ATHENS — Prior to Georgia’s game against Charlotte, Georgia will honor its seniors in the usual way, as the players stand on the field with their families and meet with coach Kirby Smart as their contributions to the Georgia football program are recognized.

“We appreciate the job they’ve done,” Smart said. “There will be anywhere from 28 to 31 guys out there getting honored pregame Saturday. Just excited to see their families and see what they’ve done for this program over the last four to five years for most of them. It’s always a hard day emotionally, but we have to transition from that to getting ready to go play a team in Charlotte that our guys are excited to go compete against.”

The seniors day won’t be as big as previous years, as most of the players impacted by the 2020 COVID season have cycled out of the sport.

The largest group recognized on Saturday will be from Georgia’s 2022 class. They won a national championship in their first season and have compiled a record of 48-5 with the program.

“Being here as a freshman, we won the national championship,” tight end Oscar Delp said. “I know what it looks like, and what you need to do every day to accomplish that, and so does Coach Smart. And, you know, the coach can always tell you what you all need to do, but, I mean, it’s got to be player-led. It’s got to come from one player to another, and I think our senior class really knows what it looks like and kind of holds those younger guys to that standard and kind of teaching them that, so hopefully in the future they can know what it feels like as well.”

Georgia is very much a contender to win another national title, as the Bulldogs sit at No. 4 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. The group could potentially add another trophy to their haul before the national championship, as this group of seniors has won two SEC championships already.

Georgia needs help to get to Atlanta for this year’s game. But if Georgia gets to Atlanta and wins, the 2022 class could become the third class to win three SEC championships, joining the 1979 and 1980 classes.

Among those honored will be Delp, Brett Thorson, Daylen Everette and Dillon Bell. Georgia’s 30-man signing class back in 2022 has just 10 members still with the program, but some will have additional eligibility due to redshirting. Gunner Stockton falls into the latter category.

Micah Morris and Cash Jones both arrived in 2021, winning two national championships in Athens. Saturday will be a big day for the starting offensive guard and do-everything running back.

“I remember going out there for the first time and just being in shock of how awesome it was the first time,” Jones said. “It’s sad that it could be my last game at Sanford Stadium, the last regular season game. And that’s probably what I’m gonna miss most, is just all the memories made there and all the fun we got to have there.”

Jones does bring up an interesting point in that it may not be the final home game of the regular season. If Georgia were to be seeded fifth through eighth in the final College Football Playoff rankings, Georgia would get to host a first-round playoff game set for either Dec. 19 or Dec 20.

To get to that point, Georgia needs to keep winning. That continues on Saturday against Charlotte. This group is 24-1 inside Sanford Stadium.

A win over Charlotte pushes Georgia to 25-1 and will give this accomplished group of Bulldogs another win in a special place.

“It means the world to me, to be able to just be out there with them,” cornerback Demello Jones said. “It’ll be fun just playing on their senior night. It’s just going to be fun being out there with those guys.”