ESPN gives Georgia surprising ranking despite losing 10 players to draft

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide were head and shoulders better than every other program in college football on a yearly basis. Alabama is undoubtedly still a contender and will be as long as Saban is around, but the title of college football juggernaut has clearly passed on to his old assistant, Kirby Smart, who has built something special at Georgia.

Case in point? The Bulldogs have won the past two national championships, and after each title, they watched multiple talented players depart for the NFL. Just a week ago, they saw 10 players selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, including three in the first round.

Despite all that turnover, not to mention the turnover at offensive coordinator and starting quarterback — ESPN still believes the Bulldogs have the best program in college football this spring.

"Just like a year ago, when the Bulldogs had to replace a record 15 players who were chosen in the NFL draft, including five first-rounders on defense, Kirby Smart's roster is built to reload, keeping the defending national champs at the top of our list," ESPN wrote.

Replacing Stetson Bennett at quarterback will be easier said than done because he's undoubtedly a Georgia legend. With that said, Carson Beck is the former fifth-ranked pro-style quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports. His competition, Brock Vandagriff, was a five-star quarterback ranked as the 17th-best recruit overall in 2021, per the 247Sports composite.

No matter who wins that competition, Georgia should be able to simply reload at quarterback, especially with superstar tight end Brock Bowers (20 touchdowns in his first two seasons) returning for his junior year.

Defensively, as long as Smart is at the helm and he keeps recruiting as good as he coaches on the field, ESPN is right — the Bulldogs are going to be tough to knock off the mountaintop anytime soon.