Georgia’s search for a fairly routine spring practice successfully wrapped up with the G-Day scrimmage in front of a limited crowd. It was an entertaining game on a perfect afternoon showcasing Georgia’s depth at quarterback, and no major injuries were reported. That would be welcome in any year, but it was an especially enjoyable return to normalcy after the 2020 season. Some key storylines that came from spring practice:

• George Pickens’s ACL injury left fans wondering whether Georgia now lacked the big play receiver that would allow the offense to realize its full potential. Hope remains that Pickens might return before the end of the regular season, though he might elect to focus on preparation for the 2022 NFL draft.
• Jermaine Burton had a scare with a knee injury, and the injury situation began to look like a repeat of the carnage of 2013. Fortunately Burton’s injury wasn’t season-ending, but it did keep him out for the rest of the spring.
• Other receivers Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Dominick Blaylock look to be on track to return for 2021.
• The unsettled secondary should be aided by the transfer of Tykee Smith from West Vriginia. Smith didn’t go through spring practice but should arrive in Athens soon.
• A record 16 early enrollees went through spring practice. It’s a complete 180 from the offseason of 2020 when there was a new offensive coordinator, an unknown at quarterback, and spring practice was canceled. Almost the entire 2021 team was in Athens for this spring’s organized workouts.
• The team was far from complete, though. Over a dozen players, including starters like Nakobe Dean, missed some or all of spring practice with injuries. All but Pickens are on track to be ready for the season.

G-Day did little to change the narrative that the offensive line and secondary are the areas to watch heading into the season. That’s good in a way – you don’t want unforeseen problems popping up while addressing the obvious issues that have been front and center for months. Georgia’s strengths looked like strengths: a diversified offense with weapons at quarterback and tailback, promising depth at receiver especially considering those recovering from injuries, and a defensive front that’s going to wreck shop.

QB1

JT Daniels wasn’t even a member of the team at this point a year ago. Since last May, he’s transferred in from USC, took over the starting job in November, and lived up to the massive expectations placed on him after Jamie Newman and D’Wan Mathis didn’t or couldn’t claim the starting job. Georgia needed a big performance from the passing game to beat Mississippi State, and Daniels delivered. He wasn’t perfect in his progressions and showed some odd mechanics, but that’s understandable for a guy coming off knee surgery and who didn’t have much of an offseason with his teammates or a new playcaller. He’s had that experience now, and he looked very much in control of an offense that’s expected to carry Georgia far this season. Daniels showed great arm strength and placement on a touchdown strike to Adonai Mitchell right before halftime. But he was just as comfortable checking down to tailbacks and finding tight ends, displaying more command and comfort in the system than he did in 2020.

Daniels’s comfort goes along with a quarterback room that’s much deeper and and more stable than it was when Daniels arrived. Stetson Bennett, a veteran with SEC starting experience and wins over Auburn, Tennessee, and Kentucky, finds himself in a tough competition to remain the backup. Carson Beck, almost forgotten between last season’s drama and the incoming 5* prospects, began to show the development and maturity coaches hoped to see. This depth will give the coaches the luxury of developing Brock Vandagriff, the touted true freshman, who showed both the rawness and potential that coaches will attempt to hone this season before a likely quarterback competition next year.

Defensive evolution

One name I was especially glad to see called was Devonte Wyatt. It’s not only because he chose to come back; it’s because his role could be a key to defensive success. With so much attention paid to Jordan Davis, other defensive linemen like Wyatt (and Walker and Carter…) will need to come up big, and they’ll have the matchups to do so. Wyatt got good penetration, and he and Walker were credited with two sacks each.

The roles of Wyatt, Walker, Carter, and the other linemen are coupled with how defenses are adjusting to more open and pass-happy offenses. With more nickel and dime personnel on the field, there will be fewer linebackers – especially the outside linebackers who are traditionally the pass rush specialists in a 3-4 base defense. The OLB position is still important; Nolan Smith had a fantastic G-Day. Adam Anderson was less conspicuous, but this scrimmage really wasn’t the setting in which to feature the blitz packages where Anderson’s versatility shines. The point though is that the role of the down linemen in pressure and disruption will increase. We’re used to them absorbing blocks, clogging lanes, and letting the linebackers clean up – contributions that might not show up in the stat sheet.

