The Achilles heel for the much-maligned Georgia Bulldogs’ defense last year was its secondary. With seven different starting configurations of four freshmen, one sophomore and two juniors, the Bulldogs’ lacked consistency and experience. Now that four of those starters from last year are either no longer on the team or have switched to offense, Georgia fans have every right to be worried about a repeat performance this year.
Lucky for them, Shattle Fenteng enrolls at Georgia on Wednesday.
Obviously, I hope Fenteng turns out to be a major contributor this season, but, honestly, how many JUCO players have stepped in at Georgia and had a serious impact from day one? Bueller? Bueller?
Get The Picture 
John Jenkins.
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Not from day one.
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and he was hit or miss his second year.
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and woefully overweight, in his own words.
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The thing is newcomers will play this year anyway whether it’s a juco or a walkon or a freshman, so pick your poison.
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First time for everything.
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I think everyone said the same thing about Jakar Hamilton. Show me on the field, Shattle. He’s going to have to play and probably start.
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Hamilton, btw, caught on with the Dallas Cowboys… Wish we could have gotten some production out of him.
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If I remember correctly, he ended up playing some corner in the Tech game when they just kept running wide to Branden Smith’s side and he just couldn’t handle it.
Also, Hamilton seemed to have the Tray Matthews disease with his hamstring while he was in Athens.
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IIRC, Hamilton had this gem of a quote going into his second year, where he basically said he realized he was going to actually have to learn the defense & try harder. He rolled in sporting that “The Hitman” moniker and too much swag.
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Yeah, I watched Stafford and Kris Durham abuse him last year.
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Not me. Never bought into that silly hype. “Hitman”. There wasn’t anything on his film that warranted a tag like that. What a joke.
One of the effects of the culture problem is an unrealistic view the players have of themselves. Generally, they think they are much better than they actually are. And sometimes their teammates buy into it as well. When that sort of mentality spreads over the whole team, or even just the defense, the effect is predictable.
“Hitman” was an example of that, and even under Grantham/Lakatos, never really got to play. One example who did play was Rambo, who was totally shocked when he dropped all the way into the low rounds of the draft. That’s just amazing to me, with all the people he had around him. But it shows how powerful the delusion can be.
FWIW, Shattle seems to have a good head on his shoulders. I think he’ll be able to handle it successfully, something that hasn’t happened in our secondary very much recently. We’ll have to see it on the field, I know, but I feel pretty good about this kid.
It won’t take long to find out, that’s for sure.
~~~
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Rambo dropped in the NFL draft because of failing 2 drug tests. He’s now in the NFL with the Redskins.
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If you believe that, I won’t try to convince you. They didn’t help, but he would’ve gone low, likely as low, without that. Just like his predecessor, Reshad Jones. It’s all about the film with both those guys.
~~~
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Aren’t they renamed “The Red Fellows”? “Varied Skins”? “Lobbying Savages”? “Hatchet-Carrying Senators”? “Native American Americans”? “Sushi eaters”?
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I honestly can’t think of any jucos that have contributed for uga.
Other sec schools? Yes immediate impact players.
Maybe Pruitt will change that…not many other options.
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Cannot argue with the record of JUCOs at Georgia, but I really like us selectively bringing in talent to help shore up weak spots. It is a smart tactic that has worked for many other schools, we just have to get better at it. There are always going to be a number of recruits that wash out and leave you vulnerable in certain positions and these guys have played at a level higher than HS and are more mature. Let’s hope Mr. Fenteng begins to reverse our history this year.
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Well, he has a great opportunity, doesn’t he. And he has the coaches and the system in place for him to maximize his talents. That’s more than any secondary player that’s come to Georgia in the last decade or so has had.
So we’ll see what he can do with it.
~~~
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weren’t Jeff Sanchez and Kendrell Bell JUCOs? Snachez unquestionably was a contributor from day 1, and I vividly remember the first play of Kendrell Bell’s career. UGA kicked off to whoever we were playing, and I saw this guy in a red jersey fly at the wedge, leap over it like he was Superman, and blast the returner right out of his shoes. Hoooooooooooooooly (insert the scatological term of your choice here. Mine was unrepeatable)! It was like watching a cruise missile blow up a Land Rover.
Fenteng doesn’t have to be the next Deion Sanders. If he’s just competent, he’ll be a huge upgrade over last year.
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Yep on both of those guys. I don’t remember if Odell Thurman had to start at JUCO or if he got sent down after a first round of problems in Athens. We’ve had some defensive linemen who have been successful through the JUCO route, most notably, John Jenkins.
