Georgia Football: Can the Bulldogs Three-Peat as National Champions in 2023?

It took Georgia 41 years to finally win a second national title at the end of the 2021 season. Now, it has taken just 364 short days to win their third. It has now taken 12 hours for people to start to use the word “dynasty” when referring to Kirby Smart’s program. I mean, if last night’s game is any indication, they could even lobby to move to play in the NFL next season.

In case you’re wondering, the last time one program won three straight national titles, it was Minnesota in 1934, '35, and '36. But now, after they just de-pantsed TCU by a 65-7 count, the big question is whether or not the Bulldogs can become the first program in 86 years to go back-to-back-to-back. (Doesn't Pat Riley have a patent on the word "three-peat"?)

Related: Georgia Goes Back-to-Back With Historic Demolition of TCU in CFB Playoff National Championship

And the worse news for SEC rivals and college football in general is that there appears to be zero indication that the Bulldogs are going away anytime soon. Remember last April when the defense had five first-round draft picks and eight draftees overall get pulled into the NFL? Then look what happened after that, the defense hardly had any type of drop-off. Going into this postseason the Junkyard Dogs were allowing just 11.3 points per game and 271 yards per game through their first 12 games. On Monday night, they held TCU to seven measly points.

That’s what you call reloading, not rebuilding.

But that’s what you get when you have 66 four- or five-star recruits on your roster. Sixty-six. And that is also why you won’t find too many tears being shed for coach Smart and the Dogs because people know there will just be new names with that same insane amount of talent to plug into the few holes that this year’s lineup will lose.

And yes, it can very well be argued that ole Kirby has followed the same blueprint that Nick Saban has used at Alabama in helping him to keep this SEC East monster still as the top dog (pun slightly intended, sure). Recruit, forge on, succeed, reload. And that is why the Georgia Bulldogs have a legit chance to grab yet another national title following the 2023 season, whether the college football world likes it or not.

Related: College Football's Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2023

Offense

Key Returnees

Daijun Edwards, RB
Kendall Milton, RB
Brock Bowers, TE
Darnell Washington, TE (could leave early for NFL)
Ladd McConkey, WR
Adonai Mitchell, WR
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, WR
Arian Smith, WR
Warren McClendon, OL
Tate Ratledge, OL
Xavier Truss, OL

Likely Key Departures

Stetson Bennett, QB
Kenny McIntosh, RB
Kearis Jackson, WR
Broderick Jones, OT
Sedrick Van Pran, C
Jack Podlesny, PK

Defense

Key Returnees

Bear Alexander, DL
Zion Logue, DL
Nazir Stackhouse, DL
Tramel Walthour, DL
Mykel Williams, DL
Jamon Dumas-Johnson, LB
Smael Mondon, LB
Javon Bullard, DB
Kamari Lassiter, DB
Tykee Smith, DB
Malaki Starks, DB

Likely Key Departures

Jalen Carter, DL
Robert Beal Jr., LB
Kelee Ringo, CB
Christopher Smith, S

Three Offseason Storylines to Watch

1. Quarterback competition
Obviously, the most important player in Georgia football history will now move on and have to be replaced. Stetson Bennett, who was told time and time again that he wasn’t good enough or didn’t have an NFL-type arm, is the guy who put the chip on Georgia’s shoulders the last few seasons, going 29-3 as a starter. But his indomitable spirit is also what has galvanized this program to earn a pair of title rings. Yes, there were stronger arms on the Georgia sidelines. Yes, there were faster feet. Yes, there were four- and five-star operatives in every practice. But it was Bennett who just kept pushing through on sheer will, winning the quarterback job and then winning (almost) every game that was thrown at him. That will leave a giant hole to fill.

And now that’s where we turn our attention to who will the NEW leader of the Bulldogs will be? Redshirt junior Carson Beck was listed as the No. 2 QB. He is a former four-star prepster with size (6-4, 225) and looks like he has an NFL-ready right arm. An absolute cannon. He has the look of a future first-round draftee-to-be. It’s almost unfair, right? Well, that’s where we are with this Georgia Bulldog program. He’ll have to hold off redshirt freshman Brock Vandagriff, who was listed as the third-stringer. And of course, we live in the era of the transfer portal, so you never know who might end up in Athens during this offseason.

2. Reloading the defense
As you guys all know by now last year’s defense lost a ton of talent and yet the Bulldogs were right back there at the top of the defensive statistics once again. But that’s what you get when you have Kirby Smart as your head coach and Will Muschamp as your co-defensive coordinator. These guys are defensive gearheads. It’s what they live for. Believe it or not, the Junkyard Dogs were a pretty youthful defense this season, starting seven freshmen or sophomores for most of the season. Three departures will be significant in the form of D-end Jalen Carter, CB Kelee Ringo and safety Christopher Smith. So if you think about it, they lost eight NFL draftees off that defense last season. How good will they be when they only lose three? It can be pretty scary to think about, especially considering the clamps they put on TCU. The next big difference-makers that will be the next big Bulldog stars will be D-end Mykel Williams, LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson, LB Smael Mondon, and safety Malaki Starks. Oh, and you saw the kind of night that freshman D-lineman Bear Alexander had against TCU, right? There will still be a ton of talent to plug in and probably lead the SEC in defense once again in nine months.

3. Avoiding complacency
Kirby Smart talked before the title game about how his team found its own motivation this season. After last year’s national title win, he says that “nobody gave us a chance to win it again this year.” (to which I disagree strongly, but I digress). His program used those seeds of doubt to grow into another title-chasing team.

Obviously, now that they have won a second straight national title, the big bugaboo will be if this team rests on its laurels. Back-to-back national titles are an incredible accomplishment. Will they let that define them going into the 2023 season? You heard Smart say after the game that his program is successful because there is no entitlement in his players (though he did say it is starting to “creep in”). Will they be able to find that self-motivation once again to push through to another title run? They won’t have their glue guy Stetson Bennett to get them over some big-time obstacles like he did this season. They’ll need to find someone else to will them to victory, even when they aren’t playing their best. And of course, college football pundits everywhere will wonder, now with Bennett gone, will they be able to win more rings – conference or nationally – with somebody else behind center? That should get them motivated.

— Written by Eric Sorenson, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. He is a college football, college baseball and college hockey addict... and writer. Follow him on Twitter @Stitch_Head.