Bad luck, bad timing… or maybe both

Boy, if there’s a “we hardly knew ye” story, surely it’s this one:

Georgia reserve wide receiver Tommy Bush is leaving the program.

The fourth-year junior told the Athens Banner-Herald he has put his name in the transfer portal.

Bush played in two games in 2018 and another in 2019, making one catch against Georgia Tech for a yard.

He said he dealt with a groin injury as a sophomore.

“UGA did a lot of good things for me, I became a lot better player,” Bush said. “They definitely helped me in recovery.”

Between the groin and being hit by a truck, he spent most of his time in Athens behind the 8 ball.  Best of luck to you going forward, Tommy.  Sounds like you’re due.

Tackling the left tackle position

While the secondary as a group is my biggest area of concern for Georgia’s 2021 prospects, the single position question that looms largest for me is, after watching the bowl game, left tackle.  It seems pretty apparent that the coaches want to move Salyer inside to a guard position, but it’s hard to see how Truss’ performance against Cincinnati gives them the confidence to do so.

As for other options, check out Jake Rowe’s position outlook piece here.

Jamaree Salyer (Senior): A move to left guard could be the move here but it’s going to take someone stepping up and playing left tackle at a high level. Salyer provides a security blanket for the Bulldogs in that regard. He’s a very good tackle but he’s a potentially dominant guard.

Xavier Truss (Redshirt sophomore): He has a little experience at this spot and he probably learned some lessons the hard way against Cincinnati. He has the length and athleticism to play the spot but he has to clean up his technique and grow from a mental standpoint. He seemed to lack focus and patience in the Peach Bowl.

Broderick Jones (Redshirt freshman): The former five-star prospect’s athleticism was on full display in the mop-up action he saw late last season. The sky’s the limit for Jones but he has to attack the off season. Smart commented no Jones need to get bigger and stronger late last season and that’s something he can control between now and the start of preseason camp. This spring will offer him the opportunity to build on his knowledge and comfort level within the offense.

Amarius Mims (Freshman): Never count out a player this talented. Mims, like Jones, has tremendous potential. He has a college-ready body at 6-foot-7 315 pounds and he has already impressed with his power. He has the length offensive line coaches desire at left tackle and he has the athleticism to go with it. This spring will probably be a struggle for him in some ways. His head will be spinning much like Jones’ was during preseason camp. He’s going to need a little time but how much depends on how quickly he can pick things up.

As much as they’d like to move Salyer, they won’t unless they’re comfortable with another option at left tackle.  Does Truss step up?  What about Jones taking the big step in his second season?  Talent certainly isn’t the issue.  Experience is.  By all accounts, Mims is a total stud.  But, do you really want to entrust protecting Daniels’ blind side to a true freshman?  We shall see.

Sometimes, the grass ain’t greener.

I thought Kirby was keeping a couple of roster spots open in order to fish a cornerback out of the transfer portal, but after seeing this 247Sports list of the top ten defensive backs in there, I can see why he’s in no hurry.  It’s a pretty undistinguished bunch.

Y’all have any thoughts about it?

Evolution

If you’re trying to put your finger on how Georgia’s offense changed from 2019 to 2020, this data dump might be right up your alley.

Running the ball on 2nd & 7+ is the least efficient play in all of football. Thus, the FBS avg. pass % in that situation is right around 60. #UGA in that situation:
'19 = 45.6% pass = 118th in the FBS

'20 = 60.5% pass = 74th in the FBS #MassiveImprovement#MonkenEffect

— Brent Rollins (@PFF_Brent) February 25, 2021

Okay, that’s better, but maybe you’re still not that impressed.  Well, this might change your mind.

Also — 2nd & 7+ pass % (non-garbage time):

Pre JT Daniels = 54.9%

With JT Daniels = 71.4%

For comparison:#OhioState = 69.4%#Oklahoma = 69.3%#Clemson = 68.8%#Bama = 61.9% https://t.co/yDlbVLT2yu

— Brent Rollins (@PFF_Brent) February 25, 2021

That’s not your daddy’s manball.  What that is, is an offensive coordinator who’s not as wedded to wasted running plays as his predecessor was and finally has a quarterback he trusts to make throws.  Luckily for us, none of that should change in 2021.

Seth’s survey sez…

A reminder about our Georgia fan survey. Seeking your thoughts on:

– The overall state of the program
– The 2021 season
– The fan experience

And other things. Survey open through the end of the week:https://t.co/MskHPvQS4v

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) February 24, 2021

If you don’t have an Athletic subscription, trust me, his fan survey is exhaustive (27 topics!).  Two questions, in particular, I thought are worth posting here to get your reaction:

Feel free to opine on those, or, if you have a subscription, any other points Seth raises, in the comments.

