At 6-foot-2, 260 pounds, Quayvon Hicks showed up at Georgia physically ready to play SEC football. Now three seasons into his college career, Hicks feels like he’s up to the mental challenge as well.
The Bulldogs have severely tested Hicks in that regard the last year. A full-time fullback his first two seasons in Athens, Georgia is now utilizing Hicks as a tight end and has developed a hybrid, or H-back, role for him as well.
“It’s going pretty good; just trying to master fundamentals now,” said Hicks, a junior from Blackshear. “Learning the position was pretty easy. It’s basically like learning your school work. The test is when you get out there and actually do it. It’d say it’s going pretty good.”
Georgia decided to give Hicks a look at tight end after last season because injuries have left in question junior Jay Rome’s availability and the Bulldogs have no in-game experience behind him. Redshirt freshman Jordan Davis has struggled as a blocker and has not practiced the last two days. Georgia added two freshmen this year in Jeb Blazevich and Joseph Ledbetter.
With all those question marks, it looks like Hicks could be one answer. While his pass-catching abilities remain a work in progress, it is his ability to run-block on the edge on which the Bulldogs will be most dependent.
That has required Hicks to hit the books.
“I’m trying to become more of a student of the game,” said Hicks, who started six games at fullback last year and had a 37-yard touchdown run against Clemson. “Once you come to college it’s more about that. Once you’re recruited and you go through that process, they offer you a scholarship for a reason. It’s because they see some kind of capability in you. But there’s more to it than just being physically ready. At this point, I feel confidence from my teammates and my coaches knowing I’ll be able to play this role in our offense. So it’s going to be exciting this year. I’m just trying to stay on track.”
Hicks is just one new part of an offense that is replacing its starting quarterback, seeking three new starters on the line and is having to adjust to the loss of wideout Malcolm Mitchell to a knee injury. But Hicks doesn’t see that slowing down the Bulldogs this season.
“It’s amazing to me,” he said. “What we’re capable of doing on a scale of one to 10 is off the charts. I think we have all the players and all the people in the right places and know all the things we need to know. And I think we’ve got the right chemistry. You can have a lot of talent and guys that are capable of making plays, but they’ve got to be able to push each other when adversity hits. I’m very confident in our team right now.”
