As breakups go, this one wasn’t easy for Jay Rome.
He still loves basketball. But after excelling in the sport his whole life and playing it for one season at Georgia, Rome came to the conclusion that it was holding him back in football.
“I’m not going to lie, it hurt me a lot not to play with those guys this year,” said Rome, who played basketball for the Bulldogs in 2011-12, between his freshman and redshirt freshman seasons in football. “I got really close with a lot of those guys. But there’s always a point in life where you have to make a decision that’s best for you, and playing just football and leaving basketball behind me was that decision for me.”
Georgia’s football coaches like what they’ve seen since the breakup. The 6-foot-6 tight end reported to this year’s spring practice at 250 pounds, or 15 pounds lighter than he did last fall. Rome said he is up to 255 pounds now, but the weight is “redistributed in all the right places.”
“Coach (John Lilly) is telling me I’m looking a lot quicker,” Rome said. “Last year I thought did well in the offense, and this year I think I’m even better. From now until the end of the spring and over the summer, I see a lot more room for improvement, and I’m going to try to keep getting better and keep working hard.”
Rome was coming on at the end of last season. He scored touchdowns in two of the last three games, including a 19-yarder against Alabama in the SEC Championship game.
“Just getting that experience is important,” said Rome, who finished with 11 catches for 152 yards. “Practice is one thing, but getting out there on Saturdays with guys moving around in the SEC, the best conference in country, that’s a lot different, and it takes a lot of getting used to. As the games progressed, I think I got a lot better.”
As for basketball, Rome is feeding his passion in pickup games at the Ramsey Center. “I still get to have fun with it,” he said. “But as far as a serious standpoint, football is my only focus other than school.”
Thornton holding his own: When Mike Thornton came out of Stephenson High as the No. 2-ranked player in the state in 2010, he never would have believed he would have 2.5 tackles and half of a sack to his credit at this point in his career. But after playing behind a couple of 350-pounders the past two seasons, the 6-foot-1, 289-pound rising junior thinks now is his time.
“This is my opportunity, and I’m going to take it,” said Thornton, who is the Bulldogs’ No. 1 nose guard heading into the second scrimmage of spring Saturday. “It feels good to have another opportunity. They’re putting me in a situation to make some plays, and I’m trying to take advantage of it.”
Thornton said there are some things he could do at nose guard that John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers could not.
“Being a shorter guy, or ‘meat ball’ as Garrison (Smith) calls me, I feel like I can get up under an offensive lineman a little bit better than those guys could,” Thornton said. “I’m a little quicker than they are, too. But I learned a lot of things those guys, too. I just have to use my speed and quickness.”
Theus back at No. 1: John Theus was back with the No. 1 offense Friday. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound rising sophomore worked with the second-team Thursday, his first day back from January foot surgery. With Theus back in the fold and right guard Chris Burnette (shoulder) still out, Kenarious Gates moved inside to right guard.
Etc.: Former Georgia safety Shawn Williams will be featured at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in a 30-minute episode of the show "Game Changers" on the NFL Network. … Senior T.J. Stripling got some snaps at Sam outside linebacker with the No. 1 defense Friday.
