Georgia football report: Newcomer absent as Bulldogs begin preseason camp
Credit: Tony Walsh/UGAAA
ATHENS — Georgia welcomed four transfers to the program following spring practice. Thursday was supposed to be their first day practicing as Georgia Bulldogs.
But running back Josh McCray will have to wait a little while longer, as he was not spotted during the 20-minute media viewing portion of Thursday’s practice.
McCray transferred in from Illinois and was expected to provide a power element to Georgia’s rush offense. Given how much Kirby Smart spoke about the ability to run the football ahead of Thursday’s practice, McCray would seem to be an integral part of the team.
Smart did not share any injury updates before the start of preseason camp, but he was also not asked by the media either.
While McCray was not participating, plenty of other Bulldogs were pushing through the July heat as they prepare for the coming season. Georgia will have 15 practices in the next 18 days as it gets ready for the upcoming season.
Below are our additional practice observations coming out of Thursday’s practice.
- Outside linebacker Elo Modozie did participate in his first practice Thursday, as he was going through drills with the outside linebackers. Position coach Chidera Uzo-Diribie was seen giving Modozie some pointers after he went through a drill against the Georgia tight ends. Modozie does look a tad smaller than the rest of the group. Sophomore Quintavius Johnson was the first outside linebacker going through drills on the afternoon.
- On the offensive line, it was redshirt freshman Michael Uini who was working with the first group at right guard. He was flanked by Earnest Greene at right tackle and Drew Bobo at center. Monroe Freeling was at left tackle while Micah Morris held the left guard spot. Uini is expected to battle Daniel Calhoun and freshman Juan Gaston to be the team’s starting right guard. Expect Georgia to rotate as a way to build depth.
- It wasn’t all positive for Uini though, as Smart got on Uini after he failed to sprint out onto the field for punt. Smart, over the speaker, said that Uini looked like a turtle.
- At quarterback, Gunner Stockton was the first one going through drills, followed by Ryan Puglisi. It’s hard to make too much of what they were doing, as much of their reps came against air. The quarterbacks spent much of the media-viewing portion of practice working with the running backs.
- One other punt observation is that Drew Miller was the first one going through drills. Brett Thorson was not wearing a non-contact jersey, but it’s notable that Thorson was not actively punting while going through drills.
- Smart also stressed the importance of finding new gunners for Georgia’s punt team. The Bulldogs must replace Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett on the unit.
- From a physical standpoint, defensive lineman Joseph Jonah-Ajonye looked noticeably trimmer. Georgia will be counting on the redshirt freshman on the defensive line after he missed most of last season with a foot injury. Jonah-Ajonye might be the most physically well-put-together player on the Georgia team.
- Freshman wide receiver CJ Wiley looks to have gotten noticeably bulkier since we last saw him at G-Day. With Noah Thomas and Colbie Young in front of him, it may be hard for Wiley to see the field, but it seems like the freshman wide receiver is doing everything he can to make an impact.
- Thomas made an impressive catch in coverage on Daylen Everette in the opening moments of the practice. Thomas left the spring game with a shoulder injury but he certainly looks like someone who will help the team this fall.
- While the cornerbacks were going through drills, it was interesting to note that Ellis Robinson, Daniel Harris and Everette were all going through drills together. While it’s hard to call all three starters, Georgia sure seems to feel very good about what it has among the cornerbacks.
- Sophomore offensive lineman Jahzare Jackson was present with the team and participating in practice. Smart said that Jackson’s discipline following his arrest in July would be handled internally.
- In addition to the transfers, there were a few new freshmen going through drills. One of those was defensive back Rasean Dinkins, who was the target of Smart and his microphone on multiple occasions on Thursday. At one point, Smart bellowed, “We don’t stop at Georgia,” to the freshman defender.
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
