2022 Georgia Bulldogs football team

The 2022 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by seventh-year head coach Kirby Smart. They entered the season as the defending consensus national champions.

This season is one of two back-to-back Georgia seasons that won a national championship. In the 2021 season, Georgia won 33-18 against Alabama, and in the 2022 season, Georgia won 65-7 against TCU.

The Bulldogs finished the regular season 12–0, 8–0 in SEC play to finish first in the conference's Eastern Division. In the SEC Championship Game, the Bulldogs defeated the LSU Tigers 50–30 to win their first SEC title since 2017. They advanced to the College Football Playoff for the second straight year and were selected to play against Ohio State in the Peach Bowl. Georgia mounted the largest 4th-quarter comeback in CFP history to defeat Ohio State by a score of 42–41, after Ohio State missed a potential game-winning 50-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game. As the season’s last major team with an undefeated record, the Bulldogs faced off against Texas Christian University (TCU) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California for the 2023 CFP National Championship on January 9, 2023. They dominated TCU 65–7 to become the first team since the 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide to repeat as national champions, along with becoming just the 3rd team to complete a 15–0 season in the modern era, after LSU in 2019 and Clemson in 2018. They would be subsequently joined by Michigan the following year. Their 58-point margin of victory over TCU was the largest of any bowl game result, until next season when Georgia defeated Florida State with a 60-point margin, 63–3, in the 2023 Orange Bowl.

NFL Draft
Fifteen Bulldogs were selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, setting a new record for draft picks from a single school in the seven-round draft era (1994–present).

Outgoing transfers
Eight players elected to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal during or after the 2021 season.

† Elected to use the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA in response to COVID-19.

Recruiting class
*= 247Sports Composite rating; ratings are out of 1.00. (five stars= 1.00–.98, four stars= .97–.90, three stars= .80–.89, two stars= .79–.70, no stars= <70) †= Despite being rated as a four and five star recruit by ESPN, On3.com, Rivals.com and 247Sports.com, TBD received a four-five star 247Sports Composite rating. Δ= Left the Georgia program following signing but prior to the 2022 season.

Returning starters
Offense

Defense

Special teams

† Indicates player was a starter in 2021 but missed all of 2022 due to injury.

Spring game
The Bulldogs held spring practices in March and April 2022 with the Georgia football spring game, "G-Day" taking place in Athens, GA on April 16, 2022.

Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released

SEC media days
The 2022 SEC Media days will be held in July 2022. The Preseason Polls will be released in July 2022. Each team had their head coach available to talk to the media at the event. Coverage of the event was televised on SEC Network and ESPN.

Media
First Team

Second Team

Third Team

Source:

Coaches
First Team

Second Team

Third Team

Source:

Schedule
Georgia and the SEC announced the 2022 football schedule on September 21, 2021.

Coaching staff

 * Football support staff


 * Eric Black – Director of football creative – football
 * Mike Cavan – Director of football administration
 * Austin Chambers – Assistant director of player development
 * Jay Chapman – Director of football management
 * David Cooper – Director of recruiting relations
 * Anna Courson – Football operations assistant
 * Chandler Eldridge – Co-director of football creative – design
 * Hunter Parker – Football operations assistant
 * Bryant Gantt – Director of player support and operations
 * Matt Godwin – Player personnel coordinator
 * Christina Harris – Director of recruiting administration
 * Hailey Hughes – Football operations coordinator
 * Ann Hunt – Administrative assistant to head coach
 * Jonas Jennings – Director of player development
 * Angela Kirkpatrick – On-campus recruiting coordinator
 * Jeremy Klawsky – Director of football technology
 * Collier Madaleno – Director of football performance nutrition
 * John Meshad – Director of equipment operations
 * Chad Morehead – Co-director of football creative design
 * Neyland Raper – Assistant director of football operations & recruiting
 * Logen Reed – Assistant recruiting coordinator
 * Maurice Sims – Associate director of strength and conditioning
 * Juwan Taylor – Player development assistant
 * Meaghan Turcotte – Assistant director of football performance nutrition
 * Tersoo Uhaa – Assistant strength and sonditioning coach
 * Gage Whitten – Director of football equipment and apparel


 * Graduate assistants


 * Garrett Murphy – Defensive assistant
 * Adam Ray – Special teams assistant
 * Jacob Russell – Offensive assistant
 * Rashawn Scott – Offensive assistant


 * Analysts


 * Mike Bobo – Offensive analyst
 * Kirk Benedict
 * Buster Faulkner
 * Davis Merritt
 * Rob Muschamp
 * Montgomery VanGorder

Depth chart
True Freshman

Defense
Key: POS: Position, SOLO: Solo Tackles, AST: Assisted Tackles, TOT: Total Tackles, TFL: Tackles-for-loss, SACK: Quarterback Sacks, INT: Interceptions, BU: Passes Broken Up, PD: Passes Defended, QBH: Quarterback Hits, FR: Fumbles Recovered, FF: Forced Fumbles, BLK: Kicks or Punts Blocked, SAF: Safeties, TD : Touchdown

Scoring
Georgia vs non-conference opponents

Georgia vs SEC opponents

Georgia vs all opponents

NFL Draft
The NFL draft was held at Union Station in Kansas City, MO on April 27–29, 2023. Bulldogs who were picked in the 2023 NFL Draft:

NFL Draft combine
No members of the 2022 team were invited to participate in drills at the 2023 NFL scouting combine. † Top performer DNP = Did not participate