Taking a look at the offensive returnees

Imagine what George Pickens might have done, playing a full 12-game schedule with quarterback JT Daniels. The numbers are certainly intriguing.

In the four games Daniels played for the Bulldogs, Pickens caught 23 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns. Prorate that over a 12-game season and Pickens would have caught 69 passes for 1,119 yards and 12 scores, which statistically speaking, would be the greatest season ever for a Bulldog receiver.

Although the 69 catches would fall short of the school-record 76 posted by the late Brice Hunter in 2003, the 1,119 yards and 12 touchdowns would have eclipsed the current schools receiving marks of 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns set by Terrence Edwards in 2002.

For folks such as myself who like to play around with statistics, it's certainly fun to think about what could actually be.

Injuries and other unforeseen circumstances make such predictions quite dicey. Still, a full season of Daniels and Pickens would no doubt make for an interesting proposition.

Of course, Pickens is not the only underclassmen who will be playing an integral role with the Bulldogs next fall.

Ben Cleveland and Trey Hill are gone, but Jamaree Salyer and Justin Shaffer return, and along with Warren McClendon, give the Bulldogs three returning starters for 2021.

In Salyer and Shaffer, they represent the two players with the most returning snaps, seeing action on 95 and 92 percent of Georgia's offensive plays, respectfully.

Considering both players lined up at different spots (Salyer at left guard and Shaffer at right guard) in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, it will be interesting to see if that was a one-game change, or if it was a sign of what's to come in 2021.

Position coach Matt Luke certainly has no shortage of candidates, which includes the likes of returnees Warren Ericson, Clay Webb, Owen Condon, Xavier Truss, Broderick Jones, Tate Ratledge, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Chad Lindberg, Austin Blaske, and Devin Willock.

Incoming freshmen Amarius Mims, Dylan Fairchild and Micah Morris will also be worth watching.

Besides Pickens, offensive coordinator Todd Monken has plenty of other weapons from which to choose.

Don't forget about Kearis Jackson who finished with 36 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns as arguably the most dependable receiver on the team last fall.

The most intriguing returnee, however, may be Arian Smith.

Injuries got Smith’s season off to a late start. But when he played, the former track star showed why some believe he may be one of Georgia’s better big-play threats in recent years.

In the Bulldogs’ final four games, Smith caught just two passes—but for an average of 43 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown at South Carolina. With Daniels’ penchant for the deep ball, Smith could well be that home run threat the Bulldogs have lacked for the past two years, since current Kansas City Chiefs standout Mecole Hardman moved on.

Sophomore Jermaine Burton made a nice impact, catching 27 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns. But don't forget about returnees Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Dominick Blaylock, a pair of injured wideouts who are expected to be back at full strength come fall.

Rosemy-Jacksaint caught four passes for 62 yards and a touchdown before going down with an ankle injury against Florida. Blaylock suffered his second ACL injury, but has been working hard during rehab after catching 18 passes for 310 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman.

Senior Demetris Robertson could also still return.

That leaves Tommy Bush who is also expected back after being hit by a car, while second-year players Ladd McConkey and Justin Robinson will look to take the next step in their development.

It turns out there will not be an empty seat in Georgia's running back room after all.

Wednesday's announcement by Zamir White that he will be returning for another season ensures all five scholarship running backs from 2020 will be back for another run in 2021.

White, Georgia's primary runner in 2020 with 244 reps, led the Bulldogs with 144 carries for 779 yards and 11 touchdowns. He joins James Cook, along with Kendall Milton, Kenny McIntosh, and Daijun Edwards to make for quite the formidable group.

Cook's versatility proved invaluable for the Bulldogs. Last year, the Florida native rushed 45 times for 303 times to finish as the team's second-leading rusher, while catching 16 passes for 225 more yards.

Meanwhile, McIntosh finished as the team’s third-leading rusher with 47 carries for 251 yards, but also caught 11 passes for 114 yards. His three catches on Georgia’s final drive in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl helped set the stage for Jack Podlesny’s game-winning 53-yard field goal.

Milton, meanwhile, missed three games due to a knee injury, but was impressive when he played, rushing 35 times for 193 yards. Daijun Edwards carried 37 times for 218 yards.

Incoming freshman Lovesea Carroll will give Georgia yet another versatile back.

The sight of 6-foot-6, 260-pound Darnell Washington swatting would-be defenders away like flies on his way to a 38-yard catch and run against Cincinnati probably brought tears of happiness to offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Look for Washington to receive even more targets by quarterback JT Daniels next year. He, along with returning John FitzPatrick, should receive the bulk of the tight end reps.

Last year, FitzPatrick led all of Georgia's tight ends with 304 reps, followed closely by Washington with 284.

But keep an eye on freshman Brock Bowers, who was the nation's 118th-ranked player by Rivals in 2020.

The Bulldogs also return Ryland Goede and Brett Seither.

Church bells rang and doves were released when JT Daniels announced he would be returning for another year.

Talk about a huge announcement.

Daniels' four-game total in 2020 (81 of 119 for 1,231 yards and 10 touchdowns) serves as a pretty good indicator of what fans can expect next fall.

That leaves Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck as the other two quarterbacks still slated to return.

Of course, early enrollee Brock Vandagriff is also now part of the room, and will figure to compete with Bennett and Beck to be Daniels' top backup.

It will be interesting to see if Vandagriff, like former quarterback Aaron Murray, is ultimately redshirted his first full season. Time will tell there, but either way, Georgia's quarterback situation seems to be in a very good place.