ATHENS — The 2024 Georgia football team nucleus is taking shape, and there are some key holes to fill with stars headed to the NFL.

The answers aren’t as obvious as past seasons at this point, to the extent the Bulldogs need add more impact players through the NCAA transfer portal.

Kirby Smart knew there would be attrition; his program is tops at producing NFL draft picks: 9 in 2021, 15 in 2022 and 10 last season.

It was obvious Sedrick Van Pran would go pro, the top center prospect in the NFL draft according to some.

It made sense for Brock Bowers, Amarius Mims, and Kamari Lassiter to depart, each with first-round NFL projections.

But receiver Ladd McConkey and safety Javon Bullard had difficult decisions to make.

Each one projects as a second-day pick, but with another year at UGA, both or either could have worked into the first round.

There’s not a clear replacement on the current roster for McConkey or Bullard, both game-changing players and locker room leaders.

Georgia has other veterans who declared for the draft who will also be missed: Kendall Milton, Daijun Edwards

, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Zion Logue and Tykee Smith among them.

Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson appear set to follow in the footsteps of Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, who famously returned for the 2021 season to compete for a championship and improve their draft stock.

Tate Ratledge, like Stackhouse, was a projected second-day pick who appears set to return for what could be an All-American season for the Bulldogs. What will Xavier Truss do?

Dominic Lovett is poised to be the leading returning receiver, and should be more settled in after one season in the system.