Georgia Bulldogs Football: 10 Improvements to Make over the Summer

The Georgia Bulldogs have recently wrapped up their spring and the spring game and will begin turning their focus to the regular season.

Georgia finished last season with a 10-4 record and is quietly one of those teams that can compete for a conference title.

The Bulldogs return six starters on offense, including quarterback Aaron Murray. They also have nine players coming back on the defensive side of the ball, a unit that ranked fourth in the SEC last season.

Despite the promise this season looks to have, there are still things that need to be worked on once the fall arrives.

Here are 10 things that should be the main focus for the Georgia Bulldogs this summer.

True Feshmen

The Bulldogs didn't pick up a ton of recruits in the 2012 class, but they did land some extremely talented players.

Running back Keith Marshall could help contribute to an already talented backfield. Offensive lineman John Theus will likely see some playing time and be given a chance to help fix an offensive line that has a few issues. Defensive linemen Jordan Jenkins and Jonathan Taylor should also receive opportunities to help strengthen an already great defense.

The fall is when the true freshmen arrive on campus and try to prove why they deserve playing time. The Bulldogs have some true gems that will look to stand out this year.

Will Isaiah Crowell Step Up?

Isaiah Crowell rushed for 850 yards and scored six touchdowns, but it wasn't the season everybody expected from the speedy running back.

At times, he looked lost on the football field, and there were only a few times we saw some of that big-play ability in the 185 times he touched the football.

With 5-star running back Keith Marshall on his way this fall, there will be a bit more pressure on the sophomore back to produce more consistently.

With a year of experience under his belt, this should be a much better season, but only time will answer this question.

The Offensive Line

Replacing starters is never an easy task, but when three of those starters are from one unit, it tends to create a few issues.

Georgia will spend the majority of the fall trying to figure out what the offensive line is going to look like when the season kicks off in September.

Many believed that the offensive line will consist of Kenarious Gates, Kolton Houston, David Andrews, Chris Burnette and Watts Dantzler. But when the spring game took place, Dallas Lee had replaced Houston at left guard and Houston replaced Dantzler at right tackle. 

Georgia has many different combinations and still has 5-star recruit John Theus coming in as well.

It's safe to say that nobody's starting job is safe and there will be plenty of combinations explored until the season begins.

How Will the Suspensions Affect the Season?

The Bulldogs return nine starters on the defensive side of the ball, but four of those players likely won't start the season due to suspensions.

Those players include safety Bacarri Rambo, linebacker Alec Ogletree and cornerbacks Branden Smith and Sanders Commings.

Who will step up and replace these guys, and will they make enough of an impact to be able to beat a talented Missouri team early on in Columbia?

The Tigers may be new to the SEC, but they aren't pushovers, with a very talented offense led by quarterback James Franklin. Not to mention, the game will be played in Faurot Field, and with it being the first SEC conference game for them, the crowd will bring a different type of energy this time around.

Identifying the Backup QB

We all know Aaron Murray is the Bulldogs' starting quarterback and should once again have a fantastic season, however the backup quarterback is something they're still trying to figure out.

Hutson Mason is arguably the most polished quarterback behind Murray, but the plan for him is to take a redshirt so there will be a one-year difference when Murray moves on.

That opens the door for redshirt freshman Christian LeMay, who played very well in the spring game, completing seven passes for over 150 yards.

Other quarterbacks that could compete for the backup role are true freshman Faton Bauta and walk-on Parker Welch.

Kick Returning

Last year, the Bulldogs were ranked ninth in the SEC in kick returning, averaging a little over 21 yards a return. Their main kick returner, Brandon Boykin, has recently graduated and won't be able to provide Georgia with his services any longer. 

Players like Branden Smith, Brandon Harton, Sanders Commings and Alexander Ogletree all saw time back there as well, and could battle it out once again for the starting role. Whoever ends up back there, they must improve that average a bit.

Wide Receiver

With the suspensions on the defensive side of the ball, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell will likely play defense until the Bulldogs can get a few of those players back. Mitchell was the No. 2 receiver last year, catching 45 passes for over 600 yards and four touchdowns.

That means somebody will have to step up and help Tavarres King and company.

One of the names to keep an eye on is redshirt freshman Justin Scott-Wesley.

He's 6'0", 220 pounds and is an absolute burner on the football field. His speed will really help spread the defense out and he could quickly become a playmaker for this offense. He caught three passes for 46 yards in the spring game a few weeks ago. 

Finding a Kicker

Georgia lost both their punter and kicker in Blair Walsh and Drew Butler.

Now they're stuck trying to find replacements, but they didn't spend much time in the spring worrying about that, as true-freshmen Marshall Morgan and Colin Barber are the ones expected to battle it out in the fall.

The spring did feature several walk-on players, and Adam Erickson believes he actually has a shot to be next year's starter.

“We’re just kind of competing in the spring and then ultimately competing with whoever comes in,” said Erickson via Savannah Morning News.

This may not be one of the more interesting competitions, but Georgia was ranked 11th in the SEC in field-goal percentage last year. It's certainly an area they must improve in if they want to take the next step this season.

Cornelius Washington

Considering Cornelius Washington was second on the team last year with five sacks, the coaching staff has decided to move him from the linebacker position and put him on the defensive line at defensive end this season.

With his combination of speed, strength and size, this position change could end up paying off big time for an already talented defense.

“Just really physical at the point and pretty dominant against the run. Certainly doing a good job rushing the passer as well as always, but really seeing a lot of good things from him,” Head coach Mark Richt said. (Via The Augusta Chronicle)

If Washington stays at his new position, this will open up another question as to who ends up replacing him. Chase Vasser will likely be the favorite, but don't count out T.J. Stripling or even true-freshman Josh Harvey-Clemons, who should see the field quite often this year.

Getting off to a Fast Start

Last season, this was a big issue for the Bulldogs as they lost the first two games of the season, which hurt their season before it began and started the fire Mark Richt chants.

We know what they did in the middle of the year, but if this is a team that wants to win the SEC, and possibly reach a BCS bowl, they must start the season off strong.

With an early trip to Columbia, Week 2, it's going to be interesting to see if this Bulldog team can begin the season much stronger than last year. Georgia was given a major break, not having to play LSU or Alabama this year, but they must take advantage of it.