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Biggest challenges facing Kirby Smart in making Georgia a true contender
By John Hollis
Published:
He’s now firmly entrenched as Georgia’s football coach, but Kirby Smart still has his work cut out for him if he hopes to make the Bulldogs a serious contender in the SEC this fall.
A championship-starved fan base will probably focus first on the Dawgs’ glaring deficiencies at quarterback, but that won’t be Smart’s first area of concern.
If Georgia had a healthy Nick Chubb this past season, it might not have mattered who was under center. The Dawgs never recovered from Chubb’s season-ending knee injury in early October. His absence changed the complexion of their offense by asking more of quarterback Greyson Lambert than he was capable.
Getting a healthy Chubb back is Smart’s most pressing challenge.
Here’s a look at the five biggest challenges the new Georgia coach faces in making the Bulldogs a true SEC contender in 2016.
1. Get the Nick Chubb of old back on the field: Chubb’s status could go a long ways toward determining the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback for the Sept. 3 season-opener in Atlanta against a talented North Carolina team.
Quite simply, if Chubb is back to form, Smart will have more time to slowly groom prized freshman quarterback Jacob Eason for the starting role that is an eventuality. But Eason could be pressed into service early if Chubb is still on the mend because Lambert has proven that he can’t carry that team.
That could prove critical as the Tar Heels will be the first of three ranked teams the Dawgs will face in the season’s first five weeks, two of which will take place away from the friendly confines of Sanford Stadium. The other two ranked opponents are SEC foes in Ole Miss and likely East favorite Tennessee, so avoiding an early-season hole is a must if the Dawgs are to contend.
2. Figure out a plan for his quarterbacks: Smart knows what he’s inherited in Lambert, so he’ll want to give Eason a good look this spring and in fall camp to accurately gauge whether the former five-star recruit is ready to assume the helm from the outset. That also means being prepared to live with the inevitable mistakes that come with freshmen quarterbacks while simultaneously keeping Lambert ready to go just in case.
3. Replacing the dominant pass-rushers he lost to the NFL in linebackers Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd: Nothing helps a defense more than an effective pass rush, and Jenkins and Floyd provided just that, accounting for 8.5 of the Bulldogs 21 sacks and 21 tackles for loss this past season. Rising junior outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter is coming off a disappointing season, but oozes potential and could finally be in store for a breakout year. He’ll need to become more consistent.
4. Replacing key starters in right tackle John Theus and left tackle/guard Kolton Houston: Theus started for most of four years, while Houston started for most of the past three seasons to anchor an experienced offensive line that consistently paved the way for the Georgia running game. Finding suitable replacements will not be an easy task.
5. Get improved play from wide receivers: The departed Malcolm Mitchell was the go-to guy in a struggling passing game this past season, but now somebody else must step and deliver. Freshman receiver Terry Godwin came on strong by season’s end, earning MVP honors in the TaxSlayer Bowl after throwing for one touchdown and catching another to possibly signal his emergence as the team’s downfield playmaker. He’ll need help, though, meaning Smart must find another receiver to complement him.
John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.
