“Rookies on a Mission: Georgia Football’s Rising Stars Ready to Rewrite Their Legacies”
As the dust settles from another dynamic season of Georgia Bulldogs football, one thing is abundantly clear: change is in the air. Head coach Kirby Smart is facing the largest roster turnover he has witnessed in a decade—a stark reminder that even the mightiest programs must recalibrate. With the spring practices underway, the team is brimming with fresh faces and burgeoning talent, setting a stage that is both daunting and exhilarating.
Micah Morris, the last holdover from the 2021 recruitment class, stands as a beacon of experience amid a sea of newcomers. His journey through the ups and downs of championship ambitions gives him a unique vantage point as he guides younger teammates navigating this challenging transition. While the specter of uncertainty looms with new roles being filled and team dynamics shifting, an unmistakable hunger for success pulses through the locker room.
Players are determined not to let a rebuilding phase define their aspirations—after all, the pursuit of a national championship remains the ultimate goal. The energy and enthusiasm among these young athletes hints at a fertile ground for growth and achievement. As preparations intensify ahead of the much-anticipated G-Day spring game, the Bulldogs are not merely looking to fill gaps; they’re laying the foundation for a new chapter in their storied legacy.
In the upcoming weeks, a blend of experience and youthful exuberance will surely play a pivotal role in shaping the season ahead, and the fervent optimism suggests that this reset might just lead to remarkable outcomes. The journey starts here—let’s see how it unfolds. LEARN MORE
- Micah Morris is the last remaining player from the University of Georgia’s 2021 recruiting class and one of two players remaining from the 2021 national championship team.
- The Georgia Bulldogs are looking to bounce back after losing in the 2024 College Football Playoff quarterfinals to Notre Dame.
- The Bulldogs are a young team with many new players in new positions.
- Head Coach Kirby Smart acknowledges the team’s youth and emphasizes the need to start from scratch and make no assumptions.
- Despite the team’s youth, players express a strong desire to win a national championship.
Georgia was kept out of the College Football Playoff in 2023 after going 12-0 in the regular season and then losing to Alabama in the SEC championship game. Its 2024 season ended in the CFP quarterfinals with a loss to Notre Dame.“Half the time, I don’t know who that guy is,” he said. “Just maturing, thinking about all the great times I’ve had here. All the good memories, the locker room, the camaraderie, the jokes, the friendships, the bonds that I’ve built here.”“We have got more new people in new positions than in the 10 years I’ve been here,” Smart said. “And every year, that has probably ratcheted up a little bit, but it is to the point where you almost have to start, like no one knows anything. Make no assumptions, don’t assume anything, and start all over and go ground up.”He said he usually tries to convey that to his younger teammates during film sessions and with words of encouragement on the practice field.Monroe Freeling, a junior offensive tackle, called this year’s Bulldogs “a really young team.”
“After the game, everyone was like, ‘We left so much on the table,’” junior tight end Lawson Luckie said. “Everyone knows that this year, and we’ve got such a young team. We don’t really have many people on the team that have won rings. Last year we had a bunch of people who won a ring or two. This year everyone’s hungry, everyone’s got something to prove. I’m excited for that. We haven’t won a lot here. At least my class. We’ve won, but we haven’t got the big one and we’re excited to work towards that.”Morris tries to share with players that haven’t been around as long what he’s learned from four seasons in the program.
The photo the offensive guard sees above his locker is still the one when he first arrived as a 17-year old from Camden County High in January of 2021.“The standard at Georgia is to win a national championship, to win it all,” Delp said. “We don’t go into a season thinking that’s not going to happen. I think every year I’ve been here I think I should have had a national championship.”
With it came a couple of national championships.“Anytime Coach (Kirby) Smart looks for an older guy, it’s always my name that comes up,” he said.
“I think everyone on this team is more hungry because most people on this team haven’t won a national championship — including myself,” Freeling said. “I think that drive and sour taste left in our mouth will bring us into the next season starting strong.”There are no starters left from the Bulldogs’ 2022 national championship team but seven players who saw action in the game remain: Morris, safety JaCorey Thomas, tight end Oscar Delp, running back Branson Robinson, cornerback Daylen Everette, wide receiver Dillon Bell and punter Brett Thorson.
Micah Morris is going through his fifth spring with Georgia football.Morris is the only player that remains from the 20-player 2021 Georgia signing class that ranked fourth in the nation.“Trying to give wisdom, knowledge to them,” he said, “that if you trust the process, it will work out.”Said inside linebacker Justin Williams: “I feel like it drives us every day. We know what we came here for. We came here to win championships. That’s all we’re here to do is win and hold up to that standard.”Morris and running back Cash Jones, who came to Georgia as a walk-on, are the only remaining players from Georgia’s 2021 national championship roster.
“I just try to give wisdom — maybe that’s the right word — wisdom to the younger guys because I’ve seen it all, the two national championships back-to-back, the SEC championships, multiple appearances,” Morris said.Making a championship run isn’t currently on the top of the minds of coaches as the Bulldogs wrap up spring practice with Saturday’s G-Day spring game. Getting another overhauled roster up to speed is front and center.
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