Georgia Football: 5 Biggest Offseason Goals for Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs finished the season ranked in the top 10 of both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, and with a host of returning talent, they should open the 2015 campaign ranked similarly.  But top-10 rankings aren't what Georgia is playing for; the Dawgs want an SEC Championship.

Nick Chubb is back to lead the ground attack, a host of talented pass-rushers (Leonard Floyd, Jordan Jenkins, Lorenzo Carter) will captain the defense and a strong crew of assistant coaches led by new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has been assembled.  Accordingly, Georgia seems poised to make news in the SEC East and beyond.  But how do the Bulldogs get over the hump?

Here are Georgia's five most crucial goals this offseason.

Finish Strong on National Signing Day

Photo courtesy of 247Sports.com.

Roquan Smith

Georgia's recruiting class will be good.  It could even be great.  

But if the Bulldogs can close strong on any of the following prospects, it could mean the difference between having another strong class and one of the best classes in school history.

• Donte Jackson: This 4-star athlete out of Louisiana could play immediately in Jeremy Pruitt's secondary.
• Roquan Smith: Capable of playing any linebacker position, this 4-star playmaker is most natural on the outside but could play as a true freshman and contend for a starting spot at the thin inside linebacker position.
• Chidi Valentine-Okeke: The sky's the limit for this offensive tackle, and that's not usually something you say about a man who weighs more than 300 pounds.

Find a Quarterback

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Georgia has been pretty well covered at the quarterback position since Mark Richt arrived in Athens 15 years ago.  

Big names like David Greene, D.J. Shockley, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Murray come to mind first.  But Hutson Mason's performance last season was nothing to ignore, as the fifth-year senior set a school record for completion percentage in his lone season as a starter and threw 21 touchdown passes and just four interceptions.

Who's up next?

Based on repetitions in 2014, Brice Ramsey, who will be a redshirt sophomore, seems to be the man.  But Ramsey struggled at times with accuracy, and with a new offensive coordinator in town, Ramsey's far from a lock.

Ramsey seems open to the idea of competition and recently told Marc Weiszer of SavannahNow.com that competition is "what you want."

He'll get plenty from Faton Bauta, a bruising dual-threat quarterback who will be entering his junior season, and Jacob Park, who redshirted as a freshman in 2014.

Each of these quarterbacks brings something unique to the table.  For Ramsey, it's arm strength.  Bauta could be a force in read-option packages.  Park, meanwhile, can do a little bit of everything.  But if Georgia has three guys still in the mix in late August, it will be an indictment, not a compliment.

Stay Healthy

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Marshall was injured in 2013, but struggled to get and stay healthy in 2014.

Georgia was hurt by injuries before the season even began in 2014.  Wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell suffered setbacks in his recovery, fullback Merritt Hall was medically disqualified and cornerback Shattle Fenteng suffered a shoulder injury that rendered him ineffective for the entire season.

Georgia needs to be healthier heading into the 2015 season.  That means getting Leonard Floyd fully recovered from his recent shoulder surgery and getting other players like Keith Marshall and Fenteng fully recovered.  It also means keeping other stars from getting hurt in the first place.

Injuries are part of the game, and there's no recipe for preventing them entirely.  But the hope is that new strength and conditioning coach Mark Hocke does more than increase power and muscular endurance.  Hopefully, he can help make Georgia's roster more healthy as a whole and therefore less susceptible to injury.

Develop Defensive Depth

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Sanders had a breakout year as a freshman.

Georgia's defense improved to a great extent in Jeremy Pruitt's first year as defensive coordinator.  That being said, the unit remained plagued by a lack of depth—particularly in the secondary.

As it stands, Georgia will have a decently experienced secondary, with potential starters Devin Bowman and Aaron Davis at cornerback and Dominick Sanders and Quincy Mauger at safety, but things get thin quickly.  Tramel Terr and Malkom Parrish both played well as reserves in 2014, but no other quality backups emerged.

That means Shattle Fenteng must get healthy and contribute, and incoming freshmen may be depended upon.

Georgia will also be desperately looking for depth at the inside linebacker spot.  Reggie Carter and Tim Kimbrough will play well in the stead of departing seniors Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson, but it is unknown who will give them breathers.  Ryne Rankin has played well on special teams but seen very little playing time in standard defensive situations.  

Don't be surprised to see a few new faces, JUCO transfer Chuks Amaechi and UAB transfer Jake Ganus, in the mix.

Mindset Change

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On paper, Georgia's schedule looks favorable.  Yes, the Bulldogs have Alabama on the schedule, but the SEC East crown still seems attainable.  

Missouri and South Carolina, the only schools other than Georgia to win the division over the past five years, come to Athens to play the Bulldogs.  Meanwhile, Georgia's out-of-conference slate features Louisiana-Monroe, Southern University and Georgia Southern to go along with standard rival Georgia Tech.

But Georgia can't enter 2015 expecting anything less than perfection.  There is no asterisk next to the Alabama game, and there is no excuse for losing to inferior opposition.  An undefeated regular season should be the goal, not merely winning the division.  After all, Georgia's capable of such a performance—especially if these other offseason goals are met.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand, all stats courtesy of sports-reference.com and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com.