The spring game rosters are here! The spring game rosters are here!

Per Gentry Estes, here’s how the Red and Black teams shape up for G-Day.

You can embiggen here.

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UPDATE: Weiszer has more details here.  I wonder if Grantham will give Bogotay the choke sign if the opportunity presents itself.

So, I was just wondering.

Orrin Hatch, Joe Barton, John McCain… what is it about sports that turns right-wing politicos into flaming socialists?

State of the program, spring football edition

If you didn’t know, Richt, Bobo and Grantham all took turns being interviewed on the Barnhart-Durham radio show last Friday.  Gentry Estes has helpfully provided a summarized transcript here.

As usual, the most interesting commentary comes from the defensive coordinator.

— Grantham pointed to sophomore nose tackle Kwame Geathers as “really our most improved guy on defense right now,” even going so far as to suggest a possible position change to end to get Geathers and incoming JUCO signee John Jenkins on the field together at the same time this fall.

That would be some serious beef, even with a three-man front.

… Meanwhile, Alec Ogletree is “going to be limited from here on out,” with a pulled groin muscle suffered last week, according to Grantham.

“But I saw enough in him to know that was the right decision (to move Ogletree to linebacker),” Grantham said.

Grantham added of Ogletree’s switch, “This is a guy that’s going to end up being 250-255 pounds on day. He can run as good as any safety. … You’ve got another good athlete than can run and hit closer to the ball.”

Grantham also was pleased with the decision to have Jarvis Jones at outside instead of inside linebacker: “I can tell you to this point in spring practice, that decision is 100 percent correct. That one’s the right one.”

No, you won’t hear the same level of certainty from him about any new spring faces in the secondary.

“We don’t sell a scouting service.”

Two classic reactions to the NCAA’s crackdown, such as it is, on recruiting services.

First, there’s Scout’s Scott Kennedy’s righteous indignation:

“This more of the NCAA trying to justify more of their bloated overpaid existence by trying to regulate the stoplight traffic regulations in the middle of a drug war,” Kennedy said. “Are they seriously going to check the coaches’ wives credit cards to see if their wives subscribe? It’s absolutely ludicrous.”

Then you’ve got Tom Lemming’s moral support, tinged with self-interest:

“I think they’re trying to make sure isn’t like basketball, to do something before it gets out of hand,” Lemming said. “I think it’s good that the NCAA does stuff. I think it should do even more, as long as it doesn’t affect me.”

In both cases, it’s about what you’d expect.

A little schedule talk

Mike Hugenin does an outstanding job of breaking down college football’s 2011 schedule story here.  A few observations:

• There are six BCS conference schools which have no games scheduled against opponents from other BCS conferences.  Some of them are getting used to that:  “This is the sixth season in a row that Texas Tech has been on the list, the third season in a row for Ole Miss and the second season in a row for Baylor, Mississippi State and Virginia Tech.”
• Miami, on the other hand, has three of those such games.  If the ‘Canes suffer a late swoon in the ACC Coastal, that may explain some of it.
• Somebody at Rice has a serious death wish.  Plus, the Owls start their season off by playing three BCS-conference opponents in a row, including the opener at Texas (three of the four total are road games, to boot).
• The best reason to be optimistic about Tennessee’s win total in 2011 isn’t Tyler Bray.  It’s having eight home games on the schedule.
• Georgia Tech at Middle Tennessee.  BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!!
• It looks like the overall trend of playing 1-AA schools has plateaued.  At least for the moment.
• Here’s a reason the SEC may look strong during the regular season:  “There are 12 non-conference games against “Big Six” opponents, a decrease of four from last season.”

Guys, we get it. We really do.

I understand it’s convenient to use the transition to the 3-4 as an excuse for mediocre defensive play last year, but, man, I wish they’d quit saying stuff like this.

“I think the guys we have know where they’re supposed to run and which gap is theirs,” Robinson said. “I think we’re being more attacking right now. I think last year we were kind of hesitant. I don’t think that’s too much to say, but we really kind of sat back and wanted to play it safe…”

And this.

“You know, I’d been playing in the old system so long. And then we switched, I was just trying to pick up things here and there,” he said.

And this.

“I see a guy who’s very serious about wanting to earn playing time and earn a starting job,” Richt said of Hamilton. “He’s a guy who I know has been spending some extra time on his own trying to learn and get better, as compared to a year ago. I don’t think he was doing quite as much of that as he should.”

Don’t talk anymore.  Just do.