ATHENS -- Lost in all the craziness of last week's national signing day drama and shocking player dismissals was the introduction of Georgia's three early enrollees -- quarterback Faton Bauta, offensive lineman Mark Beard and tailback Keith Marshall
The trio had been shielded from interviews by UGA since arriving in early January to get acclimated to their new class schedules and join in the Bulldogs' off-season conditioning program. Now a month into their Georgia careers, they talked about the advantages of getting an early start in college and their expectations.
"One big thing is being able to adjust to your classes and getting to know where everything is," said Bauta, who is from South Florida. "Another thing is getting to know the team and being able to get that team camaraderie, that's huge. Getting to do that early before the other guys come in is a huge advantage."
Here's a brief rundown on each player:
Faton Bauta, QB, 6-3, 225, Dwyer HS, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Bauta is the son of Albanian immigrants who moved to South Florida from New York just two years ago. At Dwyer High, his size and physical playing style reminded some of Tim Tebow.
"It's an honor to be compared to a great player like him," said Bauta, who has been called "Tebow II." "To be compared to anybody in the NFL is a great honor, but to be compared to someone with his character and his will to win is huge."
One similarity Bauta shares with Tebow is people doubting his ability to play quarterback, especially in a pro-style system. Bauta doesn't take as kindly to that comparison.
"I hear that a lot," said Bauta, who often was listed as "athlete" in recruiting. "People say, ‘he doesn't look like a quarterback' and stuff like that. I just use it as fuel for motivation."
Bauta arrives to find his position of choice crowded at Georgia. He comes in behind Aaron Murray, Hutson Mason, Christian Lemay and two invited walkons.
"Wherever you go you're going to have to beat somebody out," Bauta said. "That's what I'm going to work toward every day, beating people out. If they're the better guy and they're playing, I'm fine with that. But it's about working and doing what I have to do to help this team win."
Mark Beard, OL, 6-4, 300, Coffeyville (Kan.) CC, Adamsville, Ala.
Beard was a relatively unsung college prospect his senior year at Minor High in Adamsville, Ala. He was generally rated a two- or three-star recruit and eventually signed with Troy over offers from Arkansas State, South Alabama and Georgia Southern.
But after failing to meet academic requirements for freshman eligibility, Beard spent a year and a half in junior college in Kansas. "Tthere he grew into what Georgia believes will be an NFL-caliber offensive lineman. He's expected to contend for a starting position on the Bulldogs' line during spring practice next month.
"I have to commend Mark because he graduated [from junior college] in a year in a half," coach Mark Richt said. "So here's a guy who has had a chance to grow up physically and mentally but he still has three years to play. We're real excited about him."
You can tell Beard is absolutely stoked about being at Georgia. He does not try to temper his enthusiasm for being in Athens.
"It feels crazy just playing for Georgia, that's the biggest thing," Beard said. "This is one of those big-time schools, a big-time football program. Somebody like me, I never thought I'd be playing for Georgia. It's great."
Beard has the size and mobility to play either guard or tackle for the Bulldogs and is expected to get a look at both.
"I've heard a lot of things but I don't really care where I play," he said. "They've got me learning every position. Whatever it takes to start. That's my goal"
Keith Marshall, RB, 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Millbrook HS, Raleigh, N.C.
Marshall is a recruiter's dream. He has been timed as fast as 4.22 seconds in a 40-yard dash and graduated with a 4.31 grade-point average. Marshall rushed for 4,552 yards in high school, including 1,891 and 25 touchdowns his senior season, and won the North Carolina Class AAAA 100-meter state championship.
Not surprisingly, Marshall was considered the top-ranked running back recruit in America by more than one outlet. But he surprised more than a few by picking Georgia, which already had SEC Freshman of the Year Isaiah Crowell and four other scholarship tailbacks returning. What's more, Marshall helped recruit fellow North Carolinan Todd Gurley to play tailback at UGA.
"I’m not worried about competition," Marshall said. "People say ‘competition’ like it’s a bad thing. Competition is not a bad thing; it’s a good thing.”
Marshall quickly endeared himself to the Bulldog nation when a homemade video of Marshall racing – and beating – star wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell in a 40-yard run went viral.
“Actually it was [Mitchell's] idea," Marshall said with a grin. "I’ve seen people say I challenged him; it wasn’t anything like that. We were working out and running routes or whatever and we got to talking about who was faster, so we went outside and raced. . . . All the guys thought he was going to win, so it was kind of a cool feeling. My teammates liked it but it wasn’t that big of a deal to me.”
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