It's Time to Let Zeus Loose

Georgia football fans have received a glimpse of what running back Zamir White can do with an abundance of carries. Now, with four games remaining in the season, it's time to feed Zeus.

Without having running back Kendall Milton for the foreseeable future, it appears Zamir White is going to accumulate even more carries than expected. The back tabbed "Zeus" now has a much better chance to put his name in contention for the No. 1 overall back in his draft class. So what is ahead for White?

He White arrived at Georgia in the winter of 2018 after tearing his ACL during his senior year of high school. He proceeded to tear his ACL again during the following spring game. That was a brutal start to the career of a player projected to take the torch and be next in line in Georgia's "Running Back University."

Since finally starting to play last year in his redshirt freshman season, White showed glimpses of greatness. In 2019, he was asked to play behind eventual second-round pick D'Andre Swift, but still earned 78 carries despite splitting the backup role with senior running back Brian Herrien.

This year White became the starter and has been the best consistent option for the Bulldogs. With wide receiver George Pickens banged up for most of the season, White is the best player on the Georgia offense. The problem has been the inconsistency of his touches. Against Kentucky, he carried the ball 26 times for 136 yards. In the next game against Florida, he was efficient but only had seven carries. Against Auburn, he had 19 carries for 88 yards. Two weeks later, against Alabama, he had 10 attempts.

Against elite teams this year, Georgia has fallen behind quickly and been forced to pass, playing catch-up for the rest of the game. Moving forward, White and the offensive line need to remain the priority for the offense. Let the line move people, which for the most part they have all season, and then let White bulldoze would-be tacklers.

These next few games will prove more critical for White than anyone, which is why it would make sense that the best version of him might be seen. The run game's effectiveness will largely be determined by offensive coordinator Todd Monken and the schemes he can draw up. 

But the best of White is believed to be right around the corner. Over these next few games, if he can carry the offense as not only the feature back but its best player, the NFL will notice that. There is a possibility, however small, that White could declare for the draft after the season, but the more likely scenario is that he becomes the No. 1 back next year. He has surely put his best foot forward in every game since twice suffering a torn ACL, and is back to 100 percent with an abundance of game reps.

These next few games could make millions for White. Expect Georgia's running game to carry them to wins as the season moves forward and expect No. 3 to be the reason why.