Of course, the biggest JUCO flame-out was Odell Collins, the tailback who injured his groin(?) doing laundry.
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Odell got sent to JUCO after he broke Musa’s jaw and got caught too many times drinking. He enrolled out of Jasper County HS originally (and was the fastest one in that class on arrival, including DJ, Gibson, Tyson Browning, Mike Gilliam, Bama Adams, etc).
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That’s right. I couldn’t remember. Odell played with an edge we’ve rarely seen guys play with. Kendrell Bell was another of those types of hard-nosed linebackers. Rennie Curran had it, too, but didn’t have the physical presence of a Thurman or a Bell.
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In the creepily scouting 8 yr olds department, I’d so love to land Odell’s son in about 2024 or whenever he gets to signing age.
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Has Junior made him an offer yet?
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Odell’s kid already committed to LSU. The Hat announced it at a press conference last week. The Bengals had been recruiting him since the age of 2. 🙂
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If we go pre-Richt, you’d have Kendrell Bell and the DL Donnan landed (Emarlos Leroy, Ferguson and Smith, Antonio Cochran). But under Richt they all took a bit to get acclimated (Jenkins is arguable, but Kareem Marshall, Corvey Irvin, Jarius Wynn aren’t) or didn’t really pan out (that CB in Richt’s first class, the LT Vance, and an OL from Kansas, Haverkamp I think it was, that never played, and then the recent DBs we signed)
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Italy and Ghana!? He is letting the terrorists win.
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+1 analytic tradecraft at its best
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Well put 81Dog. I was there for that game you referenced. Correct me if I’m wrong here because it was many ‘Blue’ moons ago but on that play didn’t Kendrell Bell jump to hurdle his attempted blocker, who managed to connect and knock Bell’s feet out from under him and forcing him to execute a complete forward flip? I recall that he managed to land on his feet and then flatten the return guy? I remember it as being one of the coolest plays I was a witness too and the hype with Bell was already strong before that play so I was pumped up and ready to suit up myself after that one. Of course, I think that was the same kickoff that took out Boss Bailey’s ACL, wasn’t it?
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I can’t swear to a front flip, but I recall being startled by a large Bulldog whose number I did not recognize go full airborne over the wedge on the way to blasting the returner with the force of a 20 pound bowling ball crushing the 1 pin. I snatched up my program because my brain was screaming WHO THE %^<&# IS THAT? I don't even recall Munson's call. It was a thing of terrible, unexpected beauty.
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You could argue that Mark Beard has had an impact as a JUCO enrollee.
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The best thing I can say about him right now is that he has the bad mouthing last year’s team part of the Georgia Way down pretty good based on the quotes he gave Radi.
Also curious how we are going to get rid of the sense of entitlement in the secondary when all we do is bring guys in and hand them the job without any competition.
I hope the guy comes in, works hard, and plays great ball.
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CJP is not at all about entitlement … A walk-on (Davis) finished the spring atop the depth chart at CB & last year’s starter (Wiggins) followed Grantham to land of misfits where the playbook is thick, accountability is flexible and the jokes flow a plenty …
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I dont think that example makes the point you think it does.
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Really? The starter was moved to third string and the third string moved to the starter … What am I missing?
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Just a bit of a stretch to make your point. Wiggins transferred.
Also suggesting that having a walk on with 2 ACL injuries in his background and hasnt played football game in 3 years as a proof of anything other than lack of depth in the secondary is questionable.
Davis reads like an awesome story. I hope he balls out of control.
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Ronnie Harris
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Good get! He was solid from day 1!
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Bueller? Bueller?
No, I think Bueller flamed out with Montego Powers. Grades, expired driver’s license, scooter emerging from an alley and he couldn’t remember his middle name. He was trouble.
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John Jenkins. Leonard Floyd. That’s about it. Can’t think of any in the secondary either. There was Jakar “the hitman” Hamilton. Oh wait… he sucked.
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Floyd wasn’t JUCO.
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some of us do count Hargrave as a JUCO alternative and that has produced a boat load of talent
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But it’s specifically not a JUCO alternative, which is why it gets used. JUCO means eligibility loss on your 5 yrs to play 4 seasons clock. Prep school is considered extended high school (by the NCAA, not NFL) and thus a big difference.
It’s also a difference in what kids we send there. See Devondre Seymour, because he had so many core classes already locked in and the way his academics needed help, prep school wasn’t going to be enough to get him eligible so he goes JUCO. Floyd likely just needed a better grade in an English class, or to take another English, or just to bump his test score up on the NCAA’s sliding scale, and that way can go prep, save the eligiblity, and still get to school.
