Top 3 Storylines Entering Fall Camp
The University of Georgia is defending a national title for the first time since the fall of 1981. The reigning national title-winners face a relatively easy schedule in 2022 — as easy as an SEC schedule can be — and are set to replace 15 contributors from a year ago.
With the season set to kick off September 3rd inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, against the Oregon Ducks, Georgia begins fall camp this week.
Players will report to camp Wednesday afternoon, and practice will begin Thursday. So, with football season officially here, we bring you the top-3 storylines as fall camp begins.
1. Four New Position Coaches
Sure, Fran Brown (DBs), Stacy Searels (OL), Chidera Uzo-Diribe (OLB), and Bryan McClendon (WRs) all had fifteen practices to get their feet wet this spring and they've had a chance to develop a bit of chemistry with players this offseason, but this is the first true test. As fall camp begins, decisions are set to be made at battleground spots all across this new landscape for each coach.
Kirby Smart noted during his SEC Media Day availability that he thinks this is his best staff yet.
“Probably the best staff I’ve ever had since I’ve been there in terms of continuity. We had four coaches change, but the four new coaches we’ve gotten have jumped onboard, and grabbed things. They know how to manage the situation. We got three or four coaches who have done this before in terms of having won a championship, understanding what it takes to do it again.
2. Defensive Replacements
Five first-round draft picks, and eight overall selections, all from one side of the football. That's plenty of talent and production that exited a year ago, this is common knowledge. Another bit of common knowledge for anyone that's been following recruiting and player acquisition, Georgia's got plenty of talent left in the chamber, it's about experience at this point.
Names like Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Christopher Smith, and Kelee Ringo have already made themselves known on the national landscape. This season's answers are left in the remaining voids. Will names like Zion Logue, Smael Mondon, Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Kamari Lassiter, etc live up to the recruiting and talent expectations they entered school with?
3. Offensive Development
Sure, Georgia lost six offensive starters from a year ago to the NFL draft. The loss of George Pickens, Zamir White, and James Cook represents a large portion of their explosivity and consistency over the last three seasons of offense. However, the crux of the playmaking down the stretch was accredited to Stetson Bennet, Adonai Mitchell, Ladd McConkey, and most notably, Brock Bowers. All of which return, alongside three offensive linemen and two running backs in Kenny McIntosh and Kendall Milton, that have ample experience as is.
There's plenty of both talent and experience returning offensively for Georgia, including offensive coordinator Todd Monken for a third straight season. It's a matter of development as a unit, how much better can they get?
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