When Quayvon Hicks showed up at Georgia from Pierce County High School, he had played very little offense. And when he did, it was usually as a tight end or when he was inserted in the backfield as a human battering ram for goal-line situations.
It was his exploits as a defensive end, linebacker and occasional noseguard that first garnered Hicks’ recruiting notice. But that’s not why Georgia wanted him. The Bulldogs sought Hicks to play fullback and he’s proven to be a terrific fit for both parties. He is now the No. 1 fullback on the depth chart.
“Coach (Mike) Bobo basically told me to use that defensive mentality on offense,” said Hicks, a 6-foot-2, 257-pound sophomore. “So I’m striking at my position. I’m basically a linebacker on offense. There’s more technique to it, it’s more technical overall. But I feel more like an offensive player now.”
Hicks has always looked the part. He has put on more than 20 pounds since coming to college a year ago — at one time he weighed close to 270 — but the gains have came from the weight room, not in cafeteria.
Hicks’ physical prowess is just part of the reason he’s now running with the No. 1 offense. His development on the nuances of the job has had as much to do with it.
“Quayvon never had a problem with hitting somebody, never had a problem with contact,” coach Mark Richt said. “But knowing who to hit or (helmet) placement is so crucial. You have to know what type of leverage you’re trying to produce. There’s a lot of technique involved. Now he’s getting better with technique and assignments. That’s what’s raising him up.”
Hicks played in 13 games last season, but his work came almost exclusively on special teams while he backed up Merritt Hall and Alexander Ogletree at fullback. He said his instructions from coaches after last season were to get deep into the playbook and perfect his technique.
“That’s the biggest thing in college, to always work on becoming a better athlete but also to be a student of the game,” Hicks said. “So I’ve been studying film this summer and working with our quarterbacks and running backs. Everybody on the team is basically helping me become a better student of the game and I think that’s helping me be a faster player.”
Hicks said he studied video of LSU’s J.C. Copeland, a similarly-built (6-1, 270) fullback from LaGrange.
“He’s very athletic to be as big as he is, but mainly it’s his mentality that he’s going to beat his man nine of 10 times,” Hicks said. “He motivated me to stop worrying about perfecting everything and just start to master the position and be a man, basically.”
Hicks’ teammates and coaches have seen a difference.
“He definitely has all the tools to be a dominant player in this league,” running backs coach Bryan McClendon said. “Obviously everybody has stuff they’ve got to put together and you’ve got to have the mental make-up, which I think he has. Time will tell. It’s only his second year ever doing it. But right now he’s taking the right steps and making the right gains.”
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