Ramik Wilson started in the opener against Clemson and he is expected to start Saturday against South Carolina. But they doesn’t mean he’ll play all the snaps against the Gamecocks or even most of the them.
Even though he is the SEC’s leading returning tackler and a consensus preseason All-SEC choice, Wilson was substituted early and often in the first game and can expect to be the second one, too.
Ramik getting subbed for …
“He just missed a lot of days of prep,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “I don’t care who you are, if you don’t work it’s hard to get better.”
Wilson missed 12 practices during preseason camp due to a concussion suffered in the second week. He was not listed as the starter heading into the Clemson game – sophomore Tim Kimbrough was – but ended up getting the nod in a game-time decision.
“We were concerned about his conditioning; we were concerned about just how sharp he was,” Richt said. “Until he got closer to where we wanted him to be, we weren’t comfortable saying he was going to be the starter. I still think he can continue to get in better condition. I don’t know how much missing that time in camp is going to affect him for the rest of the year but it slowed him down for sure.”
Wilson, who led the SEC with 133 tackles last season, or 10.2 per game, was his usual productive self against the Tigers. He finished seven tackles – second only to SEC defensive player of the week Amarlo Herrera’s 12 — and also was credited with a half of a tackle for loss (Damian Swann had the other half).
Kimbrough and fellow inside linebacker Reggie Carter played a good bit, too. They finished with four tackles apiece.
That’s in stark contrast to what Wilson did last season. Under former defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and position coach Kirk Olivadotti, the 6-foot-2, 237-pound senior rarely left the field. But he’s taking liberal-rotation philosophy of first-year coordinator Jeremy Pruitt in stride.
“I would love to be out there more,” Wilson said. “But I’m not worried. I’m just going to keep on preparing, practicing hard, doing the right things, supporting my teammates. I’m just waiting on them to call my number. That’s pretty much it.”
About the Author
