ATHENS -- Isaiah Crowell hasn't arrived at Georgia, but running backs Washaun Ealey and Caleb King already feel his presence.
Coach Mark Richt said Ealey gave "as good as an effort as anybody" in Georgia's first spring practice Thursday, and King said he's "going to go hard every practice" after a season in which the Bulldogs' top two backs had costly fumbles and missed games because of suspensions and injuries.
“Right now, we’re all competing,” King said.
Crowell, one of the top high school running backs in the nation, signed with Georgia in February, leading Richt to say, "I wouldn't be shocked to see him running that rock in the Dome against Boise State on the opening play if he does what he's supposed to do."
Ealey didn’t speak to the media Thursday, but King said he’s texted Crowell a couple of times.
“He’s still got to come in and work hard because the rest of us are working hard,” King said. “We’re all busting our tails. I’m going to try to get him under my wing and go from there.”
Ealey rushed for 811 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2010, but was suspended for the first game after an arrest and fumbled inside the 5-yard line in losses to South Carolina and Mississippi State. He also served a 20-day suspension for failing to show up for a punishment run in February.
King missed 2 1/2 games with a sprained right ankle and two for a regular-season suspension following an arrest for failing to report for a court date -- before being suspended for the Liberty Bowl. He also had a late fumble in a loss to Colorado and finished with 430 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
“Isaiah is a very talented guy,” Richt said Thursday. “We’re going to put him in a position to see what he can do. There’s going to be a learning curve in pass protection and with route running, but most great backs, if you put them on the right track, they can make the kind of runs that can help you win.
"He’ll get a chance to show what he can do, and the other guys need to solidify as much playing time as they can before he shows up. We’re going to see what [Crowell] can do.”
Murray feels fine
Quarterback Aaron Murray said there isn't any pain in his right ankle that he sprained playing soccer in February.
"I get jokes every now and then about being Cristiano Ronaldo or stuff like that," he said. "But that's in the past. It's healed, it's fine, it's feeling good, so I think [the coaches] are happy that I'm happy to participate in practice, and it's doing well."
Murray didn’t think the injury was serious when it happened because he was able to compare the pain to what he felt when he broke his left leg his senior year in high school.
Etc.
Alec Ogletree practiced for the first time at inside linebacker after making the move from safety, where he started five games last season. "My goal is to be a playmaker, whether it's at inside [linebacker], safety or wherever. I'm just trying to help the team, and the coaches felt like I could be a much better player at inside linebacker. I was willing to try it out." … Justin Anderson said he's happy to be back with the offensive line after spending last season at nose tackle. He said he's working at guard. … Richt said offensive tackle A.J. Harmon and cornerback Derek Owens are practicing after being academically ineligible for the Liberty Bowl. … Georgia is on spring break next week and won't practice again until March 22. The G-Day game is scheduled for April 16.
