Despite being No.1 in the preseason polls, looks like Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are still having it rough. As the Dawgs prep for the match against the Tigers, many concerns surround the team. We got to know back on August 13th that the team was dealing with a massive blow to their o-line. The players were completely drained from the fall camp, resulting in bruises and injuries. Some major names like DL Warren Brinson and OL Jared Wilson took major hits because of Achilles or hamstring injuries. This shakes up the core foundation of the team’s defense and leaves their QB Carson Beck quite vulnerable.

However, Kirby Smart, on August 20th, during a meeting with several reports, showed major confidence in his team because he had implemented a new strategy for the boys. DawgNation shared the video on their YouTube and Kirby was found saying, “Thing is chemistry with your number ones, more important than developing your number twos. At the expense of chemistry, we want to have depth and we’ve done a really good job.” The sole thing that Smart had set his crosshairs on was to establish depth in his players. He decided to shift from building the connection between Carson Beck and other players to solely focusing on skill and depth. With Brock Vandagriff exiting the team and moving to Kentucky, the backup QB role can go to either Gunner Stockton or Jaden Rashada. So Smart took the smart option and decided to focus on the skills of both players. During the meeting, Kirby mentioned that this year Stockton probably had the best performance during the scrimmages and has shown solid depth and skill.

Rashada, on the other hand, is another solid prodigy. ESPN already marked him as the No.31 national recruit back in 2023. Smart has focused on building him up as well. Not only that, Smart also mentioned that keeping aside Stockton and Rashada, he has also managed to skill up other players like Nitro Tuggle and Michael Jackson III. This ensures that even if the O-line stays damaged while going into the season, the rest of the boys will be talented enough to carry the game or provide Beck the protection he needs. While that’s one problem solved, another has risen from the ashes. While diehard fans would argue that Carson Beck is the No.1 player in college football, CBS Sports thinks otherwise.

Snubbed as No.1

On August 20th itself, CBS decided to list the top 5 players in college football and Carson Beck was nowhere to be seen on the list. While Rivals had noted back in June that Beck was the No.1 contender for the Heisman Cup, it looks like Shedeur Sanders is going to take over that dream. The list that CBS put out had Shedeur on top. It is a known fact that Shedeur and Beck are opposites. Matt Miller from ESPN mentioned it perfectly. Miller had noted that Carson is solid when it comes down to playing from the pocket however, Shedeur, on the other hand, suffers at this.

However, could the team’s transformation due to Deion Sanders’s changes be the reason why CBS Sports mentioned it as the No.1 sport? It’s not a new fact that Coach Prime has turned the tables when it comes down to revamping his team. From completely switching his O-line to bringing Pat Shurmur to aid Shedeur. This gives the young QB from the Buffs a massive edge over Beck, who will probably be struggling with the injuries in his O-line. However, as we found out on DawgNation, Smart was indeed smart enough to sort things out before the Bulldogs went up against the Tigers. Let’s see how the game goes.