Ethan Barbour is an exception on the Georgia roster. Despite being in his second year with the program, Saturday will be his first road game.
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I'm excited about seeing the new guys take some swings in an SEC game that should be more forgiving to some mistakes. In the bigger picture, I'm concerned about the Dawgs having one of the youngest teams and what impact that will have on their CFP chances. Who will be this year's Indiana? When I research average team age, it doesn't really offer much insight as there isn't much difference between the teams (ironically Arkansas is oldest in SEC?), so I'm curious about the breakdown of starting player ages (e.g., Indiana in 2025 was ~22). This year, Utah is one of the oldest teams on average sitting near the CFP bracket and could be a team to dissect more. I apologize for getting a little off topic, but the talent/experience dynamic has obviously changed.
I get your approach about veteran players usually giving a team an edge. That’s solid thinking. But I’m gonna trust in Kirby’s recruiting skills and in his coaching style.
Kirby looks at players who he thinks best fits his program. And he doesn’t seem to get bogged down in star ratings. One of the best examples of that was Ladd McConkey a 2 star ( might have been 3 star) QB in HS. Kirby knew what he wanted Ladd to be right from the start.
Where some coaches might see a 3 star as a flea market pick, many times Kirby sees what they Can be and views them as Gold !! By the time this season is over True Freshmen like Tyriq Green and Kaiden Prothro will be Elite players for the 2028 season. Of course in those two cases they were both 5 stars if memory serves.
I’m not a prophet so I can’t make guarantees. But I think this Dawgs team will be in very serious contention for the Ntl. Title !! Go Dawgs !!
I fully anticipate Arkansas will be a significant step up in competition and in a hostile environment to boot. Yes, Saturday will be a much anticipated litmus test for these '26 Dawgs.
This will definitely be a test for the young Dawgs. I’m sure KS and the coaching staff will be excited and anxious to see how they perform against much better competition on the road. This game should give us some answers as to where this team is early in the season. Next week will be another step up in competition, so this is what it’s about in the SEC. This team seems to have a very good combination of veteran players and talented young players, now they just have to show how good they are. Go Dawgs!
