The Georgia Bulldogs and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were among 17 teams from across the state represented Tuesday at the annual Peach State Pigskin Preview gathering at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Georgia coach Mark Richt brought along wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell and defensive back Damian Swann to discuss current football affairs and the coming season. Tech coach Paul Johnson was joined by offensive tackle Ray Beno and defensive tackle Euclid Cummings.
UGA’s appearance put Richt in front of reporters for the first time to answer questions about the decision to suspend Josh Harvey-Clemons for the season opener against Clemson. The sophomore safety will miss that game for violating the program’s marijuana-use policy last month.
“We’re going to do things a certain way around here,” Richt said of the one-game suspension. “If a guy makes a mistake, he’s going to have to deal with it, and he’s going to have a price to pay for it. That part’s never fun, but it’s part of learning and it’s part of keeping your team disciplined in all areas. I think Josh is learning a tough lesson. I think he’ll recover and have a tremendous career with us, but right now, I’m sure it’s tough on him.”
It will be tough on the team as well. Harvey-Clemons was named Georgia’s defensive MVP after spring practice and was slated to start at strong safety and as the nickel back. Now it’s unclear who will start or get the majority of playing time against Clemson.
Potential fill-ins include senior Connor Norman, junior Corey Moore and first-year players such as Shaquille Fluker, Paris Bostick and others. Regardless, Richt doesn’t expect the loss of Harvey-Clemons to drastically change the defense.
“Josh is a pretty inexperienced player right now,” Richt said. “Now other guys are going to get their chance to go compete for that spot and get their chance to start and have a chance to play. So no matter who’s back there, they’re going to be a fairly inexperienced player, so I don’t know if it’s going to be a huge difference or not.”
Swann to safety? Swann, a junior expected to start at cornerback, suggested that he might be able to step into Harvey-Clemons' role against Clemson.
“I played that position the whole year (last season),” Swann said. “So I know pretty much everything that I need to know about it. So if they need me to go back and play it, I will.”
Last year Swann played corner in the Bulldogs’ base defense. But he moved to the star, or nickel back, when Georgia went to five defensive backs, which was 70 percent of the time. If Swann plays the “star,” the Bulldogs will put either sophomore Devin Bowman or freshman Reggie Wilkerson at corner. The Bulldogs also have a number of other incoming freshmen who will get a look.
'Tech men' take charge: There has been a lot of focus on Ted Roof's return to Tech as defensive coordinator. A former All-American linebacker for the Jackets, Roof coordinated defenses for Tech under George O'Leary and at several other schools, and had a stint as head coach at Duke, before returning to his alma mater.
“We’re really excited to have Ted Roof back,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy who really cares and loves Georgia Tech. He’s been very successful as a player and a coach, and I think he brings a lot of fire and enthusiasm to that side of the ball, and we’re excited to see where that takes us.”
Roof is just one of a few “Tech men” brought into the fold this year by Johnson. Also returning to the Flats to work on the football staff are Joe Hamilton (recruiting); Saeed Khalif, formerly known as Kyle Ambrose (recruiting); and Steven Sylvester (graduate assistant).
Two QBs for Jackets? Heading into preseason practices, sophomore Vad Lee is the undisputed starting quarterback for the Jackets. But that doesn't mean he won't have competition.
Redshirt freshman Justin Thomas thoroughly has impressed Tech coaches and his athletic ability and playmaking skills may demand playing time.
“I’m not sure that we’ve figured out exactly what we’re going to do,” Johnson said. “Right now I’m just letting him compete. But he’s really quick, fast. He’s got a good arm. He’s a good player. We think Vad’s a good player, too, so it’s a good problem to have.”
As demonstrated with Lee and Tevin Washington last season, Johnson’s not averse to playing more than one quarterback.
“You do whatever you have to do to give you a chance to win the game. Going into fall camp Vad’s the starting quarterback. Tevin was the starting quarterback last year, and Vad played a lot. So we’ll just see how it unfolds.”
Moving on up: Both Georgia State and Georgia Southern are making the move up to FBS and the Sun Belt Conference. State is making the move this year while the Eagles will join the league in 2014.
It’s all rather sudden for the Panthers, who are fielding a team for only the fourth season. Georgia State was 1-10 competing in the Colonial Athletic Association on the FCS level last year.
“People better learn the word ‘patience,’” quipped the Panthers first-year coach Trent Miles, who succeeded Bill Curry after last season. “There are going to be come trying times. But everything’s going in the right direction, and we’re going to keep taking steps forward. We understand what we have to do to be competitive in that conference.”
The Eagles will continue to play games against eight Southern Conference opponents this season, but will be ineligible for postseason play. Nevertheless, winning them all remains the goal.
“We have pride in the last 30 years and what Erk Russell built,” coach Jeff Monken said. “… To be able to move to the highest level in college football, play in a great Sun Belt Conference, renew some old rivalries and start some new ones is an exciting day in our history. But our focus is on this season and having the best season we can. We owe it to Georgia Southern.”
About the Author
