Keith Marshall hasn’t been available for interviews this spring. But on his Twitter account, @truthh4, this week he informed the social-media universe he was confused, “Idk (I don’t know) who came up with all this redshirt talk.”
Perhaps he should ask his Georgia coaches about that.
UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo floated the possibility during bowl practices in December, and running backs coach Bryan McClendon did nothing to quash the notion earlier this week.
“Right now the plan is to see how far along he is, and then do what’s going to be best for him,” McClendon said when asked if Marshall redshirting next season was an option. “That’s priority No. 1. We’re going to do what’s best for him. That way everybody will be able to sleep good at night.”
To Marshall’s credit, he’s making such talk moot.
When coach Mark Richt previewed spring workouts March 5, he replied with a flat “no” when talk turned to whether Marshall would be able to practice. Yet when the Bulldogs jogged onto Woodruff Practice Fields for another full pads Tuesday, Marshall was right there with them. In partial pads Thursday, he ran a cutting drill underneath a steel-framed canopy designed to ensure that the backs stay low.
In fact, Marshall has been on the field for all nine practices Georgia has conducted so far.
While he isn’t getting tackled or participating in competitive drills, the fact that Marshall has run plays in full gear barely four months after two knee surgeries speaks volumes about the rehabilitation timeline he established for himself.
“He’s definitely a lot further along than I expected him,” McClendon said. “But, I mean, Keith is one of those hard workers who’s going to go out and try to beat deadlines and he likes to compete. So right now he’s competing against what they said he was going to be out for, and right now he’s winning.”
The 5-foot-11, 219-pound Marshall suffered a devastating knee injury Oct. 5 at Tennessee when his legs were taken out from under him on a low hit by a defensive back as Marshall tried to haul in a pass in the flat. Because of the swelling, Marshall was unable to undergo an ACL reconstruction on his right knee until Nov. 12. Simultaneously he got some work done on his left knee, which left him in a wheelchair for a short while.
When the Bulldogs entered into offseason workouts in mid-January, it was uncertain if Marshall would be back to full speed by the time Georgia opens the season Aug. 30 against Clemson. That probably played a part in the Bulldogs landing not one but two five-star signees at tailback, Nick Chubb of Cedartown and Sony Michel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
With Heisman Trophy candidate Todd Gurley and rising sophomore Brendan Douglas already in the fold, Georgia has sufficient depth not to risk playing Marshall. Gurley has impressed his coaches by being able go full speed without limitations in every practice this spring. He was held out of mat drills in February with “leg problems.”
“No one’s spot is safe nowhere,” said Gurley, who missed three full games and large parts of three others with thigh, ankle and hip injuries last season, but still rushed for 989 yards and 10 touchdowns. “But I compete against myself basically to try to get myself better.”
But Marshall is a talent in his own right. Sharing the workload with Gurley, he gained 1,005 yards rushing and scored nine touchdowns in 19 games the past two seasons. It might not be a bad thing to separate him and Gurley from being in the same class.
“He’s doing a good job of staying on top of things and coming in here and getting treated at least twice a day and then trying to constantly push what he does in practice,” McClendon said. “I’ve got to scale him back a lot and tell him ‘hey, don’t do that.’ But I’m very pleased with how he’s been.
“Obviously, you’ve just got to make sure that he knows when to say when. That’s what I’m talking to him about, staying between doing enough and doing too much.”
The situation should make for a whale of a competition for playing time in August.
“We’ll see,” said Douglas, who gained 517 yards total rushing and receiving and scored four touchdowns as a freshman. “Camp will come around, and we’ll just have to compete and see what happens and see what Coach wants to do with it.”
About the Author
