Spring practice comes to an end with G-Day on Saturday. G-Day is at 2:00 at Sanford Stadium and will also be broadcast on CSS. You can get more information about injuries and rosters here. Also be sure to check out the Banner-Herald’s expanded G-Day preview.

With practice all but over, the program has handed out the annual spring awards:

MVP (offense): Cordy Glenn, LG, Riverdale, Ga.
True Grit Award (Offense): Shaun Chapas, FB, St. Augustine, Fla.
Coffee County Hustle Award (Offense): Washaun Ealey, TB, Stillmore, Ga.
Most Improved Player (Offense): Carlton Thomas, TB, Frostproof, Fla.
Outstanding Walk-On (Offense): Cameron Allen, FB, Canton, Ga./Kevin Lanier, FB, Woodstock, Ga.

MVP (Defense): Justin Houston, DL/LB, Statesboro, Ga.
True Grit Award (Defense): Akeem Dent, LB, Atlanta, Ga.
Coffee County Hustle Award (Defense): Demarcus Dobbs, DL/LB, Savannah, Ga./DeAngelo Tyson, DT, Statesboro, Ga.
Most Improved Player (Defense): Vance Cuff, CB, Moultrie, Ga./Brandon Boykin, CB, Fayetteville, Ga.
Outstanding Walk-On (Defense): Reuben Faloughi, DL/LB, Martinez, Ga.

Comments:

Cordy Glenn might be one of the least-talked about starters on the team. It’s because he’s just there. A given, a rock. The offensive line has other mainstays – Boling and Jones are clearly two – but Glenn seems to really be coming into his own as he enters his junior season. The line now has depth and experience, so that already puts us way ahead of where things were in 2007. The next step is seeing some of these linemen take the jump from being good, solid contributors to becoming real difference-makers up front. Max Jean-Gilles is arguably the most recent lineman of that kind, and you have to go back to the Foster and Stinchcomb line to find guys who would be taken on the first day of the NFL Draft. Glenn might be headed in that direction.

It’s interesting to see most of the awards on offense go to running backs. There’s a lot of competition back there, and it shows. It’s good to see Ealey continue his work ethic. Caleb King will miss G-Day nursing a minor injury, but the two continue to push eash other. But Carlton Thomas hasn’t given up his fight for playing time, and he has a special set of skills that should be useful this year.

Justin Houston earning MVP honors is big. The key to the transition to the 3-4 defense will be the outside linebackers, especially now that Montez Robinson is out of the picture. Can Houston and incoming guys recruited as defensive ends make the transition to the additional responsibilities of an OLB in the 3-4? Houston seems to be getting there.

Reuben Faloughi was a player talked about a lot in preseason last year but didn’t see the field. His progress won him the Outstanding Walk-On for defense this spring, and it’s now also earned him a scholarship according to reports from last night’s spring awards banquet. He’ll definitely be one to keep an eye on tomorrow.