ATHENS — The Georgia Bulldogs will hold their first of three scrimmages on Saturday, giving the team a chance to really get after it.
Saturday will be Georgia’s ninth practice of the spring and head coach Kirby Smart is very eager to see how his team responds.
“I feel like it’s a scrimmage for the University of Georgia,” inside linebacker Jalon Walker said. “Best team on best team, us guys working and getting better to prepare ourselves for the season.”
With that in mind, Georgia will look to see which players stand out on Saturday. Unlike G-Day, this scrimmage won’t be open to the public and thus there will be more intrigue in terms of who performs well on Saturday.
While the Bulldogs bring back a number of contributors from last season’s team, Smart has noted multiple times this spring how young this team is.
Saturday will be a chance for a few Bulldogs to grow up and move into a position to really help the team this fall.
Below are five players we’re interested in seeing play well on Saturday for Georgia, given what they’ve already done for the Bulldogs this spring.
Colbie Young, wide receiver: Of all the new additions, Young has generated the most positive chatter. At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, he is perhaps Georgia’s most physically impressive pass catcher.
Smart remarked earlier this spring that Young has gotten better with each practice. If he has a strong scrimmage for the Bulldogs, that should only put him in a better position to be an impact transfer for Georgia this fall.
Dillon Bell, wide receiver: For as much buzas there has been about Young this spring, there hasn’t been much said about Bell.
Georgia needs a new No. 1 receiver to emerge for quarterback Carson Beck and the thought this offseason was that Bell would be well-positioned to do so for the Bulldogs. He had a strong conclusion to the 2023 season for Georgia, catching 4 passes for 86 yards in the first half of the Orange Bowl.
Unlike Young and Georgia’s other two transfer receivers, Bell isn’t spending this spring getting acclimated to the Georgia way. It’s been a quiet spring for Bell so far. We’ll see if he’s able to change that on Saturday.
Jordan Hall, defensive lineman: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is out for the spring due to foot surgery. Christen Miller is still making his way back from a knee injury.
Georgia’s defensive line has been talked about at length this spring. A positive day from Hall on Saturday could go a long way in changing the narrative around this position group.
Hall is now in his second season with the program and eager to make a bigger impact than he did in 2023. Due to some injuries and turnover on the defensive line, he’s in a position to do just that.
Jalon Walker, inside linebacker: Walker is undoubtedly one of the most talented players on Georgia’s defense entering the 2024 season. The bigger question will be where does he end up taking most of his snaps?
Walker had his biggest impact as an edge rusher last season. But his future is at inside linebacker and this spring has really allowed him to focus on the position.
With Smael Mondon out with a foot injury, there’s an opportunity for Walker to get extended reps at inside linebacker. For someone who is still in the process of learning how to be an every-down inside linebacker, these reps could prove valuable for the junior linebacker.
Especially if he intends on getting on the field consistently for Georgia this fall.
Joenel Aguero, safety: With Malaki Starks dealing with a shoulder injury, the Bulldogs will be without all three starting safeties from the 2023 season.
That creates an opportunity for someone like Aguero, who could play either star or safety for the Bulldogs.
Aguero enters his second year in the program. Were it not for an August injury in 2023, he’d like be a bigger name. A strong scrimmage should help remind everyone why he was one of the most coveted players in the 2023 recruiting cycle.