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“have switched to offense”. Two players from the D backfield.
Would this happen if things were as dire as we seem to hear? Wouldn’t CMR switch them back? Maybe things are better than we know.
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I would not count out Aaron Davis at CB. The kid is big for a CB, physical, and played well in GDay scrimmage. Hope Shattle is the real deal though.
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not a JUCO, but back in the day our secondary got Ben Smith from SMU after they got the death penalty. he ended up All-SEC and All-Pro if i remember correctly. seems like we’re sending the talent the other way these days – maybe Auburn and Louisville will play in a bowl game this year.
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what are the reports on JJ Green and will Malcolm Mitchell go both ways.?.. inquiring minds want to know
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No, it was not Ben Smith from SMU. It was Mark Vincent you are thinking about. We got two from SMU. Vincent was one and an O lineman Shelley Anderson was the other.
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Ben Smith was a kid outta Warner Robins . Played for Robert Davis Demons. Was a big time hitter.
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actually, the innertubes research says that Ben Smith WAS a JUCO transfer. Northeastern Oklahoma.
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I think Ben was a non qualifier who came back to us. Mark Vincent came in for his senior year after SMU got the death penalty. He’s a lawyer in Dallas now, but he loves UGA and says his kids are going here.
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Do Brandon Bogotay and Scott Haverkamp count? How about from Georgia to junior college? Marshall and Mettenberger.
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That seems to be a successful path.
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Fenteng: “It shows that the coaches are more serious this year. They are not taking any crap from players … they don’t want any cancers on the team. They want everyone on the same team.”
Interesting comment from a player who was not yet on campus, but had been talking to coaches. It plays into the conversation that’s been going on here. The culture problem is real, and has to be fixed if we’re going to be Georgia again.
Those are rather strong words, but yet more evidence that the change is actually happening.
~~~
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Yep. strong words from someone that hasnt even dropped his stuff out at his locker. Seems like we found another CB that likes to hear himself talk.
Funny how Murray and Gurley are never give quotes about how last’s year team didnt work hard or buy in. Seems like the guys giving those quotes are the guys that didnt get the job done the year before.
Once again, the most consistent part of the “Georgia Way” is trash talking last year. At least all the new arrivals have that part down.
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Not necessarily. Sounds to me like he is just being honest and forthright. I don’t hear any trash talk at all, and haven’t. Maybe Fenteng will have to learn how to filter what you say to the media, but that will come soon enough.
Wrong again. I’ve heard Gurley say exactly that. Two years ago (or maybe 3), it was Murray, along with Conley, saying it publicly and in a much stronger way, both Murray and Conley saying there were “cancers” on the team. They did everything but call names.
They couldn’t call names, of course, but in a way I wish they had. Later, at an opportune time, Shawn Williams DID call names. And it got us on a roll against Florida.
~~~
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“they don’t want any cancers on the team.”
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, anytime anybody uses that phrase you should get a co-pay
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LOL.
~~~
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Carrollton’s Jamie Henderson was a terrific safety, and I think he came from JUCO.
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Corvey Irvin was pretty solid I thought.
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Shoot. Someone beat me to Jeff Sanchez. That was back around the time of Bueller, so maybe we’re due again.
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Unfortunately I keep thinking of “The Hitman” Jakar Hamilton. I hope Fenteng proves me wrong.
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Your disorder is totally understandable, Russ. Even normal. But take heart. It may be going away soon.
~~~
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Sigh….
“Personally, if I was the coaches, I can’t tell them what to do, but I’d have Amarlo Herrera in the game more,” Williams said of Georgia’s starting Mike linebacker. “I wouldn’t bring him out. . . . I want to see Amarlo (Herrera) and (Alec) Ogletree in the game at linebacker; I don’t want to see anybody else at linebacker. I feel like they’re two guys that are going to go out and give you all they got, no matter if they mess up or do right. I feel like they’re going to get to the ball and tackle. That’s what we need.”
More than any specific individuals, Williams indicated it was attitude in general that has seen the Bulldogs plunge down the national defensive rankings. Heading into Saturday’s game against run-heavy Florida, Georgia is ranked 47th in total defense (367.43 yards per game), 72nd against the run (167.86) and 49th in scoring (24.14 ppg). They were top 23 in all those categories to end last season. Kentucky rushed for 206 of their 329 total yards in a 29-24 Georgia victory.
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