Spring Storylines: As Georgia Starts Spring Practice, Five Players Are Featured

This week marks the Georgia Bulldogs’ return to the field following a 13-1 campaign that saw them win a commanding Orange Bowl but miss out on winning a third straight national championship.

It’s difficult to say that finishing the year with the #4 spot in the country is a letdown. But at this point in Kirby Smart’s Athens dynasty construction, winning national titles is a realistic yearly objective. A number of Bulldogs will need to enter the lineup in 2024, assume greater responsibility, and/or perform better than they did in 2023 in order to reach that goal. These are the five whose play, in my opinion, might have the biggest impact on the Dawgs’ destiny in 2024.

5. Everette Daylen. As a sophomore in 2023, Everette started every game, taking Kelee Ringo’s place at corner. Everette was targeted a lot in 2023 because he was Kamari Lassiter’s opposite, but he performed admirably, particularly in the last moments. Everette is unquestionably The Guy at the corner now that Lassiter has turned professional. That’s a big burden, even with support from people like Malaki Starks.

4. The artist Travis Etienne. Saying that a player who ranked second on his team in rushing in 2023 still has a lot to prove in 2024 seems a little strange. However, Travis Etienne wasn’t this Bulldog team’s second-leading rusher.

As a Florida Gator past season, Etienne amassed 753 running yards and 172 receiving yards. His goal in coming to Athens is to take the place of Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards, two dependable senior performers. In 2023, both carried for more yards than Etienne; together, they were responsible for 63% of the Red and Black’s rushing yards. In a Bulldog backfield that will include a number of true freshman and players trying to show they can stay healthy, Etienne will be trying to get snaps. His decision to move out of Gainesville may turn out to be the best one since, well, the last guy who made the decision to leave Gainesville, if he can successfully land the position of backfield workhorse.

3. Jared Wilson. Georgia has been profoundly blessed over the past decade plus with multi-year, NFL-caliber starters at center. Sedrick Van Pran was just the latest, starting every single game of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons (44 games in total) on the way to being named First Team All-American by ESPN and Sports Illustrated this year.

That’s a tough, tough act to follow. Doing so looks to be the job of redshirt junior Jared Wilson. The 6’3, 310 pound North Carolinian played in 13 of 14 games in 2023 and is surrounded by experienced veterans like Tate Ratledge, Earnest Greene, and Xavier Truss. But the center is uniquely critical, and Wilson’s development will go a long way toward determining whether Georgia is again a title contender.

2. Allen CJ. It’s not like CJ Allen needs to do better in 2023. It’s because Georgia is counting on him to keep moving forward. Following Jamon Dumas-Johnson’s fall with a fractured arm Starting the last five games of the 2023 season was Allen. With 41 tackles during the process, he led all Bulldog freshman.

Currently, when Dumas-Johnson moved to Kentucky The man in the center of the Dawgs’ linebacking corps is Allen. With Troy Bowles, Raylen Wilson, and Smael Mondon all returning, he’ll have assistance. However, this Bulldog defense might collapse just like Allen did.

Oscar Delp. There is no one like Brock Bowers to replace him. Over the last three seasons, the Napa Nightmare was undoubtedly the most dominant tight end in college football, and he will be remembered as one of the most important Bulldogs of the last 20 years. Every week, he gave the UGA offense an inherent mismatch by doing things on the football field that a player his size shouldn’t have been able to do.

It’s clear that Oscar Delp is no slouch either. In 2013, Delp caught 24 passes for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns while starting 10 games alone. Even though Delp isn’t another Bowers, Georgia might have a very strong offensive line thanks to the receiver talent that Geirgia returns and the transfer talent that is coming in. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be a 2024 game where the UGA offense will require him to be a mismatch similar to Bowers.

Until next time…

Go, Dawgs!