Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart is excited that spring practice is underway. Georgia begins spring practice on March 12 and looks to improve its team ahead of the 2024 college football season.
Smart shared a dozen injury updates to open his first spring practice press conference. He then mentioned what Georgia’s goal is ahead of spring practice.
“Goal of spring for me would be to expand our roster of winning football players. What defines above the line and below the line is can you play winning football? We’ve probably got 30 or 40 guys that have proven that. We’ve got another 30 or 40 that have to prove that to get the team we need to have ready to go play the schedule we have.”
This spring, Smart and Georgia have more than 25 new players on the roster when accounting for both early enrollees and incoming transfers. Smart has previously harped on the importance of having depth ahead of the spring practice.
247Sports’ Josh Pate asked Smart what has his attention and concerns him entering spring practice.
“Depth. Depth at all positions. Like can we create offensive and defensive line depth,” Smart said. “When I look across football the game is changing. Less big guys are playing. … every NFL scout that comes in here and says we can’t find offensive linemen.”
Georgia plays against 10 Power Five opponents this season, so the Bulldogs will inevitably suffer some injuries along the way. Georgia lost more than 30 players to the NFL draft and transfer portal combined, so the Dawgs are trying to rebuild much of their depth chart.
Georgia enters the spring with depth concerns at quarterback (only three scholarship players), tight end (Pearce Spurlin medically retired), running back (UGA lost its two leading rushers to the draft), and defensive back (Georgia lost three members of its secondary to the NFL). Georgia’s spring game is on April 13 at 1 p.m. ET.
