Georgia Football: What George Pickens injury means for Bulldogs

After a tough and uncertain 2020 College Football season, Georgia football finished as one of the top teams despite not winning the SEC East.

The Bulldogs were looking forward to having a highly efficient offense going into the spring and 2021 College Football season. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, their offense has hit another roadblock as junior star wide receiver George Pickens suffered a torn ACL in Tuesday’s practice.

His injury will require surgery and it is unknown whether or not he will be back at some point in the 2021 season. His loss is highly significant as he was the most productive receiver for the Bulldogs in the past two seasons.

Pickens was regarded as one of the top receivers in the SEC and one of the most experienced receivers in the nation. His ability to get open in deep routes and be the main workforce for the Bulldogs’ passing offense.

Last season, Pickens caught 36 receptions (second-on-team) for 513 yards and six touchdowns (first-on-team). He only played in eight games this past season as he had his best games in the final two games of the 2020 season.

This past season, Georgia Football had to switch from Stetson Bennett to JT Daniels, which propelled the offense late in the season. Georgia’s offense was ranked 38th in points per game (32.3) and 46th in passing yards per game (234.6).

Pickens was named by Athlon Sports as a potential 2020 breakout candidate despite having more impact in his freshman season in 2019. That season, he caught 49 receptions for 727 yards and eight touchdowns (team-high) under senior quarterback Jake Fromm. He was named by 247Sports as a second-team All-Freshman in 2019.

Pickens’ dominance on-the-field and leadership will be tough to replace for Georgia football in 2021.

The combination of a reliable and efficient quarterback in Daniels and the high-caliber receiving abilities of Pickens would have made them one of the top QB-WR duos in the nation.

Without the explosive abilities of Pickens, the Bulldogs will have to revitalize their passing offense through another starter or have the next player on the depth chart step up.

Junior wide receiver Jaylen Johnson is next on the depth chart after Pickens, but he has limited experience. He played in 10 games as a reserve receiver but without any catches. One player who is likely to make a fierce return on the field for Georgia is redshirt sophomore wide receiver Dominick Blaylock, who missed all of last season with a knee injury during a preseason practice. Blaylock caught 18 receptions for 310 yards and five touchdowns in his true freshman season in 2019.

While Johnson, Blaylock, and other potential receivers compete for the starting x-receiver, there will be some serious discussion on each receiver will immediately take over the #1 receiver for Daniels.

Last season, slot receiver Kearis Jackson finished the season as the leading receiver for receptions (36) and yards (514). He was heavily relied on when Pickens was out last season and when Stetson was the starting quarterback. The Bulldogs could rely on sophomore z-receiver Jermaine Burton, who had 27 receptions for 404 yards and three touchdowns.

This will be a huge season for the Bulldogs and their offense with Todd Monken going into his second season as offensive coordinator. With the rest of the SEC East having to reload many of their top playmakers on offense, the Bulldogs were feeling great about their potential. Now they must prepare for a 2021 season without the possibility of Pickens for an unspecified duration.