Georgia’s depth at quarterback remains Gray

Athens — You know who Georgia’s quarterback of the moment is: Joe Cox, the patient fifth-year senior. And you know who Georgia’s quarterbacks of the future are: Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger, the much-hyped freshmen.

So where, exactly, does that leave Logan Gray?

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Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com

The 6-2, 186-pound Logan Gray, No. 2 on the quarterback depth chart, returned punts and played on the kickoff, kickoff-return and punt-coverage units last year.

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“I feel like I’ve been asked that question a lot,” Gray said.

In fact, among the questions to be answered by the Bulldogs this spring and summer, that one ranks high.

Like Cox, Murray and Mettenberger, Gray was an All-America quarterback in high school. But after redshirting in 2007 and playing heavily on special teams in 2008, he heads toward his third season as a Bulldog with an unclear future.

“It’s a big spring for Logan [as far as] establishing himself at that position,” Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said.

At the moment, Gray is No. 2 on the depth chart — Cox’s backup. If the coaches are confident of him in that role come September, they would have the option of redshirting Murray and Mettenberger. And they would put in a package of plays to utilize Gray’s speed and athleticism.

But none of those determinations have been made yet.

“We’ve got to find out who the backup is,” Bobo said. “We know Logan brings a different dimension when he’s in there, but this spring is not about scheming and finding ways to get him in space. It’s about him developing as a quarterback.”

Toward that end, the coaches have relieved Gray of last fall’s special-teams roles. He returned punts and played on the kickoff, kickoff-return and punt-coverage units.

He enjoyed the work and appreciated its value: “Going out there on special teams and pretty much just playing ball to the wall, I loved that.” But it cost him some practice and meetings time at quarterback.

“It probably slowed down my progress,” Gray said.

This spring, he’s all quarterback.

The 6-2, 186-pound Gray was a dual-threat quarterback — a strong-armed sprinter — at Rock Bridge High in Columbia, Mo. He was heavily recruited by Big 12 and SEC schools. He was attracted to Athens partly because his grandparents live in nearby Madison.

Bobo said Gray has done “a nice job” so far this spring in improving his quarterbacking fundamentals. Head coach Mark Richt said Gray has had “great” days and “up-and-down” days. In a closed-to-the-media scrimmage Saturday, he completed 7 of 9 passes for 52 yards and ran twice for 23 yards.

“Obviously I have a long way to go,” Gray said. “But compared to last year or my freshman year, I feel a lot more composed [at quarterback].”

As for that familiar question about whether he feels lost in the shuffle between the veteran Cox and the acclaimed freshmen, Gray said: “It doesn’t bother me at all. Obviously, Joe has earned all the respect and media attention he’s gotten. And the young guys — anybody coming in is going to get a lot of hype.”

Although Gray has proven his value on special teams — and has the potential to perhaps play another position — he remains a QB at heart.

“Definitely, I need to have a good spring to prove to the coaches that I came here to play quarterback,” he said. “And not to play special teams or anything else.”