A lack of leadership can kill a season before it even begins.

That’s especially true for a team like Georgia, which opens the season away from Athens — the season opener is in Charlotte — against an elite opponent in Clemson.

After facing Clemson, Georgia will face off against UAB at home but then jumps immediately into an eight-game SEC stretch spanning nine weeks. If leaders don’t emerge for Georgia leading up to that stretch, they’ll likely be in serious trouble by the time the season arrives.

Well, the good news is Kirby Smart is already beginning to see the leaders emerge in Athens following the loss of players like Erik Stokes, Richard LeCounte, Ben Cleveland and Azeez Ojulari to the NFL.

“We’ve got several guys that are returning that I think are tremendous leaders,” Smart shared on Wednesday following Georgia’s Pro Day event. “Zamir [White] jumps out the way he sets the tone. He and James Cook both set an example. Jamaree [Salyer] and [Justin] Shaffer, Warren Ericson. They’re all doing a tremendous job on the offensive side of the ball.

“On the defensive side, Nakobe [Dean] is out there leading every day. He does a tremendous job holding them accountable. Travon Walker has done that. Jordan [Davis] and Devonte [Wyatt] coming back helps tremendously. In the secondary, Chris [Smith] and Lewis [Cine] have played a lot of football, especially with Richard’s injury. Those guys are helping lead in the back end.”

That’s a good start, now it’s time for those leaders to continue on that path with spring camp underway in Athens and expectations sky high for the Bulldogs in 2021.