What changes for the Georgia football wide receiver room after adding Isiah Canion

System · January 9

What changes for the Georgia football wide receiver room after adding Isiah Canion

flipside · January 9

We/ve got a room full of talls, would like to see us pick up a smaller, shiftier slot receiver along the lines of Ladd and Z to round out the room.

railroadtrack1 · January 9

The Richardson kid seemed to fit the bill. Louisville must have opened the bag longer than Kirby was willing to. I hope that what the article says is true about more talented options becoming available after the playoffs are over.

Unknown · January 9

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randomsportsfan · January 9

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/825189#Comment_825189

I say the opposite @flipside

The national title winning teams - Bama, FSU, Clemson, LSU in the 2010s, Ohio State and Georgia recently - all had big WRs like Mike Williams (6'4" 220), Justin Jefferson (6'1", 205), Justyn Ross (6'4", 210), Julio Jones (6'3", 220), Jeremiah Smith (6'3" 223 lbs) and Carnell Tate (6'3" 200) lbs.
What about Georgia, you ask? Well they had Brock Bowers, who played the X receiver role in the offense. And let's be honest: Bowers was 6'3" and the combine and his playing weight is about 230-235 lbs. Plenty of WRs like Vincent Jackson (6'5", 230 lbs), Calvin Johnson (6'5", 240 lbs), Mike Evans (6'5, 231 lbs), Mike Williams of USC (6'5" 235 lbs) are as big or bigger. With few exceptions, Darnell Washington being among them, the TEs that Kirby Smart recruits are TEs in name only. They can't pass-protect at the line of scrimmage or even run block at the line of scrimmage because they are too small to block DLs and even a lot of LBs. They are effective blocking downfield, but not much more than bigger WRs are.
When you have a Brock Bowers at TE, then yes, a bunch of shorter and more slender guys at the other positions is "fine." Due to injuries to Pickens and Mitchell, UGA had Bowers at X playing with what were effectively 3 slot WRs in 2021 and 2022. But when you don't have a Brock Bowers it doesn't work. Even when that slot WR is Branch. UGA's offense only scored 27 points against an Ole Miss defense that has people talking about Carson Beck like a potential first round pick again and allowed WR Keeland Marion, a journeyman who is on his 3rd team in 5 seasons, to have the best game of his college career. (Marion's only other 100 yard game this season came against an injury-riddled Syracuse team that lost 70-7 to Notre Dame).
With the actual "big receivers" UGA hasn't had many good ones. At all. Javon Wims (6'3", 215 lbs), George Pickens (6'3" 220 lbs) are it. Of course, as UGA hasn't had very many good WRs, meaning guys that reach 700 yards, period (Wims, Pickens, McConkey, Mitchell and Branch are all, plus Lawrence Cager would have had he not gotten hurt) so the few big WRs that Smart lands are overrepresented among the good ones.

Hopefully the focus on big WRs lately shows that Smart is going from "TEs with WRs as complimentary players" to realizing that he needs big playmaking TEs who can make plays downfield on 50/50 balls. If he had realized this a couple of years ago, Carson Beck would taken UGA to the championship game instead of Miami.

flipside · January 9

So you don't like the Ladd/Branch types.

jamboogie · January 10

you could be 6 foot eight but you still have to run a good route and somebody has to call a play that gets you the ball. We throw a lot of flat passes and not sure height is a big factor in such.

SnakeScott13 · January 10

Not going to matter until Dawgs can become a deep threat for teams to scheme for . The short field plays are getting them smoked .

What changes for the Georgia football wide receiver room after adding Isiah Canion

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