Branden Smith News

Georgia's secondary won't have the services this season of a player who showed promise this spring.

In what's threatening to become an unfortunate annual tradition in Athens, Georgia once again heads into its season opener missing a key member of its defense through suspension.

As we begin previewing the 2013 football season, we are counting down Georgia's 10 most important players.

After losing their security blanket at safety, Todd Grantham and Scott Lakatos had to weigh their options at the position for the first time in a long while.

The previous high was 19 in 2011. The average over the past 25 seasons is 13.4, but it's 17.3 over the past four seasons, a reflection of Georgia's increasing prominence as a producer of NFL talent.