Winners of back to back National Championships, Georgia completed a perfect 15-0 season in 2022. As usual, this team had it’s fair share of departures. However, sportsbooks seem to expect a similar result this season. FanDuel Sportsbook currently gives Georgia an 11.5-win total juiced to -142 on the under. They also have the best odds to win the National Championship at +220. With that said, let’s dive into Georgia football predictions, futures, win total prediction, roster overview and more.
Georgia Football Predictions, Futures & Roster Overview
From a coaching perspective, Kirby Smart remains the hottest name in the country right now. Smart did have to hire a new offensive coordinator this offseason, bringing in Mike Bobo. Bobo already coached with Georgia as an analyst in 2022, but he has plenty of play-calling experience. He most recently coordinated Auburn’s offense in 2021. Fortunately, Smart retained co-defensive coordinators Will Muschamp and Glenn Schumann ahead of the 2022 season.
Georgia Football Offense
At quarterback, Georgia lost Stetson Bennett to the NFL Draft. This leaves Carson Beck in place as the presumed starter. Beck has completed 36 of 58 career pass attempts (62.1%) for 486 yards (8.4 YPA), six touchdowns, and two interceptions. Beck does have 12 rush attempts for 58 yards, pointing to some mobility. However, he projects to do most of his damage through the air. He is a former four-star recruit from 2020, giving him three years within the program to this point. He will continue to compete with Brock Vandagriff for the starting job into the summer. Vandagriff has minimal snaps to this point, but he is another four-star recruit as well. Overall, he was the 34th overall player in the 2021 cycle. Georgia also has 2022 four-star prospect Gunner Stockton on the roster. He was the 110th overall player in 2023. While inexperienced, this position has plenty of talent for Georgia.
Georgia lost Kenny McIntosh to the NFL, but they return their next three rushers in Daijun Edwards, Kendall Milton, and Branson Robinson with legitimate experience. Milton stands 6-1, 220 pounds and rushed 86 times for 594 yards and nine scores last year. He battled injury during the season, but he also caught four balls for 46 yards. Overall, he averaged 3.98 yards after contact and forcing a missed tackle on 22.1% of his attempts.
Edwards stands 5-10, 201 pounds and rushed 140 times for 777 yards and seven scores. He also caught 14 balls for 101 yards in an expanded role with Milton injured. Edwards finished at the SEC’s 19th ranked rusher, averaging 3.06 yards after contact and forcing a missed tackle on 25% of his attempts. Robinson is 5-10, 220 pounds and rushed 68 times for 330 yards as a true freshman in 2022. He only caught one pass, but he finished as the SEC’s 30th graded rusher. He averaged 2.92 yards after contact and forced a missed tackle on 16.2% of his attempts. For depth, Georgia added Tennessee transfer Len’Neth Whitehead and four star freshman Roderick Robinson.
Among actual wide receivers, Georgia returns their top option in Ladd McConkey. He stands 6-1, 185 pounds and caught 58 balls for 762 yards and seven scores last year. McConkey played in the slot 24.6% of the time and his 2.16 yards per route ranked 16th in the SEC. Georgia played an interesting style of offense last year with two of their top four pass catchers as tight ends and one at running back in Kenny McIntosh.
They do return Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, who was the team’s fifth leading receiver. Rosemy-Jacksaint stands 6-2, 195 pounds and caught 29 balls for 337 yards and a pair of scores. He played out wide on 90.4% of his routes and his 1.31 yards per route ranked 47th in the SEC. Georgia also returns Arian Smith and Dillon Bell, who project as role players. Smith logged 198 yards on seven catches as an explosive down field threat. Bell played more of a possession role with 20 catches for 180 yards. To add more talent to this room, Georgia hit the transfer portal.
Dominic Lovett comes over from Missouri, where he caught 56 balls for 828 yards and three scores. The 5-10, 187 pound receiver played in the slot 83.9% of the time and his 2.94 yards per route ranked third in the SEC last year. RaRa Thomas also comes over from Mississippi State. Thomas caught 44 balls for 626 yards and seven scores last year. The 6-2, 200 pound receiver played out wide 98.8% of the time and his 1.99 yards per route ranked 23rd in the SEC. Three incoming four-stars in Yazeed Haynes, Anthony Evans, and Tyler Williams round out notable names here.
