Aaron Murray names UGA’s biggest threat in the SEC this year

According to former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, the Tennessee Vols pose the biggest threat to the Bulldogs in the SEC this year.

“I’m interested with Tennessee,” Murray said. “The game’s in Neyland (this year) I think Joe Milton’s a stud. I think Joe is a freak athlete. I had a chance to cover him a couple of times last year and you know, talking with him and the staff and talking with Hendon (Hooker), just his maturity (is great).

I think they’re going to be obviously aggressive (on defense) as always. They’re building depth which they haven’t had in a couple of years. So, yeah, you get those weapons which they didn’t have in the spring game.

So for those who watch the spring game, you know they were not healthy at receiver running back. You get those receivers and running backs with a quarterback that is more talented than Hendon and get him playing like Hendon, that’s a scary team …

But you know, that’s really Georgia’s only game they got to really get up for.”

Milton III took over late in the season for the Vols when Hooker went down with a torn ACL. A former Michigan transfer, Milton performed well in the Orange Bowl victory over Clemson, completing 19 of 28 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns.

According to FanDuel, Milton III’s odds are listed at plus-2,500 to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy. For comparison, USC’s Caleb Williams is plus-500 and Georgia’s Carson Beck is plus-3,000.

Georgia will have the chance to face Tennessee when it visits Knoxville on Nov. 18, 2023 in what may be a game that determines the outcome of the SEC East.

With both teams enjoying success recently (one more than the other), Brad Crawford of 247Sports actually predicts this game to be the MOST intimidating environment in all of college football next year.

Via Crawford:

In 2022, Georgia received everyone’s best. That includes both the players and the fans. That’s what happens when the defending national champions come to town.

But in 2023, with the Bulldogs now the two-time defending national champions, Georgia has become the standard of college football in the eyes of many. For as long as Kirby Smart and Georgia keep winning, expect the “Alabama treatment” from opposing fan bases everywhere UGA goes.

But is the hyping of the Georgia-Tennessee game not getting old? For the past two seasons, this was the game that received the most hype as a potential trap for Georgia. What happened? In 2021, Georgia stomped the Vols and left Knoxville with a 41-17 victory. Last year, Tennessee was ranked No. 1 and came into Athens to be routed once more.