Key Players to Watch During G-Day

Georgia's spring scrimmage is set to happen on April 16th and here are a few key players fans should keep their eye on this Saturday.

Jonathan Williams | Apr 12, 2022

Georgia's annual G-Day scrimmage is set for kickoff on Saturday, April 16th, at 1 PM inside of Sanford Stadium.

With plenty of turnover, both on the roster and coaching staff, this is a completely different football team that won a national title a little over three months ago.

Georgia has four new position coaches, 18 early enrollees, has seen 10 players enter the transfer portal, and is awaiting the arrival of 11 more signees from the 2022 class. The roster is influx, to say the least.

Though there are some known commodities and names you'll need to know come Saturday's scrimmage.

Ladd McConkey, WR

The Chatsworth, Georgia native surged onto the scene last season as a result of Georgia being banged up at wide receiver and McConkey hasn't looked back since. His breakout game came against Auburn where he reeled in five receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown. As the season progressed, McConkey quickly became one of the Bulldog's most valuable playmakers and a guy who offensive coordinator Todd Monken made sure got the ball in his hands at some point in the game.

Now it is not just a matter of continuing his success into this season, but also whether or not McConkey can begin to separate himself from the rest of the pack. Spring scrimmages are a great way to see how players have progressed since the end of the previous football season, and Ladd McConkey is certainly one of the players to watch and see if he can start to run away from some folks on the depth chart and solidify himself as an invaluable player at wide receiver for the Bulldogs.

Offensive Line Unit

On top of losing both Jamaree Salyer and Justin Schaffer to the NFL draft this offseason, the Bulldogs have also experienced multiple offensive line players hitting the transfer portal, one of them being former five-star Amarius Mims. Coming out of high school, Mims was one of the most coveted offensive line prospects in the 2021 class. His decision to test the waters in the portal now begs the question as to why a player of his caliber would decide to leave the program?

Playing time or lack thereof is more than likely the primary reason for Mims leaving so just how good are Georgia's tackles looking this season? Broderick Jones and Warren McClendon are the presumed starters this season and appear to be playing some elite football if they were able to hold off a potential first-round talent like Mims.

Georgia's offensive line depth chart right now is pretty thin due to injuries and portal entries. This means guys like true freshman Earnest Greene and other young inexperienced players will get a lot of snaps come Saturday and will without a doubt one something to take note of.

Carson Beck, QB

At this point, people probably feel like the saying might as well be death, taxes, and Carson Beck hype during Spring football. For two consecutive offseasons, as spring practice rolls around, Beck's name has started to get thrown around as a player who is really flashing at practice and could possibly be pushing for the starting spot. This year's G-Day game will be a very important opportunity for Beck to prove to the public that all of the raves about him are indeed worthy of the hype.

Saturday isn't necessarily about Beck attempting to dethrone Stetson Bennett as the starting quarterback, but more so building confidence in himself and making people believe that he is as good as advertised. There will be quite a few names taking snaps behind center on Saturday, but Beck is one to really keep an eye on.

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Published Apr 12, 2022

JONATHAN WILLIAMS