Mentioned above, Georgia’s actual leading receiver in 2022 was tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers stands 6-4, 230 pounds and caught 63 balls for 942 yards and seven scores. He played in the slot 59.8% of the time and his 2.37 yards per route ranked ninth in the SEC. Bowers also blocked on 50.5% of his snaps, where he excelled. Behind him, Georgia lost Darnell Washington, but Oscar Delp played a fair amount at the end of the year. Delp was the top tight end in last year’s class and 51st overall prospect. While he isn’t an alien like Washington, he provides quality depth. From there, Georgia recruited two four star freshmen in Lawson Luckie and Pearce Sprulin.
Georgia lost two starters along the offensive line. This includes left tackle Broderick Jones and right tackle Warren McClendon. However, they return center Sedrick Van Pran, who played 972 snaps last year. He already has two years of starting experience. They also return Tate Ratledge at right guard after 844 snaps last year. The same goes for left guard Xavier Truss, who played 725 snaps. Amarius Mims (77.5) projects to play one of the tackle positions. He filled in admirably for 385 snaps at right tackle last year.
Earnest Greene is the favorite for the other tackle position. He was a four-star in the 2022 cycle and the 52nd overall player in that class. They also have incoming five-star Monroe Freeling. Austin Blaske is the other player who could potentially win this job. He played 82 snaps last year, but has a number of seasons within the program as a former four-star recruit. After ranking seventh in pass blocking and eighth in run blocking, Georgia’s returning production suggest another top ten finish in the trenches.
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Georgia Football Defense
On defense, Georgia ranked second in 2022. This included the ninth-ranked run defense, 55th-ranked pass rush and 40th-ranked pass coverage. Georgia did lose elite starters Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Keele Ringo, Chris Smith, and Robert Beal. However, they return a surprising amount of production on this side of the ball.
Along the defensive line, losing Carter will be the most impactful. However, Georgia slaughtered so many teams last year that a number of players actually earned quality snaps. The first name to mention along the edge is Mykel Williams. He played 410 snaps last year and generated 33 quarterback pressures. Williams should start alongside Chaz Chambliss, who has been running with the first unit this spring. Chambliss only played 249 snaps last year, but he notched ten pressures on those snaps. Luckily, Tramel Walthour returns 283 snaps as well, which means Georgia should have a quality edge rotation.
On the interior, Naz Stackhouse and Warren Brinson played 473 and 272 snaps last year. Stackhouse is an elite run defender and should clog up the middle again this year. Zion Logue also returns 332 snaps, which means Georgia should be just as deep along the interior.
At linebacker, both Smael Mondon and Jamon Dumas-Johnson return after playing 653 and 671 snaps respectively. Dumas-Johnson. Georgia did lose a couple of depth transfers at this position, but a number of younger players like Jalon Walker and CJ Allen had strong springs for Georgia. Like the defensive line, this unit shouldn’t really drop off unless injuries ravage the position.
The secondary did lose a pair of starters, but Kamari Lassiter returns after 825 snaps at corner last year. Lassiter did allow 419 yards into his coverage, but a step forward can be expected in his second year starting. Javon Bullard also returns after starting in the slot last year. Bullard has since moved over to safety this spring. He only allowed 181 yards in his coverage and gives Georgia elite versatility.
The other safety should be returning starter Malaki Starks, who gave the Bulldogs 847 snaps last year. The other corner positions remain a competition for now. Tykee Smith looks like the favorite to play in the slot. He only played 256 snaps last year, but he has two years of starting experience from his days with West Virginia. Some combination of Daylen Everett, Julian Humphrey, and Nyland Green should round out the final corner spot. Ultimately, this secondary should be in good hands again given the returning production and elite recruits expected to fill the spots of last year’s starters.
Georgia Football Schedule
By SEC standards, Georgia plays one of the easiest schedules in the country. Their non-conference features UT-Martin, Ball State, UAB, and Georgia Tech. In their crossover to the SEC West, they dodge Alabama and LSU. Instead, they draw Auburn and Ole Miss. With the SEC East providing little resistance outside of Tennessee, Georgia essentially controls their own destiny.
With expectations this high, Georgia can be a tricky team in the betting markets. At +220 to win the National Championship, it doesn’t make much sense to tie up money for half a year with that kind of payout. At +105 to win the SEC, those odds don’t make much sense either.
Georgia Football Win Total Prediction: As crazy as it sounds, over 11.5 wins at +116 looks like the best bet here. Ultimately, better lines could arise midseason for Georgia. Even with a loss, they could still make the SEC title game and accomplish their postseason goals. In that case, better odds would likely present themselves. For now, over 11.5 wins remains the top bet ahead of the regular season.
