What Georgia football players said about why offense underperformed last season (2025)

The drop in production in the raw numbers of the Georgia football offense last season tells one story.

Hearing from players about what went into the Bulldogs back sliding adds to the understanding.

“We didn’t have the offseason and the preparation that we wanted to last year,” junior Lawson Luckie said.

He was speaking in particular of the tight end group he’s a part of, but also said this about the offense as a whole: “We weren’t consistent every single day behind the scenes in practice. I feel like we picked it up later towards the (end of the) year.”

Said senior tight end Oscar Delp: “We let a lot of things get to our head as an offense. I know the type of players we have on this team, we had on this team. I still don’t doubt we have the best offense in the country. It just comes down to we’ve got to make plays when they’re coming our way.”

Georgia coach Kirby Smart stood pat with the entire coaching staff, including bringing back offensive coordinator Mike Bobo for a third season of his second stint — even with discontent from some in the fan base wanting a change.

“Yeah, to be honest with you, I don't get into it much,” Smart said. “I worked in a place for ten years before I came here, and it's my tenth spring. So, that's 20 years that I really don't pay much attention to anything outside. I've got a lot of confidence in this organization, the foundation we've built.”

Georgia’s points per game last season dropped from 40.1 to 31.5 and its national rank from fifth to 38^th. It ranked 51^st in total offense at 405.4 yards per game, down from 496.5 when it was fifth but the Bulldogs played a rugged SEC schedule with road games at Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss.

“Everybody’s going to have their outside opinion on what should be done, what shouldn’t be done,” said Dominic Lovett, who led Georgia in receptions with 59 and touchdown catches with 6 last season. “A lot of people don’t know what I feel like. Coach Bobo was a great offensive coordinator. It was a lot of times Coach Bobo called great calls and us as a team, we just didn’t execute them. If we don’t execute them it makes it seem like Coach Bobo’s bad. When we went in and we watched film, we saw mistakes that we made that we could have capitalized on that we didn’t help him out with.”

Georgia has focused this spring on running the ball better after ranking second-to-last in the SEC in rushing yards at 124.4 yards per game and the Bulldogs pass-catchers had persistent issues with drops.

“Just as last year, we’re taking it personal," sophomore wide receiver Sacovie White Tuesday. "We’re more bought in to getting catches after practice and really focused on two hands and two eyes.”

“It just takes confidence to be able to play," Delp said. "You get catches early, they kind of keep on coming. I think at times, I’ve done it before everyone’s done it before, you see it in the NFL, you see it everywhere, you can’t just let one bad play turn into another bad play."

Carson Beck, Georgia’s starting quarterback the last two years, is ending his college career in Miami.

Georgia could have four of its offensive line starters from last season go in the NFL Draft later this month, along with its top running back and maybe its two leading receivers.

Monroe Freeling, who started the last five games of the season at left tackle, said of an experienced offensive line: “Sometimes we were more worried about not failing than succeeding. We were more senior heavy so I think we thought we were there. I think we really should have focused more on our fundamentals.”

Georgia’s offense will have a different look for fans at Saturday’s G-Day with Gunner Stockton at quarterback, a revamped offensive line and newcomers on display including transfer receiver Noah Thomas from Texas A&M, freshmen to watch at tight end in Elyiss Williams and Ethan Barbour, wide receiver with Talyn Taylor, CJ Wiley and Landon Roldan and running back with Bo Walker.

“A lot it just comes down on ourselves,” Freeling said. “You can blame the coaches all they want, but at the end of the day if the players don’t succeed, you’ve got to look in the mirror. We’re the ones that have to listen to the coaching and I think it falls on us.”

Lovett will be watching from afar this season, but suggested Bobo could get the last laugh.

“He busts his ass to make the game plan for us,” he said. “All the heat that he’s getting, when we go back to the natty this year, they’re going to be happy.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: What Georgia football players say led to slide on offense last year

What Georgia football players said about why offense underperformed last season (2025)

References