Georgia lands four on PFF list of top players from 2023

Pro Football Focus turned its attention to the college game briefly during Super Bowl week with a countdown of the top 101 players from this past season that saw four Georgia Bulldogs make the cut.

With a nice balance of two on each side of the ball, it’s easy to understand why Kirby Smart’s squad was so successful – and even though they didn’t take home a third straight title, why many still consider them the best team in 2023.

Kamari Lassiter and Malaki Starks helped hold down the defense for Georgia this fall as two of the top defensive backs in the country. Starks was up for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award – along with the Bronko Nagurski Trophy – with 52 tackles and three interceptions from his safety spot while Lassiter quietly continued to improve his draft stock ahead of an early entry after just three seasons – two as a starter – in Athens. Lassiter came in at No. 84 while Starks found his home at No. 63.

Opposing quarterbacks failed to find much success when targeting Lassiter this past year. He allowed only 0.35 yards per coverage snap, the fourth-lowest mark among college football cornerbacks. He also let up a low 38.5% completion rate, ranking eighth in the FBS.

On Lassiter

Starks made significant progress in his second year at Georgia. He led all SEC safeties with in run-defense grade (84.8) while picking off three passes and breaking up seven others. He’ll continue to be an anchor in Kirby Smart’s secondary for at least one more season.

On Starks

Georgia’s defense finished No 5 in the nation for scoring and had a top-10 ranking for total defense as well. Against the pass, the Bulldogs were the best team in the SEC and finished first nationally at getting off the field on third down.

Flip things over to the offense, and Georgia had two of the top 15 players in the country this past season according to PFF. In his first year as a starter, Carson Beck comes in at No. 12 while his top target Brock Bowers cracked the top-10 at No. 10.

Beck put up nearly 4,000 yards (3,941) in 14 games, good for third in the country. He did so with a school record 72.4% completion rate. Of that yardage, 714 went to Bowers on 56 catches, both tops on the team despite only playing in 10 games. It was the third straight season that the Napa, Calif. native led the Bulldogs in receiving and his second straight year winning the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end – becoming the first ever two-time winner.

While Beck didn’t win a national championship like his predecessor, Stetson Bennett IV, one can argue that Georgia still upgraded under center this season. Beck’s 90.8 passing grade trailed only Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix among Power Five quarterbacks in 2023. He’ll try to bring the Bulldogs their third national title in four years next season as the best returning quarterback in college football.

On Beck

Bowers won the John Mackey Award again this season, given to the best tight end in college football. In doing so, he became the first two-time winner of the award in its 24-year history. Despite missing three games due to injury/opt-out, he led all FBS tight ends with 486 yards after the catch. With his collegiate career now finished, it’s time to recognize Bowers as the greatest tight end in college football history.

On Bowers

Alabama finished with 7 players in the top 101, most in the SEC, while National Champion Michigan had nine. Texas also topped Georgia with five, but the Bulldogs beat out the fourth and final College Football Playoff team Washington, who had just three.

Both Starks and Beck will be back for Georgia in 2024 as the Bulldogs will look to claim their third national title in four seasons. They – along with several other returnees – give UGA a strong core group on both sides of the ball with plenty of talent added as well.

Vegas considers Georgia to be the favorite coming into 2024, but it won’t be easy. With Texas and Oklahoma entering the SEC, the league will do away with divisions, creating more crossover of teams like Georgia and Alabama that have previously been on opposite sides of the conference.

In SEC play, Georgia takes on both Alabama and Texas – the two teams in the league that made the College Football Playoffs last season – and does so on the road for each game. Add in another road trip to Oxford, Miss. for a matchup with Ole Miss, who many consider to be a legitimate contender this year, and it’s one of the toughest schedules in the country. All in all, Georgia will play half of its schedule against teams that find themselves in at least one “Way Too Early Top 25” with the likes of Clemson, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Florida, Auburn, Kentucky and Mississippi State on the slate as well.