ATHENS — One of the two players wearing No. 1 on Georgia’s football team stood out as the star of the second practice of preseason camp.
“Branden Smith kind of stole the show,” coach Mark Richt said after Friday’s practice. “He had at least five interceptions in competitive drills. Maybe a couple of them just came down to him, but most of them, he went and got or snatched away from somebody. Very, very impressive day for Branden Smith.”
Smith, a junior cornerback who also has played occasionally on offense the past two seasons, is sharing No. 1 with highly touted freshman tailback Isaiah Crowell.
The catch, of course, is that both of them can’t be in a game at the same time wearing the same number. So if coaches want to use them on offense simultaneously, one will have to shed his preferred No. 1.
Smith said he and Crowell have talked about the situation, but aren’t fretting it. “He plays offense. I play defense,” Smith said. “We’re all good with it.”
Smith has been wearing No. 1 since middle school and wants to keep it, but said that if Georgia needs him and Crowell on offense at the same time, “then I’m going to have to get another number.”
“Right now I’m focused on defense,” Smith said.
Turene ‘doubtful’
Still no definitive word on the status of linebacker recruit Kent Turene, who hasn’t joined the team because his high-school transcript is under review by the NCAA Eligibility Center, but Richt did not sound optimistic.
“As of right now, I’d put a ‘doubtful’ on ... him making it with us this season,” Richt said. “Things don’t always roll as fast as you want, and you don’t always get the answer you want. I’m just frustrated for him more than anything.”
Samuel comfortable
Two practices into his second stint as a Georgia tailback, Richard Samuel said the position “feels like old times.”
Samuel moved to linebacker last year, but returned to tailback this summer because of attrition at the position.
The 6-foot-2, 241-pound Samuel is making his presence felt at his new/old spot.
“A lot of people are trying to not get in his way,” tailback Ken Malcome said. “Even in walk-throughs, they’re trying to scoot to the side or whatever.”
Secondary violations
Georgia this week reported another secondary violation of NCAA rules because of an inadvertent telephone call to a recruit.
According to UGA’s report, running-backs coach Bryan McClendon intended to phone a friend named Jay Harris, but instead hit the wrong speed-dial entry and called running-back prospect Drew Harris. The misdial put Georgia in violation of two NCAA bylaws that regulate phone calls to recruits.
Etc.
Starting linebacker Cornelius Washington missed Friday’s practice with a hamstring injury suffered the day before. “We hope [it’s] short-term,” Richt said. ... Nose guard John Jenkins made it through Friday’s practice after cutting short the previous day’s session because of heat exhaustion.
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