In honor of the College Football Playoff, Sports Illustrated is naming the all-time team for three of the sport’s historic programs. Before No. 1 seed Georgia continues its title defense against Ohio State in Saturday’s semifinal, let’s look back at its best players at every position. The list of the greatest to ever wear the red and black includes dangerous defenders, electrifying wide receivers and a specialist with distinctive eyewear.
More All-Time Teams: Michigan | Ohio State
Offense:
QB Aaron Murray (2010 to ’13)
RB Herschel Walker (1980 to ’82)
RB Frank Sinkwich (1940 to ’42)
WR Terrence Edwards (1999 to 2002)
WR A.J. Green (2008 to ’10)
TE Randy McMichael (1999 to 2001)
OL Matt Stinchcomb (1995 to ’98)
OL Pat Dye (1958 to ’60)
OL Ben Jones (2008 to ’11)
OL David Andrews (2011 to ’14)
OL Andrew Thomas (2017 to ’19)
Defense:
DE David Pollack (2001 to ’04)
DT Bill Stanfill (1966 to ’68)
DT Richard Seymour (1997 to 2000)
DE Richard Tardits (1985 to ’88)
LB Jarvis Jones (2011 and ’12)
LB Roquan Smith (2015 to ’17)
LB Knox Culpepper (1981 to ’84)
CB Champ Bailey (1996 to ’98)
CB Deandre Baker (2015 to ’18)
SS John Little (1983 to ’86)
FS Thomas Davis (2002 to ’04)
Special Teams:
K Rodrigo Blankenship (2016 to ’19)
P Drew Butler (2009 to ’11)
RET Brandon Boykin (2008 to ’11)
Coach:
Vince Dooley (1964 to ’88)
Roster Highlights:
Coach: Vince Dooley
Georgia’s winningest coach presided over fundamentally sound teams in Athens, leading the Dawgs to a national championship in 1980 and six SEC titles, including three in a row from ’80 to ’82.
Quarterback: Aaron Murray
Georgia’s all-time leading passer with 13,166 yards was the first SEC quarterback ever to eclipse 3,000 yards in four consecutive seasons.
Wide receiver: A.J. Green
The 6’4” Green was a tough cover anywhere on the field but especially around the goal line: The agile athlete snagged 23 touchdowns in 32 games
Wide receiver: Terrence Edwards
Edwards holds school records for receiving yards in a season (1,004) and career (3,093), as well as career marks in receptions (204) and receiving TDs (30).
Defensive end: David Pollack
His 36 career sacks—including 14 in 2002 and 12 1/2 in ’04—are a school record, and Pollack is the only Georgia player besides Herschel Walker to be named All-American three times.
Linebacker: Roquan Smith
Few covered the field like Smith, who in 2017 was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and also became the first Bulldog to win the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker.
Cornerback: Champ Bailey
In addition to being a shutdown corner, Bailey was also a weapon as a wide receiver: In 1998 he supplemented his three interceptions with 47 catches for 744 yards and five touchdowns.
Cornerback: Deandre Baker
The winner of the Jim Thorpe Award in 2018 as the nation’s top defensive back, Baker had seven interceptions and allowed only one TD in his career.
Free safety: Thomas Davis
Equally dangerous in pass coverage or attacking at the line of scrimmage, Davis was a consensus All-American in 2004.
Kicker: Rodrigo Blankenship
The bespectacled Blankenship is the school’s all-time leader in field goal accuracy at 82.5%; he never missed an extra point in 200 attempts and won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top kicker in 2019.
