The AP All-American Teams have been announced, and the Georgia Bulldogs were well represented, with four players making the first and second teams. Two players — Jalen Carter and Christopher Smith — were named to the first-team defense, and two — Brock Bowers and Jamon Dumas-Johnson — were selected as members of the second team.
Only USC (3) had more players earn first-team honors. The Bulldogs are primed to repeat as champions for the first time since Nick Saban’s Alabama more than a decade ago. Kirby Smart has his team sitting with the No. 1 seed and essentially hosting the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Peach Bowl. It should be a home game for the Dawgs. And Jake has already detailed what has to go right for Georgia to advance to the National Championship.
Good production in the Red Zone
Winning the Turnover Battle
About 7.2 Yards Per Carry
Big Game Stetson Bennett
Cornerbacks Winning Their One-On-Ones
Outside of those, they’ll be relying on their big-time players making big-time players. Bockers and Carter, in particular, will have my eye. Jalen Carter is very well the best player in college football and will likely warrant some argument for being the No. 1 player selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Facing C.J. Stroud and Ohio State’s high-powered offense, Carter can take over this game and be the difference-maker that nets Georgia a championship berth. He’s posted 3.0 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss; nobody should be surprised if he dominates the Peach Bowl.
Smith is another versatile piece of Kirby Smart’s defense, posting 50 tackles, three interceptions, five passes defended, one touchdown, and one fumble recovery. Again, with the Buckeyes’ deadly passing attack, Smith will be critical to UGA’s success. Moving onto the second-team honors, Bowers just won the Mackey Award, an honor for the best tight end in the country, thanks to his 819 total yards and 9 nine total touchdowns. Dumas-Johnson has totaled 64 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and one forced fumble; the Georgia Bulldogs will need a solid performance from the fifth-year player as well.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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