Meet the new kidz

Given how many of you are fingering the receivers as the main cause for Georgia’s stilted offense last season, you might be interested in hearing Terrence Edwards’ take on three members of the 2020 class, Justin Robinson, Ladd McConkey and Jermaine Burton.  All of them are currently working with Edwards at his wide receiver academy, so it’s not some long-distance analysis.

On McConkey,

“I was impressed. There are a lot of things need to continue to work on no. He’s real green at the position, but he’s a great athlete and I was impressed with his ability to run,” Edwards said. “His straight-line speed is good and he has a burst, a short to immediate burst that’s something he’s going to need.”

Edwards projects McConkey as playing slot for the Bulldogs.

“I think he’s going to be able to change the game slot, because he can control the middle of the field because he does have good straight-line speed,” Edwards said. “But he also has that ability to get in and out of break points in your short to immediate routes. What’s the best thing that he did for someone who hasn’t played the position. He caught the ball very well. He was very comfortable catching the football.”

However, considering he is basically learning a new position, Edwards said McConkey’s impact may not be made this fall.

It might take him a year.

“Honestly, just my honest opinion, I think he’s about probably another year away, I think a redshirt year would be good for him,” Edwards said. “But he has ability and this is a really good late pickup in the recruiting process because he has some tools in the toolshed that can help Georgia win some games.”

A project, in other words, which is not a bad thing in and of itself.  Also, a year in the program will give McConkey some time to develop physically.

Edwards has been working with Robinson since he was in middle school.  He is very high on him.  (It’s a shame that Robinson won’t get as much out of being an early enrolled because of the current situation.)

“Justin has the ability to high-point footballs, he’s got the ability to track footballs. He has a large catch radius being so tall and big,” Edwards said. “He’s going to be able to do like Kirby wants on the outside, and that’s to have dogs out there on the perimeter.”

Physically, Edwards believes the former Eagles Landing standout is ready to make an early impact. He also believes Robinson will be physical enough to perhaps play a couple of different roles for new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

“Now that he’s added a lot of good strength, he’s ready to compete on an every-down basis with SEC corners. He can come into the slot and block linebackers. You won’t have to put a tight end in the game because you can put Justin in there. He can control the edge with his abilities,” Edwards said. “He’s going to bring a lot to the table that no one in that room has right now for being such a young receiver.”

However, there are some adjustments Robinson will have to make.

“If we had to play tomorrow, I’d say he’s got a lot of things mentally he needs to continue to work. He has to adjust to the speed of the game coming from a Class A Private,” Edwards said. “He’s got to understand what college football is all about, that’s why this spring was going to be big for him. But I do think – and this is just from the physical aspect of it – he has the ability to compete.”

Like I said, it’s a shame.

Edwards is also bullish on Burton, with whom he’s also worked before now.

“Jermaine is special. He has a burst, he has loose hips, he has everything that you need to be successful in the SEC,” Edwards said. “Physically, he’s ready. Mentally, he has to get in there and understand – just like every freshman – that there are some things he’s got to learn on his own. So how fast can he transition from high school to college, physically he’s ready to go.”

Knowing Burton as long as he has, Edwards doesn’t think he’s going to take him long. Getting to school in May might not be as much of a detriment to earning playing time as perhaps it would be for others.

“Jermaine has been here this whole semester since coming back from California. He’s done with school, so right now he’s just taking his time,” Edwards said. “He’s training every day with a weight trainer, a speed coach and he comes to me three times a week. So technique-wise and being the best receiver he can be, physically he’s going to be ready.”

One thing this offseason is going to put a premium on is the ability of any of the newbies to adapt to college play as quickly as possible.  That is, assuming some of them have the ability to adapt as quickly as possible…

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Confidence

Just for yuks, compare these clips from the 2018 and 2019 Tech games, keeping an eye on the offense:

Both games wound up being scoring routs, but the offense seemed more disjointed in last season’s game.  What differences do you see between the two?

Positional Value: QB >>> CB > WR >> DL > OL > RB

Brent Rollins:

The order and magnitude of the heading are both important. Obviously, if offense and the passing game are king, the quarterback is the most valuable position. If you don’t get elite quarterback play in today’s college football playoff world, your chances of winning a conference championship, playoff, and then national championship game are slim to none. Of the top 25 most valuable players in college football last fall, 20 were quarterbacks, per our Wins Above Average (WAA) metric, which is analogous to Wins Above Replacement (WAR) for the NFL. For the Bulldogs, elite freshman George Pickens was the second most valuable player in terms of WAA, and the third-highest graded offensive player with an 85.5 overall grade.

No mention of Fromm there, but PFF had this to say about him in its ranking of college football’s quarterbacks last season:

8. Jake Fromm – Georgia

Preseason Rank: 9; Week 6 Rank: 6; Week 12 Rank: 7

It wasn’t always pretty from Fromm this season, but he just simply got the job done when he needed to (save for one outing against South Carolina). Sure, he threw away the game, literally, against the Gamecocks, but he was entrusted with every throw and put up a passing grade of 69.0 or higher in all but two contests this year. Outside of the game against SC, he just simply didn’t make many unforced errors in 2019, and that will certainly take him far at the next level. He finished with just seven turnover-worthy throws compared to 24 big-time throws as his avoidance of negatively-graded plays was among the best in the country. He had elite passing grades on throws over the middle just the same as he did on throws outside, finishing with the 10th-most big-time throws on passes outside the numbers. Fromm’s departure to the NFL draft gives way for the Newman transfer as he’ll have big shoes to fill in Athens.

That’s a lot of words to describe Fromm as a game manager.  The problem for Georgia was that the game has changed.  Fromm’s season would have been more valuable 5-8 years ago, but now…

Dayne: The threat of the run must be present to get the defense to bite on a fake to leave them vulnerable for the pass. What happened for Georgia in 2019 was that defenses developed so little respect for the Bulldogs’ passing game, defenders crowded the box and refused to leave. Georgia failed to counter with consistent passing excellence.

We’ve already hashed to death the perceived reasons for Georgia’s slide in offensive production last season.  Going forward, the question is whether Monken can counter with consistent passing excellence.  Or, maybe more precisely, whether he has the right quarterback with whom to counter.

Early betting lines for 2020

If the lines established at FoxBet are any indication, the Dawgs, for being highly ranked in the preseason, aren’t exactly getting a whole lot of love from Vegas.  Here are the three games listed involving Georgia, along with the initial spreads:

• Georgia (+4.5) at Alabama
• Auburn at Georgia (-3.5)
• Georgia (-2) vs. Florida

I get the spread in the ‘Bama game, but the other two?  Hmmm…

(h/t)

College football in the time of pandemic, part five

There isn’t going to be spring practice this month, and if you think there’s going to be some sort of make up down the road, the CDC isn’t exactly encouraging it.

That puts it out until mid-May, which is after the school year ends.

I suppose if the school permits it, Smart could organize small workouts with position groups, as long as the total numbers stay below 50, but it’s doubtful that’s much of a working solution.

Dawg Nation, representing, a continuing series

Reader Mark checks in from… wait for it… Diani Beach, Kenya.

First G hat at the Indian Ocean, at least at GTP.

I hope Mark sees this and checks in, because the story behind his trip is cool and worth sharing with y’all.