Georgia Football: Top 5 spring 2019 storylines to follow

1. Lead dogs 

How hungry are the Bulldogs entering spring ball and ultimately the 2019 season?

Since exploding back onto the scene (and the SEC East) in 2017, Georgia has looked very, very hungry. But the 2018 Sugar Bowl left anything but a sweet taste. The Bulldogs took the field in New Orleans looking uninterested and unmotivated.

Is this just because, for the second year in a row, the Bulldogs fell short of their ultimate goal? Or has Kirby’s message growing stale? And what about Fromm—is he still the lead dog?

With six recent arrests and the very public departure of Justin Fields, the Bulldogs need some juice. Where are they going to get it?

Certainly the Bulldogs will not enter the 2019 season like they did the Superdome. They will be fired up. It’s a new season and a new shot at the crown.

But this is also a revitalized SEC East: the Gators will no longer be pushed around and it’s unclear how much longer the Tennessee Vols can be held down. Not to mention Georgia Tech just a couple hours down the road. No more triple option, lots of new energy.

So far Smart and his staff have been great at identifying leaders. Despite considerable attrition, Smart might have his best group in 2019. All of the players that former coach Mark Richt recruited are gone, with many of Smart’s recruits entering their third year. This includes veteran leadership from Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift, Andrew Thomas, Isaiah Wilson, Richard LeCounte III, Malik Herring, Ben Cleveland, Solomon Kindley, and Jeremiah Holloman.

Strong leadership is what the Bulldogs need if they are going to shake off the 2018 season and finally take that next step. As fall 2019 approaches, it will be interesting to see who emerges from the pack to set this standard in Athens.