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Dominick Blaylock is going to be a star for Georgia

Georgia’s passing offense  next year is going to look very different. Wide receivers Riley Ridley and Mecole Hardman declared for the NFL draft on Friday. Tight end Isaac Nauta also declared and freshman Luke Ford announced he was transferring to Illinois. Throw in the fact that Terry Godwin is graduating, Georgia is losing four of its top five pass catchers from 2018.

The Bulldogs also saw one of their major recruiting targets, Jadon Haselwood, pick Oklahoma on Saturday’s All-American Bowl. He was the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver prospect and a long-time Georgia commit before he backed off his pledge in October.

In the coming months, you’ll see national media outlets question Georgia’s 2019 pass catching options — especially with how loaded Clemson and Alabama are with receiving talent. I’m here to tell you that Georgia is going to be more than fine at receiver next year.

For starters, let’s not forget that Georgia is bringing back Jeremiah Holloman. While Holloman had a couple of uncharacteristic drops in the Sugar Bowl, the rising junior took a huge step forward this year as he hauled in 24 catches for 418 yards and 5 touchdowns. He averaged a team-best 17.4 yards per catch this season, and was unguardable against Florida.

Fans can also expect to see tight end Charlie Woerner and wide receivers Tyler Simmons and Demetris Robertson take on bigger roles. Robertson in particular should excite fans, given his previous 5-star pedigree.

But the real reason fans should be feel confident about Georgia’s wide receivers in 2019 is because of Dominick Blaylock. He’s the nation’s No. 6 wide receiver, but after his performance as a senior at Walton High School (Marietta, Ga.) and with how he looked in the All-American Bowl on Saturday, it’s hard to believe there are five wide receivers in the country better than him.

Related: Georgia signee Dominick Blaylock scores two touchdowns to open All-American Bowl

Against some of the best high school players in the country, Blaylock shined on Saturday. He caught two touchdowns passes, one for 58-yards were he just out-ran the defense and one for 12-yards that combined some great route running and athletic ability.

And Blaylock showed he can get a little tricky, as he threw a touchdown pass in the game as well.

Blaylock has already signed with Georgia and will enroll in the summer. He’s the first 5-star wide receiver — Godwin and Hardman both had the athlete designation coming out of high school—  to sign with Georgia since 2009 (Marlon Brown). He’s going to have a chance to play and shine early, much like Justyn Ross did for Clemson this year.

Georgia is set to lose 63 percent of its receiving yards from 2018, along with 22 of its 34 touchdown catches. But the Bulldogs are adding a talent they haven’t seen in some time in Blaylock. Factor him in with what Georgia does bring back, along with running back D’Andre Swift and quarterback Jake Fromm, and Georgia’s passing offense is going to be every bit as good as it was in 2018, if not better.r.

What Georgia fans should root for in the national championship game

The last college football game of the season will take place on Monday as Alabama takes on Clemson, in Santa Clara, Calif., of all places. These were pretty clearly the best two teams in college football this season

Clemson wiped out Notre Dame 30-3 in the semifinal after cruising through the ACC. It did play a close game against Texas A&M, as the Tigers eked out a 28-26 win on the road. But Clemson started Kelly Bryant in that game, and not superstar freshman Trevor Lawrence. Every game that Lawrence has started and finished this year, Clemson has won by double digits.

Alabama meanwhile rolled through most of the SEC. The exception came against Georgia in the SEC championship game, when the Crimson Tide memorably pulled out a 35-28 win. Georgia is the only team all year to keep Alabama from winning by double digits.

The Tigers have a tremendous pass rush, but its secondary has some serious questions marks. Clemson has played strong defenses before, but it hasn’t faced off against a quarterback of Tua Tagovailoa’s ability all season. I expect Tagovailoa to have a big game and for Alabama to win comfortably.

As for what Georgia fans should want to have happen, I think it’s an Alabama win, and preferably a big one. For starters, Alabama winning does make Georgia look better, even if the result makes the SEC championship game all the more painful.

You also have to wonder what kind of effect winning back-to-back titles would have on Alabama and Nick Saban going into 2019. It’s something Alabama has only done once under Saban. No team has won three consecutive national titles since the BCS system was introduced in 1998. It’s a lot easier year to be the hunter than the hunted, which is what Alabama would be next

And if Clemson were to win, the Tigers would emerge as an even more serious challenger to Alabama than Georgia. That is something that would have an effect on recruiting and is something that Dabo Swinney would surely bring up.

In an alternate universe, Georgia is playing for a national championship on Monday night. But in this world, I think it’s best for Alabama to win big over Clemson.

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