What's the Key to the Georgia Bulldogs' 2023 Season

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ATHENS - The identity of Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs has been defense. In his seven seasons as the head Dawg, Georgia’s calling card has been an unrelenting defensive effort that gives opposing offensive coordinators nightmares. 

The size, speed and scheme UGA implements is tough to score on as there isn’t one single player or position group that is relied upon to carry the effort. While great players have certainly come through his program, Kirby boasts an impressive ability to reload and retool the eleven starting defenders each season regardless of who the coordinator is.

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 Coming off an undefeated championship season, Georgia looks to lose key defenders to the NFL yet again. Led by Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith, Georgia will again see multiple defenders entering the NFL as rookies. The 2022 NFL draft saw five defenders drafted in the first round off an historic defense. Many predicted a drop off in defensive production in the 2022 season.

As you can see below, the prognosticators were wrong. Georgia only gave up two more points per game and were surprisingly better on 3rd down defense (35% in 2021 vs 26% in 2022). While they gave up almost 30 yards more per game than in 2021, the 2022 defense was still incredibly good. Coming into the 2023 season, Georgia returns a whopping 75% of its 2022 defensive production, a testament to recruiting and development.

For the Bulldogs to attain the incredibly rare three-peat, the defense will again be called on to create success for the offense. With a new coordinator and quarterback, it may take a few games for the offense to hit its stride. This defense, however, doesn’t come into the spring practice period without questions itself. Statistics only tell part of the story. The losses of the aforementioned players, as well as Chris Smith, Kelee Ringo and Robert Beal, leave gaping holes in experience, production, and leadership. All three levels of the defense have concerns that will only start to get addressed during the spring. 

The first area of concern is the pass rush. It was a concern last season as well, evidenced by 14 fewer sacks in 2022 vs 2021. Sacks alone don’t fully illustrate the ferocity of a pass rush as pressure rates also help get the opposing quarterback off his spot, forcing quicker and possibly less accurate throws.  Who Georgia finds to replace departing production may not become evident until late in the 2023 season. Injuries to returning contributors combined with young but talented freshmen will potentially slow development in finding combinations that will work in the Georgia defensive scheme. Three of the first four games in 2023 will give the Georgia defense a little time to figure out how to increase both the sack total as well as pressure rates. 

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Filling out the secondary comes in second. While the loss of Ringo is important, I would argue Chris Smith’s departure will be tougher to compensate for. His leadership and experience was crucial throughout last season and filling that gap may not be accomplished with only one player. Javon Bullard, Tykee Smith and Smoke Bouie will all get their chance to slide into that second safety position Smith so aptly filled. Ringo’s replacement opposite Kamari Lassiter may also not be a single player – initially. There are plenty of young players with ability that are in the offing this spring, including Nyland Green and Daylen Everette. Or, will that list include one of the incoming freshman? Regardless, finding replacements for Ringo and Smith will certainly go a long way in determining if the 2023 Georgia defense continues to be a no-fly zone.

Finally, the defensive line. There’s no Jalen Carter or Jordan Davis in this group….right now. While there are good players returning, there doesn’t appear to be an ascendent talent that will fill the middle of the Georgia 3-4 defense. Bear Alexander flashed late last season after missing last spring due to a shoulder injury. With another off season in Scott Cochran’s strength program, Alexander may elevate his play to become even more of a problem to opposing offensive lines. Zion Logue and Nazir Stackhouse are both good players who fully understand what their role in this defense is. Mykel Williams may be the next budding star from a defensive line that is becoming a conveyor belt of NFL talent. Finding depth behind these players is crucial to how Georgia plays defense as depth is critical in a long, championship season. Finding players to slide into Carter’s disruptive role will be challenging but the raw talent is there. It just may take a part of the season for that talent to present itself.

Georgia plays team defense. And while the NFL is now littered with former Georgia defensive players (with more to come) very few of those now-NFL players were All-Americans or individual award winners. Talent alone doesn’t get you onto the field. How returning players develop along with how newly arrived freshmen immerse themselves into the Georgia culture and playbook will have much to do with how long it takes for this defense to go from just good to potentially great.