Tag: uga football roster

UGA football player card: WR Matt Landers

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers will look to provide a red zone threat for the Dawgs in 2020.

Matt Landers, Wide Receiver (#5):

Class: Junior

Height: 6-5

Weight: 200 pounds

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida

High School: St. Petersburg High School

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers had an up and down season in 2019.  Landers and Tommy Bush are Georgia’s two tallest wide receivers. Will one of them be able to step up and help replace Lawrence Cager’s ability to win jump balls?

Georgia could use another red zone threat in 2020. George Pickens is expected to be a star next season, but he can’t do it all on his own. Plenty of wide receivers will have chance to step up from UGA. Landers has the size to be a red zone mismatch.

Landers came to Athens as a three-star recruit, but don’t rule him out in the wide receiver competition. He is an excellent blocker and will contribute to the team. Improved consistency would go a long way for Landers.

He saved his best for last against the Baylor Bears in the Sugar Bowl. Landers caught three passes for 25 yards and scored this sweet touchdown:

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Georgia Bulldogs player card: OLB Nolan Smith

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker/defensive end Nolan Smith came to Athens as an elite five-star prospect from IMG Academy.

[jwplayer pEQqjlwD-er0jUifI]

Nolan Smith Outside Linebacker (#4):

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6-3

Weight: 235 pounds

Hometown: Savannah, Georgia

High School: IMG Academy

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker/defensive end Nolan Smith came to Athens as an elite five-star prospect. He was the nation’s top prospect according to some sites. He played both defensive line and running back in high school (he transferred to IMG Academy for his senior season)

Smith saw a bunch of playing time as a freshman. He played in all 14 games and was around the quarterback a lot (15 pressures), but only converted those pressures into 2.5 sacks. Look for Smith to have a breakout season as a sophomore, even though he made a big impact as a freshman and was arguably UGA’s best pass-rusher.

Smith helped Georgia have the number one scoring defense and the nation’s top run defense in 2019. Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning and the Bulldog defense should be elite once again in 2020.

Jan 1, 2020; New Orleans: Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nolan Smith tackles Baylor Bears quarterback Jacob Zeno in the Sugar Bowl. Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Georgia Bulldogs player card: RB James Cook

Georgia Bulldogs running back Jame Cook is projected to start as the third down back for Todd Monken and UGA’s offense in 2020.

Running Back James Cook (#4):

Class: Junior

Height: 5-11

Weight: 190 pounds

Hometown: Miami, Florida

High School: Miami Central High School

Nov 30, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back James Cook  runs the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Bulldogs running back Jame Cook is projected to start as the third down back for Todd Monken and UGA’s offense in 2020. Cook has a unique skill-set and is a versatile back, who is a threat as both a runner and a receiver.

Cook gained 320 yards on 47 total touches in 2019. Look for him to be more involved in Georgia’s rushing attack in 2020 following the departure of D’Andre Swift. Zamir White is projected to start, but Cook offers more in obvious passing situations. Cook came to Georgia as a four-star recruit.

As Dawg fans know, James Cook is the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Georgia Bulldogs player profile: RB Zamir White

Georgia Bulldogs running back Zamir White came to Athens as an elite five-star recruit. He has some impressive high school highlights.

Running Back Zamir White (#3):

Class: Redshirt Sophomore

Height: 6-0

Weight: 215 pounds

Hometown: Laurinburg, NC

High School: Scotland High School

Georgia Bulldogs running back Zamir White came to Athens as an elite five-star recruit. White was the top-rated RB prospect in the class of 2018.

He put up insane numbers in high school. In his career he scored over 100 touchdowns and finished his career as the ninth highest rusher in North Carolina High School history with over 7,000 yards. He averaged over fourteen yards per carry during his senior season. His high school highlights are certainly worth a watch:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NWa6HolpNg&w=560&h=370]

Unfortunately for White, he tore his ACL in the high school playoffs as a senior and tore it again before his Georgia freshman season in 2018.

Zeus was the co-winner of David Jacobs Award for overcoming injury during the 2019 season along with QB D’Wan Mathis.He changed the script last season and stayed healthy throughout the season. He gained 408 yards last season on 78 carries, including 18 carries for 92 yards in a Sugar Bowl victory over the Baylor Bears.

White is projected to start for UGA at running back in 2020. He will share the backfield with James Cook, Kendall Milton, and Kenny McIntosh. Georgia’s running back competition for carries will be interesting to watch throughout 2020.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Georgia football player profile: CB Tyson Campbell

Georgia Bulldogs cornerback Tyson Campbell came to Athens as a highly touted five-star recruit from American Heritage High School.

Cornerback Tyson Campbell (#3):

Class: Junior

Height: 6-2

Weight: 185 lbs

Hometown: Plantation, Florida

High School: American Heritage

Georgia Bulldogs cornerback Tyson Campbell came to Athens as a highly touted five-star recruit. Campbell helped lead American Heritage to a state championship in 2017.

Campbell is a key piece of UGA’s roster in 2020. If Campbell can step up, then Georgia will have two elite corners on the outside (Campbell would join Eric Stokes). Campbell has work to do before taking the starting job. Last season D.J. Daniel took over Campbell’s starting spot following the third game of the season.

Campbell is now a veteran and certainly has the talent to contribute to Georgia’s elite defense. Additionally, he missed five games last season with a turf toe injury. His position battle with D.J. Daniel will be one of Georgia’s most intriguing intra-squad competitions to start the 2020 season. Georgia has solid depth at cornerback either way.

Campbell and sad Georgia Tech fans will never forget his second career touchdown (video per GeorgiaHeroes):

Sep 8, 2018; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Bryan Edwards makes a catch covered Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Tyson Campbell  at Williams-Brice Stadium.  Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]