Top Dawg Take: Is it All or Nothing for Kirby Smart in 2021?
Throughout the last week, we’ve seen members of the media publishing their lists for every talking point you could think of regarding College Football to gain clicks and start debates.
Recently we saw Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports release his top seven list of coaches “under the most pressure entering the 2021 season.” Unsurprisingly Georgia’s Kirby Smart was at the top of the list. Among other notable names were USC’s Clay Helton, Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.
While Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley is the only coach that can match Smart’s job security, the anticipation for the 2021 season for Georgia fans and media members makes you wonder if it is a boom or bust year in 2021. Kirby Smart and Georgia?
Georgia brings back one of the top quarterbacks in the country with JT Daniels, along with a loaded backfield with James Cook and Zamir White, all opting to return for a senior season following the #UnfinishedBusiness trend that swept social media.
Add in a young core of talented receivers and three returning offensive linemen from a season ago. Georgia is set to have one of the most talented offenses in the SEC and maybe even the country. The injury to George Pickens doesn’t help Georgia’s offense. Still, with the way the receiver position has been recruited over the last few cycles, Georgia should have a productive core without Pickens.
On paper, Georgia has the talent offensively to contend for a National Championship. In years past, it was the offense that hamstrung Georgia’s chances at getting over the hump in Atlanta in December.
The questions lie defensively for the Dawgs, notably for the first time of the Kirby Smart era. The Dawgs defense lost six contributors in the secondary and a starting inside linebacker and star edge rusher.
Most of those positions had replacements lined up even before those players left campus. Quay Walker and Channing Tindall look to fill the shoes of Monty Rice alongside Nakobe Dean. Christopher Smith seems ready to try and fill the shoes of Richard LeCounte.
While having guys like Walker, Tindall, and Christopher Smith all ready to compete and fill the void of those who came before them, not to mention Adam Anderson looks to fill the enormous shoes of Azeez Ojulari off the edge. Questions remain at cornerback for Georgia even after the addition of Tykee Smith through the transfer portal.
Georgia’s front seven looks to be stacked with talent before a single snap has been taken during fall camp. The return of nose tackle Jordan Davis will significantly impact the Dawgs defense; just ask Nakobe Dean and the inside linebacker room.
This brings me to the point that Georgia should be in contention for the College Football Playoffs purely based on talent alone. Kirby Smart and his staff have assembled yet again a roster that will be a preseason top-5 program in the country. Anything less than making it back to CFP would be considered a letdown by most of the fanbase.
The pressure is on Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs to make it back to the College Football Playoffs after falling short the last three seasons. Although that in no way means his job depends on him making it back to the National Championship game. The rational decisionmaker and football fan knows the goal is to win multiple championships, not just one.