Georgia football: 3 biggest offseason questions facing the Bulldogs in 2021

2. How will Dan Lanning respond to losing so much in the secondary?

While Smart and the rest of his program can exhale, as defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is not heading to the University of Texas to be on Steve Sarkisian’s coaching staff. However, the Dawgs will lose every starter from their dime package secondary to the NFL Draft. Though this is the position group Smart knows best, the secondary could be the Achilles’ heel of Lanning’s defense.

Lanning’s defense is not devoid of talent, as players like nose tackle Jordan Davis and outside linebacker Nakobe Dean can have big years next fall. However, the secondary has been this era of Georgia football’s calling card. If Georgia’s defensive backfield leaks like a sieve, the Dawgs are going to have a bad time trying to contend for an SEC crown, much less for divisional supremacy.

Then again, maybe knew will not be so bad after all at Georgia? The Dawgs have not had a defensive lineman quite like Davis in years. Usually, it has been stars in the secondary and great complementary pass-rushers. But if the Dawgs are menacing in the trenches and stout at linebacker, then maybe it will counterbalance the potential deficiencies it has in the back-end?

Overall, being able to keep Lanning for at least one more year before he eventually becomes an FBS head coach is huge for Georgia. Smart being able to retain him means he places a ton of value in Lanning being the one who can help this depleted secondary reload on the fly. Obviously, Smart and the rest of the defensive staff will help with this, but Lanning needs to overhaul his defense.

1. Can JT Daniels lead the Dawgs to the College Football Playoff?

Let’s be real for one second. It all comes down to this. How good will Daniels be in his first full season as the Dawgs’ quarterback? If he is as good as he was in his one year at USC and during his first four starts for Georgia last season, the Dawgs may end up with their first Heisman Finalist since running back Garrison Hearst back in 1992. Yes, it has been that long and yes, I realize this.

Regardless of if Daniels is a contender for the Davey O’Brien or not, he will be the catalyst for if Georgia gets back to the College Football Playoff, or possibly wins it all. What he provides the Georgia offense has been the missing ingredient for the last half-decade. If Daniels can move the sticks vertically, it will bring out the best in wide receivers like George Pickens and Kearis Jackson.

Then you add in Zamir White, James Cook, Kenny McIntosh and the rest of the Georgia ground game and then you might have something. It would be crazy if it was the offense that led Georgia to the promised land. The Dawgs have not had an offense as explosive or as versatile as the 2012 team that came up five yards short in Atlanta to the Alabama Crimson Tide. They were so close.

Overall, Georgia is going to win somewhere between 10 or 11 games next regular season. The Dawgs will likely drop one as they always tend to do. However, they are going to need a game or two where their quarterback has to take over and throw for over 400 yards. Fortunately, they have the precision passer in Daniels who can finally get them over the hump in that regard. He can do it.

Ultimately, we are not going to stop talking about Georgia and its 40-year championship drought until the Dawgs finally put that to rest. Can they do it in 2021? Well, they have the quarterback, the coaching staff and the recruiting base to get it done. The question is if Georgia can come up big in clutch moments and get a few balls to bounce their way inopportune times. It could happen.

Georgia fans should be very excited about the upcoming 2021 college season for their Dawgs.

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