Todd Monken, sneaky devil?

Wait a minute…

#UGA Tight ends combined to catch 23 passes on 39 targets for 369 yards & 2 TDs.

10 of their 39 targets (25.6%) were an explosive reception (15+ yards) — highest of the position groups

WRs – 22.9% of targets = explosive rec
RBs – 19.6% of targets = explosive rec

— Brent Rollins (@PFF_Brent) February 24, 2021

I thought Georgia was prohibited from using its tight ends like that.

A gift for gab

Believe it or not, there are times when I really have no desire to be snarky.  Like when I came across this Mike Griffith interview with former Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker concerning Georgia’s secondary in 2021.  I mean, Tucker’s coached with Kirby, knows how his scheme works and has some familiarity with personnel here.  So I dove in with the best of intentions.

Instead, what I get is an eye-rolling master class in coachspeak.  A few samples of what is supposed to pass for deep insight:

• “The game has changed with the RPOs and spreads,” said Tucker, who was Georgia’s defensive coordinator from 2016-2018. “What it does, is it puts a lot of pressure on your defensive backs.”
• “Whether they are corners or safeties, they have to be able to cover one on one,” Tucker said. “You can’t put those linebackers in run-pass conflict. Those guys have to read to the run, and if they decide to throw, you are basically one on one.
• “So it puts a premium on having versatile defensive backs that can cover man to man in the slot inside, and also do a great job in run protection, perimeter runs and on bubbles (routes) and jailbreak screens.”“Those (Stars) are valuable, playing nickel with five defensive backs, dime with six defensive backs, that’s normal nowadays,” Tucker said. “You need to be two or three deep at the star position or at the dime position.”
• And, my favorite:  “It puts a lot of onus on those guys back there to understand there’s no such thing as a cover corner anymore, you need a football player…”

Mel’s got a graduate degree in banal.  Either that, or there are a bunch more people commenting here and at message board who are capable of being successful defensive coordinators than I thought.

Literally, a money quote

Seth Emerson ($$) asked Eric Stokes about his decision to skip the bowl game in order to prepare for the draft.  His answer, in part:

Just making that decision, I was pretty much listening to my teammates: ‘Hey man, you don’t really need to play this, you’ve already done everything that you did. I don’t want you to risk anything, just go ahead and do you, you’ve already made your money here.’ Hearing that stuff from my teammates assured me that we would be good regardless. It made me feel way better.

Wait, his teammates didn’t think he was a traitorous quitter?  Inconceivable!

QBs gonna QB.

Okay, so I splurged and signed up for ESPN+, mainly because I wanted to watch spring football and that’s where the vast majority of FCS games are.  Getting Bill Connelly is a nice bonus, of course, but I also get access to curious exercises like Adam Rittenberg’s top 25 future quarterback power rankings, which purports to rank programs on the basis of their futures over the next three seasons at the position.

While optimistic (Daniels and two five-star recruits lined up behind him seems pretty stout to me), I wasn’t expecting Georgia to rank at the top of the list.  That being said, I wasn’t expecting sixth, either, behind the likes of Alabama and Ohio State, both of which have to replace quarterbacks expected to go in the first round of the NFL draft with very inexperienced talent.  Essentially, Georgia is dinged because, well, Georgia.  (“Projecting Georgia’s quarterback outlook is one of the trickiest and most significant parts of this annual exercise.”)

To be fair, he had the Dawgs ranked 11th last season, which turned out to be unduly optimistic.  And, try as he might to pump things up (“There are few guarantees in college quarterback play, but Mullen’s success with player development is pretty close to a sure thing.”), he’s got Florida ranked behind Georgia going into 2021.

One other thing:  the only team on the list that Georgia will face over the next three season besides Alabama (okay, work with me here) and Florida is Clemson.  In the quarterback-centric world that is college football now, that seems like a pretty big deal.

Manball ain’t dead, y’all.

#SEC – # of RB's returning with 80.0+ rushing grade:#UGA = 4#Bama and #Aggies = 2

Everyone else = 1 or 0

— Brent Rollins (@PFF_Brent) February 22, 2021

It’s just evolving.

Seriously, how many other SEC programs are going to have to grapple with parceling out carries to four or five qualified backs in 2021?  Georgia returns four players who finished in the top 30 in rushing yards per game last season and if Milton had played in one more game, he would have finished in the top 30, as well.

I’d call that an embarrassment of riches, except I’m not embarrassed and I doubt Kirby Smart is, either.