Georgia looking for new gunners and more

The theme of having to replace a lot of experienced starters with younger players will be evident in Georgia’s special teams unit, which will have new faces at several positions. The Bulldogs need new kick returners, punt returners, and even a new set of gunners.

And while some fans use the time when these units are on the field as a break, head coach Kirby Smart and his program view it as the “most important” plays in football.

“Anytime we punt, you know, there’s 40 yards plus up for grabs,” Georgia special teams coordinator Kirk Benedict said of the importance of punting. “And if you can take advantage of that over the course of a game, you know, three, four punts, that adds up over time in the area of hitting yards. So, you get that opportunity and, you know, say you’re in a situation where you’re backed up and you can take a really bad situation and you can turn it into a great situation.”

It is that “hidden yardage” that Georgia is looking for from game to game. And it is the type of yardage that can only be gained by the effectiveness of the punt team.

While the return of punter Brett Thorson is important, the losses of Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett, two starting gunners, loom big as the Bulldogs go through the start of fall camp. Yet, Benedict and Co. have been preparing for those departures dating back to last season.

“They were two of the best gunners in the country. And they were really good at what they did. But at the same time, there was a good chance that both those guys were going to be in on third down,” Benedict said. “So, every single third down, we would have all of our gunners that were behind them report to the pad because if they were running, you know, a go route and then they had to turn around and cover a punt, that’s not necessarily fair to ask them to do that. So, we definitely had eyes on that and awareness of that.”

Beyond their actual play on the field as contributors on special teams, though, Benedict believes that the performance of Smith and Lovett will leave an even larger impact going forward.

“I think Arian and Dom have made it easier, right, for us to look forward to the future of who’s going to replace them, because they set such a high standard that now it’s not something like pulling teeth to ask someone to go out there and do it,” Benedict said. “They want to do it. It’s become kind of a place of honor on our punt team.”

Starters playing on special teams have been a constant over the years during Smart’s years at Georgia. Star players like Jalen Carter and Travon Walker have all contributed on special teams, which is no surprise that the guys competing for the two gunner spots are also starters.

“So it’s kind of up for grabs, and it’s a competition, and we’ve got a lot of good candidates,” Benedict said of the competition at gunner. “We’ve got London Humphreys working over there. We’ve got K.J. Bolden working at gunner. We’ve got Daniel Harris. We’ve got Jeremy Bell. We’ve got Daylen Everette. You know, no one is off the table when it comes to working at that position.”