The greatest area of improvement Georgia saw from 2016 to 2017 season was on special teams.
In head coach Kirby Smart's first season at Georgia, the Bulldogs were regarded as one of the worst teams on special teams in terms of efficiency. A season later, Georgia fielded some of the better coverage units in the nation. Rarely did an opposing team return a punt. And if a player tried to run one back, it usually didn’t go for a big gain. Smart has credited Scott Fountain, who was a special teams analyst last season, with aiding the Bulldogs in this department.