ATHENS — Georgia wrapped up its spring practice with a surprisingly exciting G-Day game April 14. But what does anybody really learn from a 48-minute glorified scrimmage?
Coach Mark Richt probably best put it in perspective when he talked this week about the Bulldogs’ spring accomplishments.
“The most exciting thing for me might have been the fact that no one had an injury that would last more than a week or two after spring ball,” Richt said.
A look at how spring practice unfolded and what lies ahead:
Most improved players
Justin Scott-Wesley, a redshirt freshman wide receiver, was completely raw as a skill player when he arrived last summer. Despite splitting his time with the track team — he’s a state champion sprinter — this 6-foot, 220-pound athlete showed great promise and turned a lot of heads in the spring. On G-Day, Scott-Wesley caught three passes for 46 yards, including a 21-yarder for a first down on a third-and-long play that required him to go up high and haul in a pass over his outside shoulder with senior cornerback Branden Smith on his inside hip in tight coverage. Scott-Wesley played his way into the rotation for the season.
Other players worth mentioning are offensive lineman Kolton Houston, linebacker Ramik Wilson, tailback Ken Malcome and tight end Jay Rome.
Position-battle update
Georgia was left with three major voids on the offensive line with the graduation left tackle Cordy Glenn, center Ben Jones and right tackle Justin Anderson. Kenarious Gates (6-foot-5, 328 pounds) grabbed the job at left tackle by the throat and never let go. Meanwhile, Kolton Houston (6-5, 291) turned out to be the winner of the sweepstakes at right tackle. After missing all last season with NCAA “eligibility issues,” Houston was moved from guard midway through camp and he out-performed Watts Dantzler and Austin Long. David Andrews held on to the center job, but line coach Will Friend continues to experiment by working in guards such as Chris Burnette and Dallas Lee in hopes of eventually settling on the five best. Five-star signee John Theus will be thrown into the mix in August.
Deepest group
Georgia enjoys more quality depth on the defensive line — followed closely by linebackers — than at any other position on the field. Georgia features a pair of 350-pound nose guards in John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers who are the envy of any of the top programs in college football, much less the SEC. Meanwhile, under-appreciated end/tackle Abry Jones is back, Cornelius Washington proved to be a beast in his move to defensive end from outside linebacker and Garrison Smith, who played a lot of quality snaps late last season, was unblockable at times.
Combine that with an All-American pass rusher in Jarvis Jones at outside linebacker, seasoned veterans Alec Ogletree, Michael Gillard and Christian Robinson at inside linebacker and versatile up-and-comers Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson, and the Bulldogs feature one of the more formidable front sevens in college football.
Area of concern
Georgia’s defensive secondary is the biggest question mark. The Bulldogs already knew they would be without Brandon Boykin, who likely will be selected in the early rounds of this week’s NFL draft. Then All-America free safety Bacarri Rambo and cornerbacks Sanders Commings and Branden Smith ran into off-season trouble and face multiple-game suspensions early in the season. So shaky is the situation that UGA’s coaches moved Malcolm Mitchell, their most explosive offensive playmaker, from wideout to corner to shore up depth. Meanwhile, Georgia is relying on a pair of freshman signees in Collin Barber and Marshall Morgan to step in at punter and place-kicker, respectively. That’s unsettling itself, but especially when replacing such special-teams stalwarts as Drew Butler and Blair Walsh.
Summer question
Will the team remain intact until the season begins? Soon after news leaked of Rambo’s impending suspension because of a failed drug test, there was rampant speculation that several other players are facing disciplinary action because of violations of athletic department policy. Georgia has lost 10 players to transfer, dismissal or suspension since the bowl game. So Bulldogs fans will hold their collective breath until September.
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