Checking out the comp: Georgia
Missouri finished spring football a little over a week ago and is moving on to the next portion of its offseason, and until the transfer portal opens May 1-15 things may enter a bit of a quiet period around the program. So, while we give the Tigers a break for a little while there's nothing stopping us from checking out what their 2023 Power 5 opponents' rosters are looking like.
We've already covered Mizzou's first four Power 5 opponents in Kansas State, Vanderbilt, LSU, Kentucky and South Carolina.
Currently, the Bulldogs are a week out from their spring game, but the back-to-back defending national champions look like they have more than enough of players to find themselves in the College Football Playoff once again.
Last season's record: 15-0
Key departures: (NFL Draft) QB Stetson Bennett, RB Kenny McIntosh, WR Kearis Jackson, TE Darnell Washington, OL Broderick Jones, OL Warren Ericson, OL Warren McClendon, DT Jalen Carter, OLB Nolan Smith, OLB Robert Beal, CB Kelee Ringo, S Christopher Smith, K Jack Podlesny
(Transfer portal) DB Jaheim Singletary, WR Adonai Mitchell, TE Arik Gilbert, OL Jacob Hood, WR Dominick Blaylock, LB Trezmen Marshall
Key additions: WR Dominic Lovett, WR Rara Thomas, DB Smoke Bouie
Key departures
Most teams lose players to the transfer portal or loss of eligibility, but when it comes to Georgia the last couple of seasons, in particular, it's because it’s putting out NFL-caliber players.
Thirteen players declared for the 2023 NFL Draft headlined by defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Carter is widely believed to be one of the best if not the best prospect available. Some troubles off the field could possibly prevent him from going No. 1 overall, but he definitely has the generational talent worthy of the selection.
In 2022, Carter had 32 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, three bat downs and two forced fumbles in 13 games.
Outside linebacker Nolan Smith only recorded 18 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks and a pass deflection in eight games, but he dazzled at the NFL Combine and is likely a first-round pick.
Fellow outside linebacker Robert Beal had 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one pass deflection and a forced fumble in 15 games.
He's trending toward being a late-round pick or a priority undrafted free agent.
Kelee Ringo is one of the best corners in this draft and it would be hard to imagine him going any lower than pick 40.
Ringo played in all 15 games and had 42 tackles, two tackles for loss, seven pass deflections, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
Safety Christopher Smith was a stat sheet stuffer last season racking up 61 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, five pass deflections, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
He's one of the better safeties in this draft class and probably is a day-two pick.
Kicker Jack Podlesny was one of 13 Bulldogs to make the all-conference team with Podlesny earning first-team honors after making 73 of 74 extra points and 26 of 31 field goals.
Quarterback Stetson Bennett coming off of a Heisman finalist season is projected to be a mid-round pick after completing 68% of his passes for 4,128 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 205 yards and 10 touchdowns on 57 carries.
Running back Kenny McIntosh led the team in rushing with 829 yards and 10 touchdowns on 149 carries (5.6 yards per carry) in 15 games. He also was the team's third-leading receiver with 43 receptions for 505 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He'll probably land in the mid to late rounds of the draft.
Wide receiver Kearis Jackson played all 15 games and caught 21 passes for 320 yards a season ago
Darnell Washington may be one of the better athletes in the entire class.
Georgia is so good at tight end that Washington is still likely to be a first or second-round pick despite unquestionably being the No. 2 tight end behind Brock Bowers, who isn't draft-eligible until after this upcoming season.
At 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, Washington recorded 28 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Broderick Jones, Warren McClendon and Warren Ericson are three starting offensive linemen that Georgia will be without in 2023.
Jones is the headliner of this group and in a draft class that isn't too the deepest past the first round or two, Jones probably won't last past the mid-20s of the first round.
The left tackle had a pass-blocking grade of 84.1 (second-highest on the team) and a run-blocking grade of 71.1, according to PFF College.
McClendon manned the other tackle spot and was third in pass blocking with a grade of 82.1 and had a run blocking grade of 64.3.
Ericson, who lined up at center, was fourth in pass blocking at 80.2 and finished with a run-blocking grade of 56.1.
Defensive back Jaheim Singletary is a four-star transfer and was the No. 8 overall transfer available, according to Rivals.com.
He was a five-star prospect coming out of Riverside (Fla.) in the class of 2022. He redshirted last year but should move into a bigger role at Arkansas.
Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell decided to transfer to Texas after recording nine receptions for 134 yards and three touchdowns in six games.
Those aren’t the gaudiest numbers, but he recorded four receptions for 65 yards and two touchdowns were during the College Football Playoff versus Ohio State and TCU.
Mitchell, who was ranked as the No. 83 overall transfer, goes from catching passes from Bennett to Quinn Ewers or Arch Manning.
Mitchell's fellow receiver Dominic Blaylock joined him in the transfer portal but Blaylock has yet to find a new school.
Blaylock recorded 15 receptions for 227 yards and a touchdown. His best game was in week five against Mizzou when he recorded three receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown.
He was ranked as the No. 217 overall transfer available.
Arik Gilbert will be playing for his third school since 2020 when he suits up for Nebraska in the fall.
Understandably, the tight end didn't play much behind Bowers and Washington, and his two receptions for 16 yards on the season came versus Vanderbilt.
However, Gilbert is just a couple of seasons removed from recording 35 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns at LSU.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder was the No. 9 overall recruit in the class of 2020. He was ranked as the No. 99 overall available transfer.
Linebacker Trezmen Marshall transferred to Alabama after recording 19 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a pass deflection and an interception in 14 games. He was ranked as the No. 220 overall available transfer.
Key additions
When you win two national championships and are a perennial national title contender every year you already have elite depth.
That's the case with Georgia. The Bulldogs have only added three players via the transfer portal. However, all three players were ranked in the top 90 overall available transfers.
The Bulldogs' biggest addition comes at the expense of Missouri with wide receiver Dominic Lovett deciding to head to Athens.
Lovett, who was the ninth-best transfer available, was an All-SEC second-team selection after recording 56 receptions for 846 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games a season ago.
He was the first Mizzou wide receiver to record over 800 receiving yards since Emanuel Hall in 2018.
Joining Lovett in the wide receiver room is Rara Thomas who transferred from Mississippi State after recording 44 receptions, 626 yards and a touchdown last season in 12 games. He was ranked as the No. 47 overall available transfer.
Lastly, defensive back Smoke Bouie transferred in from Texas A&M after appearing in just four games recording four tackles and a pass deflection in 2022.
Bouie had initially committed to Georgia as a part of the 2022 recruiting class, but later reneged and decided to commit to the Aggies.
He was the No. 120 overall in the Class of 2022 and was ranked as the No. 85 overall available transfer.
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