ATHENS — One of the more welcome sights at Georgia’s practice Tuesday was a guy in a green jersey running by himself in an end zone.
Starting inside linebacker Alec Ogletree, out since the first quarter of the first game of the season, was in full pads and running — quite swiftly and fluidly, in fact — through a series of speed and agility drills under the watchful eye of sports medicine director Ron Courson.
“Ogletree is looking really good,” coach Mark Richt said during his weekly news conference earlier Tuesday. “We don’t think there is any question at all that he’ll be ready for the Florida game.”
Ogletree was the talk of preseason camp because of the athletic ability he brought to his inside linebacker position from strong safety, where he started as a freshman in 2011. But he broke a bone in his foot early against Boise State. Not coincidentally, the Broncos were able to exploit Georgia’s defense late in the second quarter and early in the third quarter in that 35-21 loss.
The trouble regarding Ogletree’s return is the Bulldogs’ defense has developed quite nicely in his absence. Even after losing fellow starting inside linebacker Christian Robinson to an ankle injury in Game 2, Georgia’s linebacker corps has been a strength on a unit that is ranked sixth nationally and third in the defensive-minded SEC heading into Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt (7:08 p.m., FSSO).
Robinson has been back for the past two games, but has not returned to the starting lineup. “Backups” Michael Gilliard and Amarlo Herrera, who were working with the first-string defense again Tuesday, have played too well in their absence to unseat.
Gilliard, who has started for Robinson the past four games, was named SEC defensive player of the week after a 12-tackle effort against Tennessee that included a game-clinching sack. It was the fourth consecutive game he led the Bulldogs in tackles, and he now leads the Bulldogs with 40. Herrera has started the past four games and is tied for fourth on the team with 24 tackles.
Rome to play hoops
Add another name to the list of football players planning to play basketball at Georgia.
Jay Rome, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound freshman tight end, recently received the blessing of basketball coach Mark Fox to come out for basketball after the football season in over. Rome will join fellow freshman and UGA defensive back Nick Marshall on the hardwood.
“I’m not exactly sure when I’ll be able to start working with the team, but me and my father talked with Coach Fox a week or so ago, and basketball is definitely going to happen,” Rome said. “In high school, I always thought basketball was my favorite sport, but I figured I’d have a better chance to play football in college. But over the past month or so, I decided I wanted to play basketball again because I missed it so much.
Rome was a three-time player of the year at Valdosta, where he averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds his senior season. He expects to play small forward at Georgia. Rome’s father, Stan Rome, played basketball and football at Clemson.
Replacing Mitchell
Receivers coach Tony Ball said the Bulldogs will miss Malcolm Mitchell’s big-play ability, but does not see his absence this week — because of a hamstring injury — radically altering the receiving corps.
“We’re certainly going to miss an element on offense, but other players have got to step up,” Ball said. “That’s what we expect. I imagine Michael Bennett or Marlon Brown or T.K. [Tavarres King] or Chris Conley will step up. Those guys understand that. They’ve got to make plays.”
Ball said Mitchell, who has averaged 17.5 yards on 25 receptions, is not necessarily faster than the rest of the receivers. He’s merely opportunistic and determined.
“I think there’s comparable speed.” Ball said. “I just think Malcolm has taken advantage of his opportunities. He’s where he’s supposed to be, and he’s able to make the play when it comes to him. That’s a big part of it.”
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