Georgia Football – 2013 Spring Update

Spring Summary

Defense! Observers all over the country looked at the talent that Georgia lost from the 2012 team and made the logical assumption that the 2012 edition would suffer on defense. Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree will likely be first-round picks and John Jenkins will certainly go in the second round, if he does not sneak into the first.

Several other players will be drafted, as well. I believe that the defense will be better in 2013. Of course, rush defense will not have to improve much to be better. Going into the SECCG UGA was 11th in the SEC in rush defense – 11th! Kentucky ran on Georgia.

Much was made about the last play of the SECCG costing the Dawgs a national championship. Actually, the inability to slow Bama between the tackles in the second half was the deciding factor. Hopefully, that miserable performance will not be repeated. I’m very optimistic.

Defensive depth was evident this spring . The defensive line will be slightly smaller but will make significant gains in athleticism. I’m reasonably confident that fans will not notice the departure of the two massive nose guards – John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers.

Name a few unknown players that could become stars this season

Quayvon Hicks, a 6-2/262 fullback, has been singled out for praise by both Mark Richt and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. His size will make him valuable as a blocker as well as a short yardage back.

Jonathan Rumph (6-5/215) was the favorite wide receiver of all the quarterbacks on G-Day. The coaching staff gave the JUCO transfer plenty of opportunities and he came through with flying colors. Speaking of colors he played on both the red and the black team.

John Atkins (6-4/305) was originally part of the 2012 class but spent last fall in prep school. He is one of those players that will get playing time in the center of the defensive line.

Xavier Ward (6-7/293) is a redshirt freshman offensive tackle. He played very well on G-Day and will provide quality depth for the offensive line this fall.

James DeLoach (6-3/270) appeared in all 13 games as a freshman last year and will be a consistent contributor at outside linebacker in 2013.

Chris Mayes (6-4/315) is another of the new faces on the defensive line. Mayes is a redshirt sophomore JUCO transfer.

John Taylor (6-4/325) is pushing for playing time. The redshirt freshman is strong and athletic. Taylor is a natural. Remember that name.

Biggest question marks entering the fall

This team is solid and talented across the board. For me, the two biggest question marks are the offensive line (again) and defensive backs.

O-line play is critical for the Dawgs excellent skill players and Georgia gets the entire line back from last year. The issue is depth. Several players need to step up to provide quality minutes. The talent is there and Coach Will Friend has shown himself to be capable of developing it.

The defensive backfield is a question mark. UGA will field a group of young DB’s but they are very talented. Clemson and South Carolina are the first two opponents – those young DB’s will be tested early.

Are there any “surprises” we can expect from this team?

Many pundits are predicting a return trip to Atlanta for the de facto national championship game in December. I agree. The defense is going to surprise people. They are very talented and are playing/practicing with a chip on their collective shoulder. Look for those defensive ranking to be significantly improved in 2013.

Check out our Georgia 2013 Spring Preview here.

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Greg Poole of Leather helmet Blog provided the information for our Georgia football spring update.  For more UGA football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Greg on Twitter @ecdawg_LHB.

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