UGA’s new running backs coach off and running

Athens — Just 25 years old and four years removed from his own Georgia playing career, Bryan McClendon clearly is relishing his new job this spring.

Named Georgia’s running backs coach in January, McClendon is handling the position perhaps most in flux — the position that lost Knowshon Moreno to the NFL Draft and Richard Samuel and Dontavius Jackson to off-season wrist and knee surgeries, respectively.

McClendon has had two scholarship tailbacks fully available in spring practice, the long-hyped Caleb King and the newly hyped Carlton Thomas, with Jackson expected to join the mix by perhaps next week and Samuel by summer.

McClendon discussed the state of the position:

• On the competition: “It’s definitely open right now. The guys that are there have a chance to solidify themselves and open up summer practice in a certain spot. Of course, summer practice is going to tell a whole different story. But as far as the work [King and Thomas] are getting, it’s truly priceless. You only get better with reps, and they are getting a lot of them. I think, if they keep it up, it’s going to be hard to beat both of those guys out.”

• On the 5-foot-7, 170-pound Thomas: “He is a competitor; there is no other way to put it. Wherever you try to put him, he’s going to try to do it better than anybody else out there.”

• On King, who at 5-11, 210 is about eight pounds lighter than last year: “He’s in a lot better shape. And he came out there and was able to put a stamp on his work. By that, I mean, hey, let people know it’s not just anybody back there taking those reps. That’s been exciting to see.”

• On King’s blocking, much-criticized last season: “You always need to improve on blocking, and so of course that’s a main emphasis. The biggest thing, though, is just knowing what to do — ‘All right, if these guys come in, I’m responsible, I got them.’ That’s better than not being sure who you have on a play and a guy pops up and it’s, ‘Oh, no, that’s mine.’ I think [King and Thomas] have both learned more about the offense and are more confident about what to do in pass protection.”

• On how reps are being divided between King, listed No. 1 at tailback on the spring depth chart, and Thomas, listed No. 2: “They’re getting the same number of reps [with the No. 1 offense]. I think it’s the only fair way to judge somebody — see what they do with the same guys and against the same guys.”