Georgia Football: 2023 Breakout Candidates
Every offseason, football writers everywhere will do their best to lay out what the team they cover will look like in the coming season. There are roster moves, depth charts, position battles, coaching changes, injuries, and that all affect what we’ll see when September rolls around.
We like to believe that we know what to expect, but the beauty of sport comes from its inherent unknown. No one can quantify the mental and physical jump a 19-year-old can make in just a few months, just like they can’t explain why players who once showed such promise, regress in the years after.
Every year there’s a player that makes everyone in the stadium and at home ask “Who is this kid?”.
Take Javon Bullard for example. As a freshman, Bullard played in just 6 games, tallying 12 total tackles. He was on some people’s radars coming into 2022, but few expected him to turn into a player that would win Defensive MVP in the Peach Bowl and National Championship.
With a roster as talent-rich as Georgia’s, there will always be plenty of candidates to be that breakout star, but who should fans be watching out for this year?
Jalon Walker (11) - Inside Linebacker
Fans who follow Georgia recruiting will know Walker. He came to Georgia as the No. 2 overall prospect out of the state of South Carolina in the class of 2022. Walker had a solid impact as a freshman, blocking a punt and tallying a couple tackles for loss late in the season, but if you watched closely, you could see Walker’s role growing as the season got to its most important games. In the semifinals matchup against Ohio State, Walker was Georgia’s 3rd inside linebacker, coming in to spell Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon. It was Walker who got pressure on Ohio State’s CJ Stroud on a crucial third down, forcing the Buckeyes to settle for a field goal and keeping it a one-score game.
Mondon and Dumas-Johnson are back, but Walker will force his way onto the field. Think 2021 Channing Tindall. Yes, there are two great backers in-front of him, but his ability and the chance to give the other linebackers a breather will get him plenty of playing time.
Darris Smith (19) - Outside Linebacker
When you think of the prototypical outside linebacker in 2023, you think of a few traits: long, fast, and strong. Darris Smith, a sophomore outside linebacker from Appling County in South Georgia checks all of those boxes. At 6-foot-5, Smith has cast in the same mold as former Bulldogs Leonard Floyd and Lorenzo Carter.
As a freshman in 2022, Smith had just 4 tackles, but like Jalon Walker, he saw his role expand late in the season. His most lasting memory for Georgia fans at the moment is him leaping into the air during Noah Ruggle’s wayward kick for Ohio State.
Smith should see more time this year as a pass rusher, and if he can reach his full potential, he’s going to be a problem in the SEC.
Andrew Paul (3) - Running Back
There are few things worse in college football than a player’s season ending before it even begins. That’s exactly what happened to Andrew Paul. The freshman running back was the talk of Georgia’s fall camp, as reports continued to emerge of his explosion and speed. In a crowded running back room, Paul was making a name for himself, but an ACL injury in Georgia’s second fall scrimmage ended Paul’s chances at seeing the field in 2022.
We haven’t heard much in regards to Paul’s recovery, but Georgia's Director of Sports Medicine Ron Courson is as good as it gets. Courson’s track record for getting players back on the field is second to none. With Kenny McIntosh off to the NFL, Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards are the two backs with the most experience, but don’t be surprised if Andrew Paul sees a large amount of carries in 2023.
