Georgia’s Ramik Wilson led the SEC in tackles this past season and he is a consensus All-SEC choice in preseason polls for this one. But at the moment, he’s not guaranteed to start at inside linebacker for the Bulldogs in the first game.
That was the word from linebackers coach Mike Ekeler, who indicated Friday he hasn’t seen enough of the 6-foot-2, 237-pound senior to know for sure if he’s the best option to face Clemson.
“We’ll have to see,” said Ekeler, in his first season with the Bulldogs after coaching at Southern Cal last season. “It’s too early to say. We’ve got a lot of capable guys, a lot of guys who have been out there practicing the whole time. Again, it’s too early to say right now.”
Wilson missed two full weeks of work in preseason camp due to a concussion suffered during the first week. Sophomores Tim Kimbrough (6-0, 230) and Reggie Carter (6-1, 231) have filled in with the first team during Wilson’s absence. Leonard Floyd, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound outside linebacker, has also been getting some middle linebacker reps.
“Any time you miss practice it sets you back and he missed a bunch,” Ekeler said of Wilson, who led the SEC with 133 stops in 2013. “It kind of is what it is. We’ve made some moves and he’s trying battle his way back right now.”
Ekeler indicated senior Amarlo Herrera will start at the other inside linebacker position.
“He’s been out there every day busting his tail and getting better and he’s got good command of everything,” Ekeler said. “But the way Coach Pruitt talks, it’s a week-by-week deal. You don’t rest on your laurels around here. You’ve got to earn it every week, every day in practice. We evaluate it every day in practice and we evaluate every rep in practice.
“Competition brings out the best in every one. It adds a little pressure on everyone, and pressure is a good thing.”
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