Lined up near the slot on the left side of Georgia State’s offensive formation, Ari Werts broke off the line of scrimmage as the football was snapped in Monday’s practice.
A linebacker tried to get his hands on Werts and disrupt his route. Werts brushed past the attempted rub, turned to the inside and caught the pass.
A few plays later, he lined up on the right as a traditional tight end. A few plays later he lined up near the right slot.
Because of his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) and speed, Werts is developing into yet another multi-use weapon, alongside running back Glenn Smith, formerly a wide receiver, and all-conference tight end Keith Rucker, for coach Trent Miles and offensive coordinator Luke Huard.
“… He also gives you some fun because he can stretch the field,” Huard said. “He can flex. He’s not a one-trick pony.”
Werts, a sophomore who caught five passes last season, is one of two players who have been around the program, but who are expected to play a lot in crucial positions this season. Lining up near Werts’ right shoulder on his pass-catching play was left tackle Hunter Atkinson.
Like Werts, Atkinson started at Georgia State as a tight end. After redshirting last season, he was moved to tackle before the spring practices because Miles liked his athleticism and toughness. Huard also mentioned Atkinson’s ability to play in space. He will be charged with defending the blind side of right-handed quarterbacks Conner Manning and Aaron Winchester, one of whom will start.
“Hunter’s a football guy; he gets football,” Huard said. “He understands playing with leverage. He understands playing with angles. Every day he gets a little bit better.”
Both players worked hard in the offseason to improve their skills.
Werts would catch passes from Emiere Scaife and refine his blocking techniques with his hand placement and first two steps off the line on tackling dummies. Miles and Huard said he has improved a great deal as a blocker. Werts also watches a lot of film of NFL standouts O.J. Howard and Jimmy Graham, who are also hybrid tight end/wide receivers. His hope is to catch at least 30 passes this season, or impact the offense in intangible ways.
“Every day I feel like I’m getting better and better,” he said.
Atkinson worked on his pass-blocking, a skill that he underestimated the difficulty of before his position change.
“The adjustment to left tackle at first was very difficult,” Atkinson said. “As a tight end you look at the offensive line, ‘Y’all’ve got one job. It ain’t that hard. Block.’
“When you get moved, there’s a lot more to it than you think.”
Atkinson said he worked to improve his footwork most days in the summer, throwing out terms for different techniques: kick slide, vertical set and post.
He and Michael Ivory, formerly the left tackle but now starting at his natural position of left guard, help each other.
What was difficult has become much easier. So much so, that Atkinson said he isn’t surprised that he will likely be the starter for the season-opening game against Ball State on Sept. 2 at the Georgia Dome.
“I’m athletic, I can move,” Atkinson said. “It didn’t come as a surprise. Just put in the work and it will eventually pay off.”
