Winners and losers for Georgia football following SEC media days

Winner: The Georgia offensive line

Georgia had four players chosen preseason first-team All-SEC. Two came in the secondary: safety KJ Bolden and cornerback Ellis Robinson.

The others were offensive linemen: center Drew Bobo and Earnest Greene, who claimed one of four tackle/guard spots.

Anyone who watched the Georgia offense without Bobo last year saw how vital he was to the operation. When he exited the Georgia Tech game with a broken bone in his left foot, the Bulldogs’ offense took a noticeable step back.

Bobo underwent Lisfranc surgery and missed spring practice while recovering. One of the bigger offseason storylines has been whether Bobo will be ready for the start of the season.

Georgia doesn’t open September with a difficult slate, but the Oklahoma game at the end of the month looms large. The Sooners tied Georgia with 12 selections on the three preseason All-SEC teams.

Based on where things stand after SEC media days, it sounds like Bobo plans to be ready to start the year.

“I know that they progressed me really well during the spring,” Bobo said of the job done by the Georgia medical staff. “I mean, I got back into running and doing things during summer camp. Kind of a slow progression, too. But just trying to get into doing everything. I’ve been able to do everything during the summer. So, I’m hoping to be able to get everything done whenever the season starts.”

Georgia was the only team in the SEC with multiple offensive linemen named first-team All-SEC. Offensive guard Dontrell Glover was a second-team selection, giving the Bulldogs three of the top 10 linemen in the league.

Bobo might well be the best of the bunch. And exiting SEC media days, there’s real reason to feel optimistic about what he can do to open the season.

Loser: Being the underdawgs

Hand up, I was outright surprised Georgia was voted by the league’s media to win the SEC.

The Bulldogs have won the league each of the last two seasons and got a rather favorable schedule, comparatively speaking.

Still, I had thought everyone would be eager to anoint Texas given how quarterback Arch Manning finished last season. Add in what Texas did in the transfer portal and I thought a lot of last season’s sins would be forgiven.

Last year, with an unproven Manning, Texas was picked to win the league over Georgia. Texas had 96 first-place votes to Georgia’s 44.

Yet, at the end of the season, Georgia was back in Atlanta. Steve Sarkisian was at home lobbying for a 9-3 Texas to make the College Football Playoff.

The Longhorns were picked to finish second in the league this season, with Ole Miss coming in third. Georgia had 88 first-place votes, followed by 57 for Texas.

Georgia is the model of consistency. The Bulldogs have made eight of the last nine SEC championship games and four of the previous five College Football Playoffs.

With the lofty media ranking, Georgia won’t be able to play the overlooked or underdog card this season. This is a talented Georgia team, one expected to accomplish great things.

Winner: Gabe Harris

Kirby Smart is not one to often make excuses from the previous season.

He knows how things ended for Georgia last season wasn’t good enough. He’s given credit to Ole Miss and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at every turn.

With that context, it makes the way Smart has spoken about defensive end Gabe Harris all the more eyebrow-raising.

“We’re a grind-you-out, hardnose culture team. We’re physical,” Smart said. “We’re better when we’re playing in rhythm, when we have week after week after week and we have to rebound to play somebody. The breaks have probably affected us some. And then, you know, realistically, honestly, the injuries, you know, the Gabe (Harris)-Drew (Bobo) thing was just really, really tough.”

Harris was playing at an elite level during November. He stood out in the SEC championship game against Alabama.

But that would prove to be the last time we saw Harris on the field, as he suffered a toe injury that required surgery. He was limited all spring and is still working his way back into shape.

Smart didn’t just bring up the injury to Harris last season. He put even greater expectations on the senior’s shoulders.

“He’s out there doing everything now. He did not do anything in the spring,” Smart said. “And we need him to have a big year. But, yeah, he’s on a load-management deal, so he’s not, like, out there every day doing everything. But he’s healthy.”

When Smart says something like that, it’s usually because he knows the player can deliver.

If Harris does what Smart says he can, that would make this talented defense all the more nasty this season.

Loser: Ryan Silverfield

The Arkansas coach didn’t exactly apologize for comments he made about the Georgia football team last fall when he was at Memphis.

Silverfield called out Georgia’s driving-related legal issues last fall.

When asked about those comments and whether he reached out to Smart, Silverfield’s comments didn’t exactly come with conviction.

“When it happened, listen, I’ve got the deep, most respect for Kirby Smart and the Georgia athletic department and everything that he’s about,” Silverfield said. “Obviously, he’s done it at a high level, so certainly a lot of respect for him. When it occurred, I reached out to him. He’s always been great to me. Even at my time at Memphis. He allowed us to come be a part of the camps. I think he knew that it was no ill will. Listen, I’ve got a lot or respect for him and what they’re doing.”

Georgia’s driving record is certainly fair game, given how it has been a consistent issue for multiple years.

But for Silverfield to tap dance around his previous comments seems to indicate he knows he made a mistake when bringing up those issues unprompted.

Silverfield had a rather strange SEC media days appearance, as he defended his lack of aura while stating his wife is hot and smart.

Smart was not asked about Silverfield’s comments, but you can bet he’ll address them in the near future. Silverfield’s first SEC game comes against Georgia on Sept. 19.

That game might show us just how much Smart respects Silverfield, given the talent gap.

Winner: James Coley’s bulletin board

The reservations the media has about Georgia are largely pointed at the wide receiver room.

The veteran Georgia head coach didn’t hesitate to thank the media for the abundance of bulletin board material.

“The more you question them, the more it helps me motivate them,” Smart said. “So, everybody says they don’t listen to you guys. The wide receivers are listening, so they’ll have a new challenge issued based on your question.”

London Humphreys is Georgia’s only wide receiver who caught more than 15 passes last season for the Bulldogs. The team added Isiah Canion via the transfer portal, and Georgia loves what he’s brought to the table thus far.