5 Georgia new faces who will take the Dawgs back to national championship glory
By John Buhler
While the three-point loss to Alabama in Atlanta still stings a bit, Georgia still has a damn good football team. The Dawgs have gone a combined 42-2 in the last three seasons. Their only losses have been to Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the SEC Championship. They have won a pair of national titles and their most recent non-Alabama loss was to Florida in Jacksonville during COVID.
Needless to say, you would be hard-pressed to pick a team capable of beating Georgia in an expanded College Football Playoff. Had the 12-team field been in effect for the 2023 season, the Dawgs would have been the No. 6 seed and would have hosted the No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels in a rematch from earlier in the season. Georgia absolutely annihilated Lane Kiffin's poor Rebels squad.
But with Michigan expected to pull back after finally winning it all, as well as Alabama going through a major transitional period upon Nick Saban retiring, you are looking at teams like Georgia, Ohio State and Texas as likely candidates to be playing for a national championship next college football season. With these five additions either out of high school or in the transfer portal, the Dawgs will stay on top.
Here are five newcomers to the Georgia football program that will make an immediate impact in 2024.
5 impactful newcomers that will lead Georgia to football glory yet again
5. Justin Williams is a blue-chipper that plays in a key position group
Justin Williams is one of a handful of five-stars Kirby Smart and his staff signed in their 2024 recruiting class. Williams hails from Conroe, TX and is the No. 10 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite Index. While his primary recruiter Fran Brown left for the opportunity to lead Syracuse, his secondary recruiter Glenn Schumann kept close tabs on this linebacker from Texas.
A lack of depth in the defensive front seven is probably the biggest reason why Georgia did not beat Alabama in Atlanta for seemingly the umpteenth time in a row last December. Even though Jamon Dumas-Johnson opted to transfer to Kentucky, I venture to guess this particular position group will not be a vulnerability this time around. There is a great opportunity for guys like Williams to compete.
With key playmakers like Chaz Chambliss and Smael Mondon Jr. back for another season, I think their leadership roles in the middle of Georgia's defense will be huge. It will afford opportunities for blue-chippers like Williams to crack the linebacker rotation early. It is not as seamless of a plug-and-play as it would be with a defensive lineman, but you have to remember this is Schumann's position group.
Somebody from this recruiting class is going to pop right away in the defensive front-seven for sure.