Despite losing George Pickens, Jermaine Burton and AD Mitchell in recent years to either the NFL draft or the NCAA transfer portal, the Georgia Bulldogs are loaded up at the wide receiver position heading into the 2023 season.
Georgia returns Ladd McConkey, who is entering his redshirt junior year in Athens. He was the team’s leading wide receiver last year with 762 yards and nine total touchdowns.
After a 2022 offseason that saw Georgia stay inactive in the transfer portal, Kirby Smart took a different approach in 2023. UGA went and signed two standout receivers from the portal: Dominic Lovett from Missouri and Rara Thomas from Mississippi State.
College Sports Wire recently released ranked its top-12 SEC wide receivers for the 2023 college football season and included Lovett, McConkey, and Thomas.
Lovett checked in at No. 4, McConkey No. 6 and Thomas at No. 8 to give Georgia three of the top-ten ranked wide receivers in the SEC this year.
Oh, and this does not include tight end Brock Bowers, who is without a doubt the best pass-catcher in the conference entering 2023.
Regarding Lovett, Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire wrote:
Lovett finished No. 8 in receiving yards last season with Missouri. Now as he heads to Georgia, the former Tigers wide receiver is expected to be the top receiver for the Bulldogs. He and tight end Brock Bowers should command a lot of attention in the passing game. New quarterback Carson Beck should have an easier time getting acclimated due to having this duo on his team. Ladd McConkey also finished among the top 10 in yards last season.
Lovett’s 2022 stats: 56 catches, 846 yards, 3 touchdowns
On McConkey:
McConkey was a key member of the last two national championship teams in Athens. He hauled in 5 passes for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 2022-23 national title game against TCU. He returns along with Brock Bowers to team up with newcomers RaRa Thomas and Dominic Lovett. The Bulldogs should have an explosive offense in the upcoming season.
McConkey’s 2022 stats: 58 catches, 762 yards, 9 total touchdowns
And on Thomas:
Thomas, much like Lovett, leaves one SEC team to team up with the two-time defending national champions. Thomas has already dealt with offseason issues after being arrested this offseason. An epidemic that has seemed to spread across the Bulldogs team. If he can put that behind him, Thomas should be a key contributor for Georgia. He didn’t play a snap in the spring game and head coach Kirby Smart stated he “has some things to work on.” We shall see if he gets that sorted out ahead of the 2023 college football season, but Thomas has the talent to be an impact playmaker.
Thomas’ 2022 stats: 44 catches, 626 yards, 7 touchdowns
