ROWE: Georgia's WR corps is officially revamped
It’s hard to change the look of a position group as much as Georgia has in the span of two days. The Bulldogs signed three talented wide receivers on Wednesday and they accepted the commitments of two coveted transfer portal receivers on Thursday.
Bryan McClendon got a really nice tool chest for Christmas, the one with sockets of any all sizes and every wrench you could possibly need. Rara Thomas and Dominic Lovett, both rising juniors, bring a plethora of skill to an already-accomplished room, even if it is top heavy in terms of production.
Georgia has gifted pass catchers. It has two who line up out wide who are capable of truly breaking a game open — Ladd McConkey and AD Mitchell. Arian Smith’s speed is something worth noting when but if you’re talking about guys who worry the opposing defense all week, those three are about as far as it goes outside. The other guys can hurt you. The other guys can win. The other guys aren’t putting stress on the 11 men on the other side of the ball.
All three of those guys dealt with injuries this year. When they had to miss practice, Georgia barely had enough game-ready guys to get through a workout. It made due. McConkey found a way to play each Saturday despite a bum knee. Smith came back later in the year to help out. Mitchell missed almost the entire regular season with a high-ankle sprain.
The sledding was tough. Patiences were tried and hairs turned gray. It wasn’t an easy season navigate at wideout but Thomas and Lovett can change that.
They’re ready to play right now. They bring speed, quickness, route-running, run-after-catch, and toughness to the table. They’ve been hit by SEC linebackers and defensive backs. They’ve been held by the top cornerbacks in the conference. They’ve posted 100-yard games against talented defenses.
Collectively, Lovett and Thomas check off all the boxes. Add them to the current receiving corps, go back through the check list and there are multiple marks in every box.
Maybe as important as anything said so far, they have a chance to show a trio of really gifted youngsters how it is done.
Georgia has inked talented receiver classes in the past. The one with A.J. Green and Tavares King is probably the most productive ever to this point. Then there was the time UGA got both George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock. That wasn’t long ago and neither was the time that the Bulldogs reeled in three receivers ranked inside the top 100 overall prospects.
This group isn’t on the same level in terms of rankings but the upside is undeniable. Tyler Williams, Yazeed Haynes, and Anthony Evans are dynamic players. They’re explosive guys who can blow past defenses. They’re competitive players who can win in 50/50 situations. They’re potential difference makers — the kind that UGA wants Lovett and Thomas to be.
Brace yourself for departures. There are receivers who will appear in the College Football Playoff for the Bulldogs who’ll be on different rosters next year. Change often gives birth to more change and Georgia is about to experience some of that.
In this case, change is good. Georgia had a wideout help it win the title in 2021 only to walk out and play for Alabama once the celebration was over. It didn’t get left wanting this time.
