What we learned about Georgia's future vs Vanderbilt

During UGA's 100th homecoming game against Vandy, several Dawgs showed that the future will be bright in Athens for years to come.

SI Editorial | Oct 18, 2022

The University of Georgia has recruited at an incredible rate under head coach Kirby Smart, and perhaps one of the reasons for that is his willingness to play a tremendous amount of football players. To date, Georgia has 18 defensive players that have taken at least 100 snaps, they have 18 offensive players that have taken at least 100 snaps.

If you come to Georgia, you play and play early if you earn the opportunity. Through seven games entering the bye week, Georgia has commanded the schedule to a point to where we've seen the future of this football program. And it's clear that Georgia has a bright one.

With a commanding lead of 34 points in the 3rd quarter, Kirby Smart made a decision to get some valuable game time for players like backup quarterback Carson Beck. Beck immediately showed all his hard work has paid off and that he was ready to play if called on. His first series in was a five-play march down the field that consisted of 4 completions and a touchdown. The next offensive series was another ten-play drive capped off with Arik Gilbert's first receiving touchdown on the year. Beck understands his progressions and assignments at a high level which is a noticeable improvement from last year.

Smart mentioned after the game that it's important for Beck to be ready to go at any time, due to the fact that Stetson Bennett is a quarterback who runs quite often and puts his body at risk. If called upon, Georgia has reason to be confident in Beck.

Another young Dawg, Malaki Starks, continues to impress with his evolution as a safety. This year's defense has had its ups and down but still remains number one in Football Outsider's FEI rating, a system that uses efficiency-based metrics to evaluate a team's performance. He's been able to step in and make plays from the first snap of the 2022 season which in context is even more impressive. Helping an elite defense as a freshman speaks volumes about his overall ability.

Branson Robinson is another freshman who has seamlessly transitioned into the running back rotation by proving it on the field. Georgia's rushing attack has been a concern early on this year but with Robinson able to step in and make an impact early it has helped establish an identity on the ground. Against Auburn, Robinson led the rushing attack with 98 yards on 12 attempts resulting in an incredible 8.2 yards per carry. His raw physical traits and ability add to what looks to be a stout running game.

The key to Georgia continuing to have extreme depth is partly on the recruiting trail, you don't have a wealth of great players without earning them. However, you have to now retain those great players due to the transfer portal nature of college football and the best way to keep them is to play them.

Another prime example of this is right tackle Amarius Mims. He entered the transfer portal this offseason, took a visit to Florida State, and after further thought decided to return to Georgia. Many college football fans wondered why. Well, perhaps we now have our answer. Warren McClendon is the starter at right tackle, the 380 total snaps on the season indicate that. However, Amarius Mims has seen 185 snaps himself.

So, what have we learned about Georgia's future? Well, it's not only bright but it's being directed by a head coach who's seemingly constantly evolving to the state of the sport.

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