Georgia running backs coach Thomas Brown said last week that he hoped tailback Keith Marshall would return to action before the end of spring practice, and he got his wish Tuesday.
Sidelined since March 26 with a hamstring injury, Marshall fully participated in practice, exchanging the green (non-contact) jersey he wore late last week for a regular red jersey.
“I wouldn’t say (he was) 100 percent, but he … got more work than I thought he would,” coach Mark Richt said.
Marshall’s return was “good for him and good for his fellow backs,” Richt said. “It takes a little pressure off them.”
But Richt was noncommittal on whether the hamstring will allow Marshall to play in the G-Day intra-squad scrimmage Saturday.
“Will it be enough to go full-speed on Saturday?” Richt said. “I don’t know.”
Marshall, who had 759 yards rushing as a freshman in 2012, missed most of the past two seasons with injuries.
His 2013 season ended when he suffered a knee injury (torn ACL) in the fifth game. He played sparingly in the first three games of 2014 and was sidelined the remainder of the season after suffering knee and ankle sprains.
Recruits in town: Five-star quarterback prospect Jacob Eason of Lake Stevens, Wash., a 2016 commitment to Georgia, was among a group of about 20 recruits watching the Bulldogs practice Tuesday. Many of them were visiting Athens on their high schools' spring breaks.
“Anytime that you get an opportunity to get recruits here on campus, it’s important,” said Bryan McClendon, Georgia’s wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. “Obviously you’ve got a bunch of other schools trying to do the exact same thing.
“It gives you another opportunity to build those relationships. It gives you another opportunity to show off the Georgia brand. So you’ve got to take advantage of it.”
Turman's busy spring: Georgia tailback A.J. Turman hasn't played in a game since his senior season of high school in 2012. To him, it seems even longer.
“It feels like forever,” Turman said. “I just can’t wait to play in a game next season.”
He was redshirted in 2013 and was sidelined all of the 2014 season after sustaining a foot injury last spring that required surgery.
After the long layoff, Turman is having a busy spring. He has gotten increased reps because of injuries to fellow tailbacks Sony Michel (shoulder) and Marshall and the coaches’ decision to severely limit No. 1 tailback Nick Chubb’s participation in scrimmages.
“I’m trying to use every opportunity the best I can,” Turman said. “It feels great being out there once again.”
Etc.: Richt said the players "ran more from January to spring ball than we've run as a team since I've been here. … These guys, cardiovascular-ly, are really in good shape." … Increasingly, spring practice has become a media event here. Nineteen media members were counted at Tuesday's practice.
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