The Georgia Bulldogs lost nearly a dozen starters to the pros and transfers.
Jacob Eason, who was supplanted as Georgia's starting quarterback by Jake Fromm following an injury in Week 1, returned to his home state Washington. Linebacker Roquan Smith led a group of talented Bulldogs going pro.
Georgia returns four of its five starters along the offensive line from last season and there’s a whole at outside linebacker. But for this exercise we’ll ask your consideration on three watched positions in 2018. Who makes the start?
Quarterback
After replacing Eason in Week 1, Fromm led the Bulldogs to a national championship appearance in Atlanta that ended in a heartbreaking loss. Fromm had the third-best completion percentage in the SEC as a true freshman.
This season, Fromm faces some competition from incoming 5-star prospect Justin Fields.
Bulldogs fans got their first peek at Fields during Georgia's spring game.
Head coach Kirby Smart said at the time:
Fields has "done such a good job coming in and learning. He's gotten more confident. He's able to move around the pocket and create some things when things break down."
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound freshman poses a dual-threat for defenses. Will that be enough to crown him starter?
Wide receiver
Terry Godwin and Riley Ridley have proven themselves.
Godwin had the catch of the year with his one-handed snare for a touchdown Sept. 9 at Notre Dame. Ridley had a pirouetting catch and toe-tap for a TD Oct. 14 against Missouri.
But the Bulldogs will be without leading receiver Javon Wims, who was drafted in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
Among the contenders to fill in for Wims are sophomores Jeremiah Holloman and Trey Blount, and freshmen Matt Landers and Tommy Bush.
Holloman had 1 catch in five games last season. He caught three passes for 77 yards and one TD in the spring game. Blount saw action in 14 games, making his first start in the SEC Championship Game against Auburn.
247Sports says of the two freshmen competing to line up on Saturdays:
Landers, a redshirt freshman, and Bush, a true freshman, bring a completely different element to the position. Wims was tall and rangy but these two guys one up him in that category. Landers gave the first-team defense trouble on the scout team last year and has been praised for his leaping ability and body control. Bush brings an element of speed that could make him tough to keep off the field.
Georgia ranked 105th in passing last season with 305 pass attempts and 176.9 yards per game. Wims led the Bulldogs with 45 catches for 720 yards.
Linebacker
With 18 starts, most of them playing alongside Roquan Smith, Natrez Patrick is by far the most experienced linebacker on the roster.
Patrick rejoined the Bulldogs in spring following a rehab stint for a well-chronicled off-the-field issue.
Coach Smart says about Patrick (and others’) second chance: “If kids are compliant, they go to class, they’re on time, they do what they’re supposed to do, and they make mistakes, we need to try to save them. We need to try to make them better.”
It’s a crowded field alongside Patrick. Sophomore Monty Rice is the early leader among a couple of upperclassmen -- senior Juwan Taylor and junior Tae Crowder -- vying for playing time. Sophomores Nate McBride and Jaden Hunter also are among the contenders.
In its 2018 spring preview Athlon Sports predicted more suspense:
The competition will really heat up when high school All-Americans Channing Tindall and Quay Walker arrive on campus this summer.
Rice had 22 tackles in 14 games last season. Taylor has 17 stops in 23 games, while Crowder has 7 tackles in 16 games over two seasons. McBride made 7 tackles in his first season. Hunter, the son of two former star Bulldogs athletes, appeared in the season opener.
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