ATHENS -- Georgia linebacker Monty Rice accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl on Tuesday. If you think there are a lot of Bulldogs headed to the nation’s premier pro-prospect showcase, you’d be right.
Six Georgia players have accepted invitations so far, including offensive lineman Ben Cleveland, cornerback D.J. Daniel, defensive lineman Malik Herring, tight end Tre’ McKitty and defensive back Mark Webb. That’s the most in the country to this point.
The Bulldogs could have made that seven if they included opted-out quarterback Jamie Newman. They did not.
If they all end up going, that will tie for the most players UGA has sent to the Mobile-based game. Georgia also had six in the game in 2013, when Sanders Commings, John Jenkins, Tavarres King, Bacarri Rambo, Cornelius Washington and Shawn Williams all played.
Organizers tend to piecemeal out the acceptances for maximum public-relations effect. Currently, Florida, Notre Dame and Ohio State are next with five invitees each.
What’s that mean? One, Georgia is, as usual, producing a lot of pro prospects. But it’s not always an accurate accounting of a team’s overall talent.
For instance, in 2018, after the Bulldogs won the SEC championship and made a run to the national championship game, they had only three players in the game (Davin Bellamy, Javon Wims and Isaiah Wynn). The same was true when Georgia sent only Jonathan Ledbetter and Nick Moore in 2019 and Rodrigo Blankenship in ’20.
You’ll note that most of the aforementioned weren’t early-round draft picks. The prospects most assured of getting first-round calls generally don’t participate. Hence, neither Nick Chubb nor Sony Michel accepted invitations.
Then, again, it can provide an otherwise undervalued prospect a great platform to get noticed and improve his status (see Wynn in 2018).
Georgia’s sampling this year suggest a couple of things: One, the Bulldogs’ are decidedly more experienced and talented on defense; two, Georgia had a good representation of senior players this season. There are seven seniors in the starting lineup.
Of course, the great unknown remains as to which underclassmen may opt to enter the draft. Georgia has a good collection of players that fit the bill, including juniors such as offensive linemen Trey Hill and Jamaree Salyer and cornerbacks Tyson Campbell and Eric Stokes, and third-year sophomores such as quarterback JT Daniels, slot receiver Kearis Jackson, running back Zamir White and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari.
Campbell, who is represented in a lot of mock drafts, was asked if he has contemplated his impending decision much yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought,” he insisted. “The main thing is finishing out the season, and after that I’ll sit down with my family and coaches and try to make the best decision.”
That decision is even more complicated this year because seniors can choose to return to play another season, thanks to the NCAA’s ruling on playing during the pandemic. Georgia coach Kirby Smart said he and his staff are trying to help the players manage it all.
“I feel like I owe it to my juniors and this year’s seniors, where most of the time seniors are not an option,” Smart said. “We have done a lot of digging and referencing. We want to get accurate information for our players and let them make an informed decision. We feel like we have access to really good people in the NFL, whether it’s general managers, advisory council, to gather information so those guys can make good decisions. That process hasn’t changed. It’s only become a little more important because of the seniors wanting to get good information.”
But the Senior Bowl takes only seniors, and more Georgia invites could be on the way, depending upon acceptances across the country. Outside linebacker Jermaine Johnson and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt probably are worthy of playing in the game as well.
Meanwhile, ‘tis the season of invites and awards. Three Georgia players made the cut Monday as national semifinalists as the best in the nation at their respective positions: junior punter Jake Camarda, sophomore place-kicker Jack Podlesny and sophomore linebacker Azeez Ojulari.
That UGA trio joins Rice and sophomore Nakobe Dean, who announced were recently as semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which is given to the nation’s top linebacker.
