ATHENS -- Georgia resumed spring football practice Tuesday with tailback Washaun Ealey on the sideline with a strained left hamstring.
Georgia listed Ealey's status as "day to day." Tuesday's was the first of five practices he has missed this spring. The Bulldogs' next practice is Thursday.
"It's nothing serious," running backs coach Bryan McClendon said of the injury.
McClendon said Ealey and fellow tailback Caleb King, both of whom have been suspended twice since the start of last season because of off-field issues, are having productive and positive springs.
"I do think generally they're doing well," McClendon said. "They're coming out there and busting their tail, working as hard as anybody. They're really being good teammates to everybody."
Ealey, King, Carlton Thomas and Ken Malcome are sharing the tailback snaps evenly with the first- and second-team offensive units, McClendon said. Prized recruit Isaiah Crowell will join the competition when he arrives this summer.
Asked how the returning tailbacks have handled all the public attention that has been focused on Crowell, McClendon said: "I think they've handled it as well as they could. I think the biggest person who needs to worry about all the attention Isaiah is getting is Isaiah. Isaiah needs to make sure by the time he comes up here he [is] ready to roll. We have talked about that a few times."
The other tailbacks "need to worry about things they can control," McClendon said. "They can't control who's coming in. ... The only thing they need to control is the reps they get out there and making them count."
Punt returns for Boykin?
Brandon Boykin, Georgia's career record-holder in kickoff-return yards, also might return punts this year.
He is getting a serious look in the role this spring, along with Branden Smith, Tavarres King, Carlton Thomas and Rantavious Wooten.
"We've got to try all those guys; that's what spring is for," said McClendon, who coaches the punt-return unit. "Hopefully somebody is taking that job over pretty soon here."
Boykin, a rising senior cornerback, has 1,813 career kickoff-return yards, including an SEC-record three 100-yard returns.
As for why Boykin hasn't returned punts in the past, McClendon noted that he already was playing a large number of snaps between defense and special teams. "But right now if he's the best guy for the job, he's the one that's going to do it," McClendon said.
Juggling the tackles
Barring injury, Trinton Sturdivant and Cordy Glenn surely will be Georgia's starting offensive tackles. It's not clear at this point, though, which one will play left tackle and which one will play right tackle.
Both are getting work at both spots in practice, new offensive line coach Will Friend said. "Whoever wins that job," Friend said, "will be the left tackle," entrusted to protect quarterback Aaron Murray's blind side.
Glenn started all 13 games last season at left guard, and Sturdivant started seven at left tackle. Glenn was moved to tackle this spring.
Kenarious Gates and Justin Anderson have been considered the leading candidates to start at the guards, but Friend said backup center Chris Burnette worked some at first-team guard Tuesday.
"I grade everything that goes on," Friend said, "and Chris has graded pretty good, so he got to work with the 1's at the guard spot."
A day for the defense
By all accounts, the defense dominated the offense Tuesday.
"The defense pretty much got the best of us," offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. "We got it kind of handed to us, but it'll be interesting to see how we respond on Thursday to a little adversity we had [Tuesday]."
Coach Mark Richt didn't meet with reporters Tuesday, but said in a statement that the defense "pretty much shut down the offense."
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