How Many Georgia Players Made ESPN's List of Top Freshmen?
Real Georgia Fans Don’t Miss the Dawg Post Newsletter - Sign up now!
ATHENS - There is a stigma on the recruiting trail that freshmen cannot get playing time for UGA Football.
Kirby Smart has disproved that notion not just this season but in a few seasons as Georgia’s head coach. This year, Georgia has had a couple of true freshmen playing significant snaps and playing well through two games into their first season.
ESPN made a list of the top-10 freshmen players in the country this season through the first-two weeks. Two Georgia Bulldogs made the list.
LIMITED TIME: Get Dawg Post coverage for $1 RIGHT NOW
1. Jeremiah Smith, WR Ohio State
2. Dylan Raiola, QB Nebraska
3. Dylan Stewart, DE South Carolina
4. Ryan Williams, WR Alabama
5. DJ Lagway, QB Florida
6. Ryan Wingo, WR Texas
7. Nick Marsh, WR Michigan State
8. Nate Frazier, RB Georgia
9. Anthonie Kipp, OL Notre Dame
10.KJ Bolden, S Georgia & Boo Carter, STAR Tennessee
Nate Frazier and KJ Bolden made their debuts against Clemson and made their cases to be contributors for the rest of the season.
Frazier, getting extra snaps due to the suspension of starting running back Trevor Etienne, looked like Georgia’s best back in the opener. He finished the day with 11 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown and caught a pass for 24 yards. Frazier’s 40-yard run in the second half gave Georgia fans a taste of his abilities in the open field.
Bolden was not on the field for the first couple of defensive snaps against the Tigers but was quickly subbed in for JaCorey Thomas. He did not relinquish one of the safety spots for the rest of the game and ended up starting the next game against Tennessee Tech.
Other freshmen around the country have been more impactful than Georgia’s. Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams look to be two of the best receivers for the next three or four seasons of college football. Dylan Raiola has shown off the arm talent that was almost on display in Athens. DJ Lagway may be tasked with trying to salvage what looks like is going to be a difficult season for Florida.
Freshman can play at Georgia, but Smart does not want to rely on it.
“They're having to play out of necessity. Having to play out of the fact that we got more transient rosters. I mean, they're not any more ready to play physically, mentally,” Smart said last week.
When he said “transient rosters” he was referring to how the transfer portal has caused a lot more movement in college football. Freshmen have a little bit better of a chance to play at a school like Georgia if they find themselves second on the depth chart immediately. What we are seeing is the depth at a lot of schools getting gutted due to the transfer portal.
Georgia has been playing freshman for quite some time, however. Brock Bowers and AD Mitchell were true freshmen on Georgia’s 2021 national championship team and were significant contributors. Malaki Starks started as a true freshman in 2022. It goes all the way back to 2012 when Todd Gurley was a stud his freshman season.
Smart had this to say in the post-game press conference after beating Clemson:
“We play freshmen all the time. We had Malaki Starks play in this game two years ago. KJ Bolden played in the game today. Mykel Williams played and maybe started in the game two years ago as well. If you’re a talented freshman and you can learn then you can play.”
Even if a player does not play as a freshman, year after year sophomores are out there making a heavy impact for not just Georgia, but other contenders as well.
JUNKYARD DAWGS TRI-BLEND T-SHIRT
