Grading Georgia's 2020 Special Teams

Georgia's special-teams units were a weapon in 2020 thanks to great performances by its players and the addition of coordinator Scott Cochran.

Georgia football shocked the college football world last February by hiring Scott Cochran away from Alabama.

Cochran served as strength coach at Alabama from 2007-2019 and was considered a large part of that program's success. Georgia already had a great strength and conditioning director in Scott Sinclair, but it did have a vacancy for special-teams coordinator, so head coach Kirby Smart hired Cochran to his first on-field coaching role.

With the 2020 season now over, it's obvious that Smart made the right choice. Georgia's special-teams units were fantastic under Cochran's leadership. The Bulldogs were among the best in the nation in field goals, punting, coverage and returning.

Punter Jake Camarda was the biggest highlight of Georgia's special teams. On 36 attempts, he averaged 46.6 yards per kick. Eighteen of Camarda's punts landed inside the 20-yard line. The coverage team helped Camarda out a lot. Georgia only allowed 29 punt return yards all year and 10 of his punts were downed inside the 10-yard line.

New placekicker Jack Podlesny had big shoes to fill taking over for the beloved Rodrigo Blankenship, but "Hot Pod" blew all expectations away. Podlesny made 13-of-16 field-goal attempts, including a 53-yarder to defeat Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl. 

Podlesny was also a perfect 38 of 38 on extra points, extending Georgia's record to 331 consecutive successful extra-point tries.

Georgia's return game was also very good. Kenny McIntosh returned kicks at the beginning of the year and was fantastic. McIntosh returned six kickoffs for a whopping 218 yards, a 36.3-yard average. He had to give up the job after suffering an injury.

Kearis Jackson handled punts and kickoffs for most of the year and was solid. Jackson averaged 27.1 yards on 11 kickoff returns. His punt-return average wasn't as lofty, but he broke off a few long returns throughout the year. 

Grade: A-plus

• Field Goals: A-plus
• Punting: A-plus
• Kickoff Returns: A
• Punt Returns: A-minus
• Kick Coverage: A-plus

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @DawgsDailySI.