By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

My favorite time of the year is upon us. I have been called one of the biggest Red and Black Kool-Aid drinkers on the planet by my editor Jason Bishop so it is poetic justice that I writes the UGA preview for SSE this year.

The pageantry of being in Sanford Stadium on a crisp fall afternoon is like no other and to hear those wonderful words over the PA system “If your blood runs red and black….It’s time to tee it up betweeeeeeeen the hedges”

2017 is a year of high expectations for the Dawgs. Kirby Smart entering his second year as head Dawg has a wealth of talent returning.

Let start with the offense:

QB: Jacob Eason is the starter and the coaches are saying he looks the part of a leader better than he did in 2016.

The accuracy is improving, and the attention to detail is standing out. Newcomer Jake Fromm is pushing Eason which is a good thing.

Fromm is a super hard worker and could step in nicely if something was to happen to Eason. Brice Ramsey is back for his senior season after deciding not to transfer which is huge on the depth side of things. This group is solid. I look for Eason to push for All-SEC honors.

RB: This unit is sick from a talent and depth standpoint. Nick Chubb is back and looking like the 2015 Chubb before the knee injury. A great year by Chubb and he could approach some of Herschel’s career marks. Enough said there.

Sony Michel is back and the senior could figure into the passing game prominently. Brain Herrien, Elijah Holyfield, and DeAndre Swift make this the best RB position group in America.

OL: The first team offensive line will “probably” be the same as the one that finished spring practice: Isaiah Wynn (left tackle), Pat Allen (left guard), Lamont Gaillard (center), Solomon Kindley (right guard) and Dyshon Sims (right tackle).

Georgia arguably signed its best offensive line class ever in February. The young kids may get some PT. This unit’s development will be the key to the season.

WR/TE:  Depth Chart looks like this: Slot: Terry Godwin, Mecole Hardman, Mark Webb. WR: Michael Chigbu, Riley Ridley, Tyler Simmons, Trey Blount. WR: Javon Wims, Jayson Stanley, J.J. Holloman. TE: Issac Nauta, Jeb Blazevich, Jackson Harris, Charlie Woerner.

Will Godwin live up to the 5-star hype? Nauta is a beast at TE. TE group is best in SEC. Who will be the go to guy to stretch defenses? Talent is assembled and now must produce.

DL: Trent Thompson is back after a medical issue in the spring and he and Julien Rochester will lead a talented DL group. UGA has enough bodies in the group now to rotate to keep the front-liners fresh in big games.

LB: Lorenzo Carter is primed to have a big year on the outside. Davin Bellamy could be the big sleeper of the outside group. D’Andre Walker will be counted on as well on the outside.

On the inside, Roquan Smith will be on All American Lists. Natrez Patrick and Reggie Carter will put up huge numbers. The LB unit is the best in the SEC hands down.

DB: Malkom Parrish has started 25 games and is solid at corner. Deandre Baker looks like the other corner.

Aaron Davis and Dominick Sanders are back at safety. J. R. Reed a transfer from Tulsa could take the Star slot.

Names to look out for: Richard LeCounte Jr. and Deangelo Gibbs both 5-star recruits. William Poole could be great corner before he leaves UGA as well.

Special Teams: Rodrigo Blankenship who produced huge dividends at the end of 2016 looks like he will be the Place-Kicker. Marshall Long is the punter.

Schedule is tough with road games at Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Auburn. The Cocktail Party in Jacksonville has become a trail of tears for UGA since 1990.

The talent is in place to win the East. Now the mental side must kick in and get the job done. “Attack the Day” is the theme in Athens. Anything less than playing for the SEC title in Atlanta will feel like a disappointment.

I can hear the “Battle Hymn Soloist” now and Larry Munson highlights on the Jumbotron.

I am on a sugar high right now from the UGA Kool-Aid. Somebody mix me up another batch. It tastes so good.