Five Georgia Bulldogs were recently included on Athlon Sports’ preseason All-American teams.
The three Bulldogs who earned first-team honors should not be difficult to guess — tight end Brock Bowers, cornerback Kelee Ringo and defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Outside linebacker Nolan Smith earned second team honors. Safety Chris Smith made the fourth team.
We'll just talk about the @AthlonSports Preseason All-Americans… @brockbowers17 Dawg!@breadmanjalen Dawg!@KeleeRingo Dawg!@SmithNoland2 Dawg!@cpsmithdb is a Dawg!#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/WnCVAvLcfu
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) July 13, 2022
Both Carter and Ringo are expected to be early picks in next year’s NFL draft and will be the leaders on Georgia’s 2022 defense along with outside linebacker Nolan Smith and safety Chris Smith.
Ringo, a redshirt sophomore and former five-star recruit out of Scottsdale, Arizona, recorded 34 tackles, two interceptions and a touchdown that will go down as maybe the greatest play in the history of Georgia football.
Pro Football Focus recently listed its top ten defensive tackle prospects for the 2023 NFL draft, with Carter checking in at No. 1. A junior out of Apopka, Florida, Carter is coming off a season in which he recorded 37 tackles, 8.5 for a loss and three sacks.
Bowers will only be a sophomore next season but was surely America’s top tight end in 2021.
He was easily Georgia’s biggest offensive weapon last season and reeled in 56 catches for 882 yards, 13 receiving touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown en route to being named a member of the Associated Press and Coaches’ All-SEC First Team. His 13 receiving touchdowns are a single season record at UGA. He was also named the SEC Freshman of the Year.
Nolan Smith and Christopher Smith both opted to return to Georgia for their senior seasons and boost their draft stock.
Both played a huge role on Georgia’s 2021 defense and will look to do so again in 2022.
Nolan Smith recorded 53 total tackles, 8 for a loss, 4.5 sacks, 1 interception and 3 forced fumbles last season and will be one of the league’s best pass rushers this fall.
Christopher Smith started the season with a pick-six against Clemson in a 10-3 victory and closed it with a nice showing against Alabama in the national title game.
