HUTSON MASON, QB
He finally gets his long-awaited chance to be “The Man” for the Bulldogs. He — and Georgia —obviously are a lot better off than they would be had Aaron Murray not been injured for the last three games of last season. Now there is a significant sample size of what the Bulldogs and the offense might look like with Mason at the controls. He went 1-1 in his two starts, led Georgia to an overtime comeback over Georgia Tech. He completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 968 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions. But now it’s truly Mason’s team. He organized summer practices, speaks loudest and most for the team and now is pretty much the face of the franchise. His UGA legacy will be cemented in 14 weeks.
JOHN THEUS, OT
At least some of Mason’s fortunes will be dictated to how much protection he gets from the offensive front, and that has been a work in progress in preseason camp. The most significant move Georgia is making in replacing three starters from last year’s line is switching him from right tackle to left tackle. Generally, Mason is little less mobile than was Murray, so giving him some time to throw will be paramount. That responsibility will fall mostly on Theus.
J.J. GREEN, DB
You could insert the name of almost any defensive back into this discussion as the secondary is an area where Georgia has incurred the most attrition and needs to make the most improvement. But because he made the transition from running back to the “star,” or nickel back, position, and because he did it with enough skill and precision to bolt into a starter’s role, and because he is so physically and fundamentally different than the previous player that occupied the position (Josh Harvey-Clemons, 6-5, 215), how Green (5-9, 185) fares in that role is going to be one of the more intriguing developments to watch in 2014.
TODD GURLEY, RB
Since limping out of an injury-marred sophomore season, he has responded to every challenge the Georgia coaching staff laid before him. The chief one was to get into tip-top condition and lead by example by being present and accounted for at every turn from mat drills to the Clemson walk-through. Gurley has made good on that so far, and the Bulldogs believe it could pay dividends for them and him. As essentially a part-time player a year ago — he played in only 10 games and missed chunks of three others — Gurley gained 1,430 yards rushing and receiving and scored 15 touchdowns. The prospect of having Gurley for the majority of every game is tantalizing for Georgia.
JORDAN JENKINS, OLB
A prominent player since he stepped on campus as a freshman, he nevertheless has not quite lived up to his five-star billing as a recruit. That’s not to say Jenkins hasn’t been productive. He had 45 tackles, five sacks and 12 tackles for loss as a sophomore last season. But this is a player who announced as a freshman his intention to break Jarvis Jones’ single-season sack record (14.5). Between dropping 20 pounds for this season, taking over the “Jack” position in Jeremy Pruitt’s new defense and having a force of his own in Leonard Floyd flanking the other side, Jenkins seems poised to make good on that promise.
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