2020 Georgia Recruiting: Who Could Play Early for the Bulldogs?

With the 2020 Georgia recruiting class now having most of it's members signed and delivered, the question now becomes who could play early for the Bulldogs?

The 2020 Georgia recruiting class is firmly entrenched in the Top-5 on all of the national recruiting services class rankings, and with room for six more signees, there's a reason to believe it could become even better.

With five offensive starters and five defensive starters either graduating or declaring early for the NFL Draft, there's plenty of reason to believe that some of these young men will be called upon early. And that's with Jake Fromm, Monty Rice, and Richard LeCounte's decision still looming. 

So, who are the guys currently in this class that will have a good chance to play early for the Bulldogs next season?

OLB, Mekhail Sherman: 

Considering the 5-star rating, it goes without saying that Sherman is a dynamic football player. It also goes without saying that the outside linebacker room at Georgia is filled with as much, if not more, talent as any other group. 

That being said, 5-stars have found their way on the field and found it early under Kirby Smart. Sherman is at his best - in my opinion - when he's allowed to play in space. Though he is a gifted pass rusher, it's an area of his game that could still use some perfecting. We believe you will see Mekhail Sherman in on 3rd down packages, at the very least, early in his Georgia career. 

RB, Kendall Milton: 

As much hype that's surrounded Zamir White since entering the Georgia football program, we still haven't seen his full capabilities on display. And though he was buried on the depth chart behind Swift and Herrien this season, something that is set to change next season, it is safe to question whether or not White will fully return to the form he once had prior to consecutive knee injuries.  

Milton is set and ready to be a featured back in the SEC. I have full confidence that he could handle 180 carries as a true freshman, and though that is highly unlikely, he's simply too dynamic not to be on the field. Some young backs have issues picking up the offensive gameplans, especially the pass protection rules,  but that isn't something we would imagine Milton struggles with at all. 

Over Smart's tenure at Georgia, we've seen him feature two backs, with the third getting the mop-up duties. So, Milton will have to beat out James Cook and Kenny McIntosh for that secondary role as a true freshman and it's something we feel confident he will do. 

OT, Tate Ratledge: 

There's no question that Tate Ratledge's body is ready to handle the grown men that play defensive line in the SEC. However, no player will experience a bigger jump in the level of competition from high school to the SEC than Ratledge. Coming from the smallest classification here in Georgia, Ratledge hasn't seen anything like what he's about to in a game scenario. 

Although, he flat out dominated the camp circuit during his recruitment process and proved that when matched up with the nation's top talent in his class he could remain physically dominant and imposing. Most offensive linemen enter college with a litany of technical flaws in their game, that is not the case with Tate. 

He plays with exceptional pad level for his immense size and his feet are rarely caught together. With Thomas and Wilson having declared for the NFL draft, Ratledge could push for a starting spot at either tackle. Either way, he's athletic enough to play all five positions, which means he's more than likely to see playing time either way. 

WRs: Marcus Rosemy, Jermaine Burton, and Arian Smith: 

These three guys are far from similar players. Rosemy is a bigger-bodied wideout that wins with physicality, has elite levels of body control and the ability to track the football in the air better than almost anybody at his age level. Burton is a savvy route runner that will be able to create space from virtually any defender in the conference as a freshman. Arian Smith, simply put, is the fastest high school football player in the country and wins with speed because quite frankly it's all he needs right now. 

I don't see how there is any way these three guys don't play a pivotal role in the 2020 Georgia offense, especially with Dominick Blaylock not expected to be 100% at the start of the season. 

Justin Robinson: 

The more and more I watch Justin Robinson play the game of football the more I realize just exactly why Kirby Smart was so adamant about having this guy on his team. 

He's just a winner. He was Eagles Landing Christain's best player in every facet of the game. Whether it was laying people out on special teams, being the go-to target on offense, or making state championship-clinching plays as a safety. 

With the X and Z positions being extremely crowded currently at Georgia - with Pickens, Landers, and now Rosemy in the mix - it's hard to imagine Robinson gets a ton of run at wideout. But I can almost guarantee you that he will play early on special teams, and he will make impact plays doing so. 

QB, Carson Beck?

Beck gets the question mark next to his name because we are still unaware of what Jake Fromm will do in terms of the NFL Draft. Though, assuming Fromm is gone - which I personally believe he will be - Beck has a great shot at competing for the starting role as early as week one of next season. 

He's extremely competitive. Rusty Mansell of 247sports.com reported that Beck was more than comfortable with Smart and his staff recruiting other QBs in 2020. 

"Carson Beck told UGA to recruit whoever you want, he was OK with a 2nd QB in the class; didn't matter to him. He was set on coming to UGA and he is there to compete with anyone he has to" - Rusty Mansell