Georgia opened its spring practice with a nearly two-hour session in shorts on Tuesday. The Bulldogs return seven starters on offense, six on defense and place kicker Blair Walsh. In all, 49 out of 71 lettermen are back. Here are some of the team’s thoughts after the first practice.
HEAD COACH MARK RICHT
On the injured players at the start of spring …
“It was over 20 guys that … are not practicing today. Some, as time goes on through spring, might get to play. So we might get a few more guys back … A guy like Trinton Sturdivant got to do a lot more today than he would do once we put the pads on because there’s no contact. Some of the drills where we were just teaching against scout team, walkthrough type of stuff, he got to do that. Jeffrey Owens got to taste a little bit of lining up, but as soon as we started moving around at a pretty good pace those guys had to get out of there.”
On early enrollee quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger …
“You had your typical true freshmen being a little nervous, having a hard time hitting their targets, not being good with their footwork, still learning how to call the play in the huddle, still learning the cadence. I was watching those guys a good bit, but they’re both very, very talented guys and we’re just excited about how they can throw the ball. Coach [Mike] Bobo is extremely happy in the meeting rooms and how they are picking things up on the board. But to take it from the board to practice, especially the first one where everybody’s watching is not easy for those guys, so it was about what you would expect.”
On quarterback Logan Gray …
“Logan really had a very good day today. It was very obvious Logan knew what to do. It was very obvious Logan’s footwork was right. It was very obvious he knew exactly how to play-fake and run the boot or whatever it was. He threw the ball very well, especially in our team work. Right now we have taken Logan out of any special teams responsibility this spring to spend the entire time in the quarterback meetings and the quarterback drills.”
QUARTERBACK JOE COX
On heading into spring as the No. 1 quarterback in his fifth season in Athens…
“I was hoping one day it will come and finally it’s here. It’s a great feeling and I think everybody is looking forward to what we have going on. I wouldn’t take anything back or make any changes on what I’ve done. I’m glad to be at this point where we are now.”
On how the practice went …
“I felt pretty good. I think everybody is shaking off some rust. It was a good learning day. I felt everybody has a lot of energy. We’re just looking forward to getting better everyday.”
TAILBACK CALEB KING
On how he’s improved since last year …
“I’m an all-around player. I believe my blocking skills have improved. That was pretty much my downfall last year. I’m stepping that up. I’m more in shape than last year. Right now I’m around 210 (pounds). I can make my cuts quicker, I [feel] faster.”
On running backs coach Bryan McClendon not naming a starter until the injured Richard Samuel and Dontavius Jackson compete in the fall …
“Everybody should get a fair chance, so I believe in what he’s doing.”
TAILBACK CARLTON THOMAS
On starting the spring getting reps with the second team …
“It’s unfortunate that it has to come at the expense of Dontavius and Richard, but it’s an opportunity and you’ve got to take advantage of every opportunity.”
On his maturation during his redshirt year …
“I feel like I matured a lot, just basically getting in learning the plays and taking it from the meeting room and applying it on the practice field. I really grew a lot and I’m seeing it now as the first day just passed. I had a very good practice.”
LINEBACKER RENNIE CURRAN
On offseason workouts …
“The offseason has been awesome, better than anyone I can remember, just in terms of how hard we worked, how focused the guys have been and just the gain we’ve had with all of the guys. We’ve got a lot of hungry guys.”
On what expects out of the defense in the spring …
“I’ll like to see execution from every position, and even when we get tired, still be able to concentrate. Just really being consistent as a whole, forming good leadership [and] forming a good foundation for the season.”
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
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