It may technically be weeks before the start of the 2024 football season, but in many respects, we’re really not far away.
Preseason magazines are already out on the shelves and believe it or not SEC Media Days in Dallas are only a month away.
It promises to be another exciting year, beginning with the season-opener in Mercedes-Benz against Clemson, with road games at Alabama and Texas highlighting the schedule this fall.
As we bide our time, it’s never too late to take a closer look at the players donning the red and black, especially those we feel will make even bigger impacts than they did the season before.
Many of the players already play key roles. But that doesn’t mean they’ve peaked.
Take wide receiver Dillon Bell, for example.
Bell has improved each year in his first two seasons as a Bulldog. Could he take an even bigger jump this fall?
Contacts we spoke to feel that he certainly could.
Let’s take a look.
Tale of the Tape
Height: 6-2
Weight: 210
Class: Junior
Rivals Ranking: Bell was rated a three-star by Rivals with a 5.7 rating.
Status: Starting Wide Receiver
Impact thus far
The argument can be made that Bell is the most versatile member of the Georgia offense.
Take a look at the numbers.
Bell caught 29 passes last year for 355 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 25 times for 155 yards and two scores. He even threw an 18-yard touchdown pass in Georgia’s win at Tennessee.
Need someone to make a tough catch? Bell can do that.
The Texas native knows how to get his body between the ball and would-be defenders, which last year resulted in more highlight catches than anyone not named Brock Bowers.
Quoting Kirby Smart
“The kid’s worked his tail off at receiver to get better, but there’s a lot of route running things he can get better at, The good thing is he’s got a quarterback the caliber of Carson (Beck) to utilize his strengths, get him throws, get him 50-50 balls. I’m proud of the way he leads in practices.”
What do his teammates say?
“I feel like all of us are kind of interchangeable parts. We can all play each other’s positions. I feel that makes us versatile because you don’t know who’s going to line up where or what that person’s going to do. They might be in the backfield one play, they might be on the outside the next. I feel all of us are really just interchangeable parts, helping each other grow. If somebody has a question, we help them out. I feel like that’s just the motto of our room, CTG, change the game.” – Dominic Lovett
What to look for in fall camp
While it’s good to know that Bell can help out at running back, with the depth Georgia has built back up at the position, don’t be surprised if he goes back full-time to wide receiver.
A second straight year of working with Beck will not hurt, either.
The two were already starting to build an excellent rapport toward the second half of the year, so look for that connection to continue growing once fall camp gets underway.
Beck knows Bell knows how to make tough catches, so look for him to be a big part of whatever third-down packages Mike Bobo has in mind.
