The procrastinator’s guide to the Georgia Bulldogs’ 2021 football season

After the long wait, Georgia football is back.

The Bulldogs run through the banner in a few short days and boot an opening kickoff through the air. Georgia has plenty of expectations to go along with a premier group of freshmen, transfers and returners.

The team won’t waste any time getting tested, either, as the toughest game of the regular season arguably comes in the opener against No. 3 Clemson in Charlotte. Will Georgia prove its place as a playoff contender, or will it face a bit of an uphill climb through the remaining 11 games?

“We all know Clemson is a great team,” safety Christopher Smith said. “They have a lot of good players, but so do we.”

There’s plenty to learn about the 2021 edition of the Georgia football program. The Telegraph brings it to you in quick-hitting fashion. Here’s a guide to the Bulldogs ahead of another big season in Athens.

The Georgia offense

Georgia might have its most-potent offense in the Kirby Smart era. The Bulldogs have a heap of weapons — despite the torn ACL injury to star receiver George Pickens — and an increased rapport with quarterback JT Daniels and offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

• Who’s back: Left guard Jamaree Salyer, quarterback JT Daniels and running back Zamir White

• Who’s gone: Center Trey Hill, wide receiver Demetris Robertson (transfer to Auburn) tight end Tre McKitty and left guard Ben Cleveland

• Key new additions: Tight end Brock Bowers, quarterback Brock Vandagriff, wide receivers Adonai Mitchell and Arik Gilbert, and offensive tackle Amarius Mims

The Georgia defense

Up front, Georgia’s defense has all of the pieces returning that Bulldog fans know and love. All of the talk of havoc rate and quarterback pressures could reach its potential with experience. On the back end, Georgia’s secondary welcomes new faces with the expectation of immediate production.

• Who’s back: Nose tackle Jordan Davis, safety Lewis Cine, defensive end Travon Walker, outside linebacker Nolan Smith and middle linebacker Nakobe Dean

• Who’s gone: Cornerbacks Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell, safety Richard LeCounte III, defensive end Malik Herring and middle linebacker Monty Rice

• Key new additions: linebacker MJ Sherman, defensive backs Kamari Lassiter, Derion Kendrick and Tykee Smith, and linebacker Smael Mondon

New in 2021

At last, a sense of normalcy will return to Sanford Stadium. Georgia will open its gates to nearly 93,000 fans on Sept. 11 for the home opener against UAB after limiting crowds for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Georgia will not require vaccinations or a negative PCR test for entry, unlike the measures taken by LSU, Boston College and likely more schools to follow.

As an added bonus, athletic director Josh Brooks made a detail-oriented move to the stadium’s concessions. Georgia now has an ice sponsor, and fans can have their beverages in Zaxby’s crushed ice.

Georgia’s team, however, has taken a number of steps to ensure safety against the virus. The Bulldogs have been pushing for a 100% percent vaccination rate, and precautions are being taken to protect against the Delta variant.

“We’ve been over 90% percent for quite a while,” Smart said. “I saw the Falcons are at 100%, and credit to them, because that’s ultimately our goal.”

Must-watch UGA games

▪ Georgia vs. Clemson

This is the obvious one. Georgia’s prime time matchup to open the season against powerhouse Clemson sets the stage for the 2021 season and could preview the potential playoff field. Each program has a slew of returning starters, and it launches a multi-year series of non-conference games against Power 5 teams. A loss might not hurt either team in regard to playoff hopes, but a signature win goes down in the history books.

▪ Georgia vs. Florida

The Bulldogs’ marquee games come at neutral sites in 2021, and the annual meeting against the Gators in Jacksonville always holds its weight. Georgia will need to avenge a loss to Florida as the winner of the rivalry game usually goes on to represent the SEC East in Atlanta. Florida lost plenty offensively, including quarterback Kyle Trask, while Georgia returned most of its weapons.

▪ Arkansas at Georgia

The Bulldogs’ SEC home slate includes a bunch of matchups against the league’s middle- and lower-tier teams, and Arkansas is no different. In each of his first two seasons, former Georgia offensive line coach and Razorback head coach Sam Pittman faces the Bulldogs. The scheduled game in 2021 is Pittman’s first return to Athens.

Who will carry the load for Bulldogs?

▪ Nose tackle Jordan Davis: Georgia’s defensive anchor didn’t have much of a decision to make. Jordan Davis had his mind set on returning to college for one last championship run, and work with defensive line coach Tray Scott and teammate Devonte Wyatt for a final time. Davis only had 16 tackles last season, but missed significant time with an elbow injury and did all of the dirty work. To begin 2021, Davis has a clean bill of health and has worked persistently on nutrition and conditioning.

▪ Quarterback JT Daniels: Once Georgia was ready to make a quarterback change with a few games remaining in 2020, JT Daniels took the Bulldogs’ offense to another level. There’s no question around a starter this season, and Georgia is depending on its signal caller to elevate the offense to the historic levels of LSU in 2019 and Alabama in 2020. In four games last season, Daniels threw for 1,231 yards and 10 touchdowns.

An area of concern for UGA

Georgia has experience and depth at nearly every position, but the Bulldogs’ secondary has a number of question marks around it. Many defensive backs heard their names called in the NFL draft in April, so safeties Lewis Cine and Christopher Smith found themselves on an island with no experienced cornerbacks to help. Georgia filled those needs by adding Derion Kendrick (a former All-ACC player) and Tykee Smith. The Bulldogs need production on the field, and the younger players — Kelee Ringo and Jalen Kimber — might need to step up at the position due to injuries.

A successful season is ...

It’s a new season, but the same story in regard to expectations for Georgia. The Bulldogs have the roster core, playmakers and experienced coaching staff in order to make another College Football Playoff run. After the season opener against Clemson, Georgia has a favorable SEC schedule. An appearance in the SEC title game is considered a success, but a repeat of 2020 would fail to meet lofty aspirations.

Projected Georgia starters

Offense

QB JT Daniels

RB Zamir White OR James Cook

WR Jermaine Burton

WR Arik Gilbert*

WR Kearis Jackson

TE Darnell Washington* OR John FitzPatrick

LT Jamaree Salyer

LG Justin Shaffer

C Warren Ericson*

RG Tate Ratledge

RT Warren McClendon

Defense

DE Travon Walker

DE Adam Anderson

DT Jordan Davis

DT Devonte Wyatt

MLB Nakobe Dean

OLB Nolan Smith

S Lewis Cine

S Christopher Smith

CB Derion Kendrick

CB Tykee Smith*

NICK Latavious Brini

*Players who might be unavailable for Georgia’s opener against Clemson. The Bulldogs would likely start Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (WR), FitzPatrick (TE), Sedrick Van Pran (C) and Kelee Ringo (CB) against the Tigers if those players are absent.

Special teams

K Jack Podlesny

P Jake Camarda

LS Payne Walker

Georgia Bulldogs 2021 football schedule

• Sept. 4: vs Clemson @ Charlotte, 7:30 pm (ABC)
• Sept. 11: vs UAB, 3:30 pm (ESPN2)
• Sept. 18: vs South Carolina, 7 pm (ESPN)
• Sept. 25: at Vanderbilt
• Oct. 2: vs Arkansas
• Oct. 9: at Auburn
• Oct. 16: vs Kentucky
• Oct. 30: vs Florida @ Jacksonville, 3:30 pm (CBS)
• Nov. 6: vs Missouri
• Nov. 13: at Tennessee
• Nov. 20: vs Charleston Southern
• Nov. 27: at Georgia Tech

This story was originally published August 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.