Underrated Recruits Lead the Way to Victory Again
The Georgia defense quickly became the nation's talk after a dominant performance against Clemson and two back-to-back shutouts; those in the media promptly started throwing out the takes calling Georgia's defense in 2021 one of the best of all time.
The latest win over Auburn will not help quiet down those takes, and nor should they. Georgia's defensive unit is creating havoc in the backfield every week through the first six games and keeping opposing offenses out of the endzone.
Many point to the sheer amount of "five-stars" that Georgia possesses on that side of the ball as the main reason for the continued dominance or even the coaching of Kirby Smart and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning. Those two factors contribute but do not tell the whole story.
An often talked about "criticism" from opposing fanbases is that Kirby Smart and Georgia "don’t develop players." After a record-setting number of former Bulldogs took in the latest NFL Draft, that hot-take is still thrown around. Still, the nail in that coffin may soon become the development of some underrated prospects on Georgia's roster. Specifically on the offensive side of the ball.
At least five names on Georgia's roster that were once unknown or underrated prospects coming out of high school can be considered high-end contributors.
None stand out more than Stetson Bennett or even the often talked about Jordan Davis, the former walk-on quarterback who spent years on the bench behind Jake Fromm with limited reps before getting his opportunity last season and starting in six games.
A rough ending to Bennett's 2020 season may have turned fans' perception of the former walk-on performance. Still, the page seems to be turning with three winning performances in 2021 as Georgia's starter.
It doesn't end there as Bennett connected with two other undervalued prospects for touchdowns. The only two passing touchdowns from the "Mailman." Freshman Adonai Mitchell and redshirt freshman Ladd McConkey provided Georgia with touchdown receptions after a high school career that didn't bring much national attention through the recruiting process.
Both receivers now are seeing impact playing time for Georgia due to an increased number of injuries at receiver.
It doesn’t stop there. Dan Jackson saw his number called early on in the first quarter after an injury to Christopher Smith forced the senior safety to miss the rest of the game. Jackson is another former walk-on that began to turn heads in spring practice despite being seen as a "longshot" for potential impact playing time.
Jackson is one of several players significantly outperforming their expectations from the recruiting rankings and contributing at a high level for Georgia this season.
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