking negative vibe merchants.
Get out in the sun that’s shining down on DawgNation. You’re a winner. Act like it.
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Human nature is undefeated. 🤷🏻♂️
As for all the rest, what makes you think that I’m not?
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“Human nature is undefeated.” Ah, keep your standards low to avoid disappointment. I prefer this old tune…
“Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help us every day, it will brighten all the way
If we’ll keep on the sunny side of life”
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Standards? Okay.
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Standards, expectations hopes, dreams, whatever. Consistently predicting the worst outcome to protect your delicate feelings from the inevitable disappointment of loss is just lame. The sky ain’t falling, Hoss. That’s confetti. Despite your predictions to the contrary, beginning with the Dawgs losing to Clemson and ending with Bennett leading the team in a comeback, UGA won the National Championship. I have difficulty remembering where I sat my beer while scrambling around between the stick and my tool box, but I recall your grim prognostication posts. Those memories obtrude because I like you and care that you allow yourself to get so low. I ain’t sharp shooting you.
If the Dawgs don’t repeat, complacency won’t be the reason. It’ll be because they ran into a team with more senior leadership and better players. That remains to be seen. The one thing that I figure will happen is better play from QB1, be that 6th year senior SBIV who might finally get a full off season of working with the ones or some youngster good enough to supplant him. Not that I’m still complaining about the QB who just led his team over the Gumps to win the National Championship.
So cheer the fuck up, ol buddy ol pal. The program has never been in better shape AND it’s still a celebration.
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I’m a day late on reading the blogs this weekend, but it needs to be noted here Ranger, THAT was a truly great post!
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It’d be interesting to see how they define “starter”.
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Poole had beaten out Brini by the end of the year and Beal started the second half of the season by default because of Anderson’s troubles. Those two are coming back for a super senior year. Add in Carter and it’s a pretty solid core to build around.
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I’d include Broderick Jones on that list. Plus, defensive line rotates so much you could and should count Jalen Carter, Tramel Walthour, Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson among a handful of others.
ILB will be interesting though.
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I guess it would matter if they went by starters during the last game of the season? Or is it guys who made the most starts maybe? Didn’t Tate Rutledge start the first game of the season then get hurt? I have not seen his name mentioned on here as a returning offensive lineman but I bet he has something to say about next seasons starters if healthy.
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Kearis is coming back too – I consider him a starter even if he was not 100% last season.
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Starts as a stat for UGA defense is worthless. We sub and continue to open cans of whoop ass like captain insano.
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Excited for Warren Mac final year. Hope he plays himself into a 1-2 round pick.
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