Georgia was picked to finish second in the SEC for the 2025 season.
Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports believes there’s very much a world where the Bulldogs finish even lower than that.
Fornelli labeled Georgia as overrated based on where the Bulldogs finished in the Preseason Media Poll. Texas came in at No. 1, while Alabama was third and LSU finished fourth.
He still sees Georgia as one of the best teams in the country, but does have some concerns entering this season.
“I don’t foresee a world in which Georgia isn’t one of the best teams in the country this year, but I’m also not convinced Georgia is the second-best team in the SEC this year,” Fornelli wrote. “Kirby Smart explained some of my concerns himself in Atlanta when he mentioned how young and inexperienced his roster is overall. The starters may not have a billion starts to their names, but they’ve been around for a while, at least. After that? There’s a lot of untested freshmen who could be thrust into large roles should injuries hit.”
To Fornelli’s point, Smart specifically raised concerns about the youth on the offensive and defensive lines. Georgia had three offensive linemen and three defensive linemen taken in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Georgia has recruited as well as anybody but all that talent along the trenches is still unproven.
“You guys know the COVID class has kind of aged out, so we had multiple players that were in their fifth and sixth year last year, especially across the offensive and defensive lines,” Smart said. “We had a tremendous group that all went out kind of at the same time, aged out at the same time, and so we’re going to be really young, especially on the offensive and defensive lines.”
Georgia may be better able to handle the changes on the offensive line, as Georgia does bring back four players with starting experience. Earnest Greene, Micah Morris, Drew Bobo and Monroe Freeling will need to come together as a unit, especially as the Bulldogs try and find a fifth starter to replace Tate Ratledge.
Defensively, Smart spoke highly of Christen Miller and Xzavier McLeod. The Bulldogs also have a number of promising, young defensive linemen.
But players like Elijah Griffin, who was the No. 1-ranked defensive player in the 2025 recruiting cycle, will have to mature quickly.
“He definitely can come in and step up real early,” cornerback Daylen Everette said of Griffin. “He’s definitely a good player. It’s funny, too, because like, it was one time I saw him. It was like winter workouts. It was like we just got there. I don’t really remember what he did, but I just looked and I was like, ‘Yo, he’s like super strong to be a freshman. That’s like crazy.”
Georgia won the SEC last season, beating Texas in the SEC Championship game. The last time it was not picked to win the SEC came back in 2022, when Georgia also won the SEC.
But with a schedule that features games against Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss, the Bulldogs will have a tricky path to get back to Atlanta for the 2025 SEC Championship Game.
Time will tell if Georgia’s offensive and defensive lines are up to the task of validating the preseason hype surrounding the program.
Georgia opens the 2025 season against Marshall on Aug. 30. The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET start on ESPN.
