Georgia Bulldogs and Kirby Smart forced to lean on youth and inexperience even more now after latest Transfer Portal news
One thing has become abundantly clear following spring football action for the Georgia Bulldogs. Kirby Smart and company are going to have to lean on youth and inexperience in a way that they haven't in quite some time.As we've discussed here at A to Z Sports since early February, Kirby Smart doubled down on the […]
One thing has become abundantly clear following spring football action for the Georgia Bulldogs. Kirby Smart and company are going to have to lean on youth and inexperience in a way that they haven't in quite some time.
As we've discussed here at A to Z Sports since early February, Kirby Smart doubled down on the recruiting and roster building that his staff has done over the past few years. They could have gone much harder into the Transfer Portal this offseason, but instead they're going to lean on "their guys" who they feel will embrace "the standard" at Georgia.
However, is the offense (and the run game especially) now going to be in trouble based on the latest Transfer Portal news? Let's dive in, talking through how Georgia can still find success with all of the new faces in critical places in 2025.
Branson Robinson entering Transfer Portal something to worry about?
News dropped that running back Branson Robinson had entered the Transfer Portal yesterday, marking yet another Georgia talent exiting via the portal of the 2025 NFL Draft. Robinson was once thought to be the next elite feature back for Georgia, but that just never truly materialized due to injuries and other talents transferring in.
However, Robinson was set to play perhaps the RB3 role for the Bulldogs if he remained healthy. So is this something to be worried about?
The short answer is probably, "no", but this does create a situation where Georgia's running back room is looking extremely thin now.
Wide receiver Dillon Bell has been getting work with the running backs again this spring in preparation for the depth issues the team already knew it had at running back. Now Georgia is even more thin in the backfield.
Trevor Etienne, last year's lead running back for Georgia, is off to the NFL.
The team does still return rising sophomore Nate Frazier and fifth year former walk-on Cash Jones. Those two figure to be the team's one and two in the backfield with Jones operating primarily as the team's passing down back.
Beyond those two, Georgia now returns less than 80 total true running back snaps from last year's roster. Chauncey Bowens and Roderick Robinson look to be the other two running backs in the mix, but Robinson has constantly struggled to stay healthy, and Bowens isn't exactly a dynamic runner (3.6 yards per carry last season).
Georgia's offensive situation in 2025
When the inexperience and lack of depth at running back gets combined with the completely revamped offensive line this year the obvious reasons to worry begin to stack up a bit.
Georgia lost over 3000 snaps along its offensive line from last season between Tate Ratledge, Jared Wilson, Dylan Fairchild, and Xavier Truss. That means yes, the Bulldogs will be trotting out a very inexperienced bunch along their offensive front. Especially when it comes to all five playing together.
The good news is that between running backs Nate Frazier and Cash Jones that duo averaged nearly 5.4 yards per touch last year. That's good for a better average than last year's star running back Trevor Etienne posted by himself.
If Frazier and Jones can both take just one more step forward in their development there's a good chance they could be just enough to carry Georgia's new look offense as the team likely takes some time to gel early in the 2025 college football season.
So yes, Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are going to have to lean on inexperience this season, but the team might just have exactly what they need to succeed anyway. Let's just hope the team remains relatively healthy. Otherwise there might be some serious issues this season on offense.
We'll be back with more Georgia Bulldogs coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
If you want to see why the Georgia Bulldogs are still in good hands at running back just check out some of Nate Frazier's highlights in the video below.
