ESPN talks down overreactions about Georgia offense this spring

It’s easy to overreact to what we saw during spring practice. We haven’t seen football in a few months and won’t see it again for another few. The dog days of summer await, and without much information to work with at the moment, taking things that happened in the spring and running with them to create larger narratives is usually what occurs this time of year. ESPN though is trying pull back the reins and not overreact to spring practice. At Georgia, that means not jumping to conclusions about the Bulldog offense.

Mark Schlabach wrote, as an overreaction, “Georgia’s offense won’t be nearly as good without star tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Ladd McConkey.” That’s easy to assume given the fact that Bowers was off the board in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft while McConkey didn’t have to wait around too long on day two – going No. 34 overall, the second pick of the second round.

Over the past three seasons, Bowers has finished each as the team’s leading receiver. McConkey was second in 2022, and had it not been for an injury-plagued season this past fall, he very well could’ve ended up in that same spot again in 2023. Together, they combined for 4,225 yards receiving and 49 total touchdowns the past three seasons. It won’t be easy to replace, but as Schlabach points out, it’s doable.

“There’s no question the Bulldogs are going to miss the two aforementioned pass-catchers, who were selected with the 13th and 34th pick in last month’s NFL draft, respectively. Both players were explosive after the catch and served as safety valves for quarterback Carson Beck, who was confident they’d be open when they were on the field. But Georgia still has plenty of firepower returning and more talent coming this summer,” Schlabach wrote. “Beck should be even better in his second full season as a starter — he’s trending as the potential No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas should emerge as go-to receivers after transferring to Georgia before the 2023 season, and Dillon Bell is a versatile playmaker as well. Miami transfer Colbie Young looked like a red-zone threat in the spring. Junior tight end Oscar Delp is another future NFL draft pick, and Stanford transfer Benjamin Yurosek will give Beck another proven target.”

He’s right. The return of Carson Beck at the quarterback spot should elevate the play of everybody on the Georgia offense. Just look at the jump the Bulldogs took from 2021 to 2022 with a full offseason of Stetson Bennett as the starter – averaging 2.5 points and 58.2 yards more per game (going from 9th to 5th in the nation and 25th to 5th in the nation respectively). That comes with comfort.

Beck and the Bulldogs ranked top-5 for both total and scoring offense in 2023. Making those same kind of jumps won’t be easy because there weren’t many better than them in general last year. However, with Beck’s experience in the system, folks shouldn’t be surprised if the stats are even more impressive in 2024.

Of course Beck isn’t the only one that’ll make it happen. Having receivers like Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas helps. Each finished top five on the team in receiving yards while Dillon Bell cracked the top five with Lovett in terms of catches. Those three, plus the newcomers – Colbie Young (Miami), London Humphreys (Vanderbilt), Michael Jackson III (USC) – at receiver are expected to put together a pass catching unit that’s one of the best.

You can’t forget about the running backs either as Georgia added a dynamic “D’Andre Swift-like” threat in the backfield with Florida transfer Trevor Etienne. The tight end room won’t have Bowers, but Oscar Delp filled in well when Bowers was sidelined due to injury. Stanford transfer Ben Yurosek played a similar role with the Cardinal, and the Bulldogs brought him in to help fill the big shoes of Bowers. Then there’s the likes of Lawson Luckie and Jaden Reddell too.

Put all of that together with an offensive line that returns four players with starting experience, and it’s easy to see why Schlabach isn’t ready to jump to conclusions quite yet with Georgia’s offense. No, the Bulldogs don’t have Bowers and McConkey, and yes, they will be tough to replace. However, when you recruit – both the high school ranks and the transfer portal – at the level Kirby Smart and company have over the past few seasons, it makes attempting to do so significantly easier.