G-Day has come and gone. Fans were able to get a glimpse of the new talent and the future of the program. Though it is hard to read the ability of the team by the statistics, it does provide some insight into the new talent of the program. I did not analyze Georgia’s defense. This is just because I feel like it is hard to evaluate defenders in a scrimmage where many players are exempt from contact. The offense is different. We can see good throws, catches, runs, and utilization that can give us insight into what the future season has in store.
Quarterbacks
The quarterback position is packed with talent. We can assume Stetson Bennett IV will remain the starter, but clearly, Carson Beck is on his heels. Beck had 14 completions from 26 attempts with 0 interceptions and threw for 274 yards. He had a beautiful 60-yard bomb to Arian Smith in the 1st quarter. Stetson had 15 completions from 35 attempts and 2 interceptions and threw for 273 yards. Brock Vandagriff, Athens native and #4 overall QB nationally in the 2021 class according to 247 sports, is likely number 3 on the quarterback depth chart. He had 12 completions on 26 attempts with 0 interceptions and threw for 115 yards. Though we can assume Stetson will be the starting quarterback in 2022, it is unclear whether the starter will be Beck or Vandagriff in 2023. Both Beck and Vandagriff were highly touted recruits. Vandagriff was more highly touted, but Beck has both talent and experience behind him. Beck is the likely candidate.
Running Backs
Georgia is on track for a three-headed monster in 2022 with Kenny McIntosh, Kendall Milton, and Daijun Edwards. Though these three did not have many carries on g-day, we saw that they were all healthy which is great. Each of the three was utilized in the passing game for a combined total of 13 targets. Combining rushing attempts and the passing attempts of these three, they were the most utilized players other than the quarterbacks. These three were utilized in 27% of the offensive plays, 20 of which were rushing plays, and 13 of which were passing plays.
Receivers
Of the 124 offensive play, 73.4% were passing plays. The most notable receivers on the field in my opinion were Oscar Delp and Arik Gilbert. Delp was ranked number 2 nationally by 247 sports among tight end recruits for the 2022 class. He received 9 targets, the highest of any other receiver, and the 4th most utilized offensive weapon behind McIntosh, Milton, and Edwards.
Arik Gilbert, who did not play last year for personal reasons, played well on 5 targets. Gilbert had played tight end and wide receiver during his 2020 season at LSU where he was voted Freshman All-SEC. It will be interesting to see his progress and utilization in 2022. With the addition of Oscar Delp and a resurgent Arik Gilbert, Georgia will have a solid tight end corps.
Though Georgia did lose Jermaine Burton in a transfer to rival and recent national championship game loser Alabama, the Dawgs still have AD Mitchell, Ladd McConkey, Kearis Jackson, Dominick Blaylock, Arian Smith, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint among others. The moral of the story, Georgia is going to have another season with an excellent wide receiver corps.
Conclusion
September 3, 2022, cannot get here fast enough.