An early look at the Georgia 2022 offense

Even with Georgia fresh off winning the national championship, it’s never too early to start looking ahead to the 2022 campaign.

With 16 scholarship seniors moving on to the NFL and eight scholarship players either in the transfer portal or already with new teams, next year’s squad will certainly feature a different, and in many cases, a younger look.

Although more movement is possible—both leaving and entering via the portal—we’ve got a better idea of what the Bulldogs will look like entering the start of spring practice in March.

We'll go more in-depth, breaking down each position, in the days and weeks to come. In the meantime, let's get the big picture of what the Bulldogs have coming back on offense as of this moment.

Stetson Bennett is back to give it another go and will look to build on last year's success, when he completed 185 of 287 passes (64.7 percent) for 2,862 yards and 29 touchdowns with just seven interceptions.

Although some wonder if a redshirt freshman Brock Vandagriff, or perhaps even Gunner Stockton, can push the veteran for playing time in March, it would certainly qualify as a surprise if Bennett wasn't the starting QB when the Bulldogs open the 2022 season in Mercedes Benz against Oregon.

I did not mention Carson Beck, who would obviously be included in the mix with Vandagriff and Stockton, should he stick around. This may or may not happen.

Many figured Beck would be the first quarterback to hit the transfer portal, but that turned out to be JT Daniels. As for the Jacksonville native, so far, he remains in Athens with expectations that he will take part with the rest of the team in the spring.

With Zamir White and James Cook moving on to the NFL, junior Kendall Milton, senior Kenny McIntosh, and junior Daijun Edwards each take a couple of steps up the pecking order.

Fans should not notice much difference, if any, with their performance.

Milton is a 225-pound powerhouse capable of handling the bulk of the load if called upon, while McIntosh brings versatility similar to what Cook brought to the table.

Edwards gets overlooked but has proven to be a very capable back. All three will be good mentors to true freshmen Branson Robinson and Jordan Bryant James, once they join the team in May.

There was a good deal of preseason buzz around Brock Bowers when the season began. But it's doubtful even his most ardent supporters would have predicted this.

In 15 games, Bowers had one of the best freshman seasons in Bulldog history, catching 56 passes for 882 yards and a school-record 13 touchdowns.

So much for the notion that the Bulldogs don't throw to the tight ends.

Bowers showed that he will be one of the first players opposing defensive coordinators will attempt to scheme against when facing the Bulldogs next fall. Considering his talent, that still may be a lost cause.

As for Darnell Washington, there's been buzz that he's considering a transfer, but so far he's still a part of the team. Considering the breakout year by Bowers, Bulldog coaches may have to do some recruiting, but they're going to do whatever they can to keep him in the fold.

With Jon FitzPatrick giving up a year of eligibility to apply for the NFL Draft, that leaves seldom-used vets Ryland Goede and Brett Seither in line for additional reps.

That is, unless true freshman and early enrollee Oscar Delp takes a big step this spring, which he is certainly capable of doing.

Losing George Pickens a year early to the NFL came as less of a surprise than Jermaine Burton's choice to enter the transfer portal.

Burton will be missed, but it's not as if the Bulldogs will be short of perimeter weapons once the season gets underway.

There's plenty of experience with the likes of Kearis Jackson, AD Mitchell, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and Ladd McConkey.

There's also a trio of wildcards who could make a real difference.

Arian Smith and Dominick Blaylock are two—Smith in particular. The former track star from Florida is the fastest of Georgia's receivers and figures to be an outstanding deep threat. However, Smith has yet to prove he can shake off the various injuries he's accrued since being on campus and stay healthy for the entire year.

Arik Gilbert is another. Gilbert missed the season due to personal reasons and was actually off campus until returning just a couple of weeks ago. If Gilbert has his life in order, watch out.

Early enrollees Chandler Smith and DeNylon Morrissette will also have ample opportunities this spring to impress.

Wide receiver is also a position Kirby Smart could look to fortify via the transfer portal, so keep an eye on that.

The biggest question come spring as it pertains to the offensive line will revolve around who replaces left tackle Jamaree Salyer.

Based on what we saw last year, that figures to be redshirt sophomore Broderick Jones, who started the final four games of the regular season at the position in place of the injured Salyer.

Amarius Mims could also get a close look.

Both guard spots will also be up for grabs.

That includes right guard, where coaches want Warren Ericson to get stronger. Left guard is also open after the graduation of Justin Shaffer.

Assuming Tate Ratledge is over his Lisfranc injury, he figures to be the favorite for one of the two spots, with other potential candidates including redshirt freshman Micah Morris, Devin Willock, and perhaps the versatile Austin Blaske.

Newcomer and early enrollee Earnest Greene will also have the opportunity to impress in the spring.

Sedrick Van Pran and Warren McClendon are back as the returning starters at center and right tackle, respectively.