We should expect to see those linemen become less anonymous going forward. Their talent alone makes them tough to ignore, but their role and the nature of the defense means they could start making as many plays as they help set up for those behind them. Wyatt, Walker, and Zion Logue were right up there with Nolan Smith as G-Day’s sack leaders. With quick-release passes common in RPO-heavy offenses, you often don’t have time to wait for the pass rush to get home. The line of scrimmage has to be disrupted before the quarterback can make a comfortable run/pass decision. Georgia has the personnel to cause that disruption, and we saw on G-Day that it’s not just Jordan Davis.

Work to do

The most positive thing about the situations on the offensive line and in the secondary is that they’re still in flux. That’s to say that Georgia isn’t locked into a certain set of personnel and without options. There’s still time for offseason development and for individuals to make moves before the season. That’s a byproduct of and an advantage from consistently strong recruiting. But at some point coaches will have to make decisions, and G-Day didn’t offer a ton of clarity.

At defensive back Jalen Kimber might have looked more at ease than newcomers Kelee Ringo and Lovasea Carroll, and Nyland Green didn’t see the field. Ringo showed the speed to keep up with some of Georgia’s quicker receivers, and he laid what might have been the biggest hit of the day on Ladd McConkey. We can expect Tykee Smith to be plugged into a big role, and he should provide some stability and experience. Speed, Poole, and especially Brini reminded us last season that there are some experienced seniors who shouldn’t be counted out. The takeaway is that no one player came out of spring as the obvious answer at cornerback.

Georgia has recruited well on the offensive line since 2017, and five years ago we’d be salivating over guys currently running with the second team. What hasn’t happened yet is that talent coalescing into a confident whole. Some of that has to do with coaches still trying various combinations. That might be frustrating to fans watching the process play out in plain sight but is illuminating and useful for coaches. But it might also have to do with some players not making satisfactory progress to lock down their starting role. That leaves a couple of known starters, like Salyer, in limbo as we know he’ll start somewhere but exactly where will depend how other positions shake out. Ideally Salyer would play inside, but coaches would have to feel comfortable with Xavier Truss (or someone else) at left tackle. Truss has made visible progress since the Peach Bowl, but he’s not yet to the point of securing the job. The situation isn’t much more clear inside, and interior run blocking and pass protection wasn’t stellar at G-Day. Salyer could shore that up, but, again, we don’t know if he’ll be needed more at left tackle.

More…

• You feel for Dan Jackson getting trucked by Washington and blocked into the endzone by Broderick Jones, but Jackson rebounded with a nice ball-hawking interception and showed why coaches have been positive about his future.
• Again, this wasn’t the day to show off a power running game, but a healthy Kendall Milton makes this an incredibly deep backfield once McIntosh returns. The battle for that third tailback spot will be intense, and the depth gives coaches the option to feature multiple tailbacks if Cook’s role evolves.
• Cook’s reception on the wheel route was the highlight of a prolific receiving day for the backs. On the other hand, there was some PTSD for seeing Georgia’s defense burned on another wheel route with an OLB in coverage.
• Adonai Mitchell was a favored target and delivered a big game. He doesn’t have to lead Georgia in receiving; if he has an impact similar to Burton’s impact in 2020, that will go a long way towards easing the loss of Pickens.
• Darnell Washington might not be 100% yet, but we’re witnessing him going supernova. The unexpected story at TE though might be the debut of Brock Bowers. The QB position has come a long way since last season, but the TE position has also transformed quite a bit since 2019 when Charlie Woerner was the only returning scholarship TE. FitzPatrick, Washington, and Bowers are talented enough to allow coaches a lot of flexibility with the position.
• Special teams never gets much attention in these scrimmages. It was unfortunate that Zirkel was unable to participate. Camarda filled in as the second-team placekicker and showed good leg strength but not much accuracy. No concern about Camarda’s punting though. Kearis Jackson will be the return man, but McConkey seemed to be someone coaches wanted to get a look at.