The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Early arrivals making crucial contributions
Extra reps gave youngsters a head start, Smart says.
ATHENS — It’s been quite a year for several freshmen and redshirt freshmen at Georgia as a host of first-year players have played key roles and a number have earned starting jobs.
For the Bulldogs’ game Saturday against Auburn, no less than four youngsters are listed as starters on the depth chart — offensive guard Cade Mays, offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson (a redshirt freshman), defensive tackle Jordan Davis and cornerback Tyson Campbell.
Also, freshmen Channing Tindall and Brenton Cox distinguished themselves against Kentucky, recording one sack each. In addition, Eric Stokes blocked punt and returned it 8 yards for a touchdown against Missouri, Trey Hill stepped in Satur- day when center Lamont Gaillard went down with a knee injury, and Jake Cama- rada has 29 punts with a 42.5-yard average.
And few people following college football aren’t aware of quarterback Justin Fields, who in a limited but high-profile role has completed 18 of 25 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns, and has run for 162 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries.
Coach Kirby Smart said he wasn’t sure the exact number of freshmen who have played, but he said players’ decisions to enroll early have paid off handsomely.
“We’ve got a lot of them in our two-deep, and it’s mainly because I think eight or nine of them came early, so that helped them get acclimated,” Smart said Monday. “That certainly had an effect with Cade (Mays) and maybe Trey (Hill) and those guys that came early. They got to get to work earlier.”
Rushing legacy: With the long roster of outstand- ing running backs that have worn the red and black, it’s no surprise many refer to Georgia as “Running Back U.” And it’s no surprise that top recruits take a long hard look at spending their college careers in Athens.
And it doesn’t hurt that three recent Georgia players — Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel — are making a splash in the NFL.
“I think it helps tremendously to have the guys, even the history of Robert Edwards, Garrison Hearst, Terrell Davis, I mean Herschel (Walker), just back after back after back after back,’ coach Kirby Smart said. “Now it’s probably more prominent than it’s ever been because of the stage that Todd is on and what he’s been able to do, and Nick and Sony’s exposure last year through the national championship game.”
“I think if you’re a premier back in the country and you say, ‘I want to go somewhere that I can learn to play in a pro style, catch the ball in the backfield. I also want to be able to protect so that I can increase my value, and I also want to have durability where I’m not going to be beat up when I come out of there,’ there’s nowhere better to go. These guys recognize that, and that’s why (running backs coach) Dell (McGee) has been able to recruit at a high level.”
This fall, Elijah Holyfield and D’Andre Swift have held up their end of the bargain as both are ranked in the top 10 among SEC running backs. Holyfield, ranked seventh, has rushed for 674 yards and five touchdowns on 103 carries and Swift, ranked No. 10, has rushed for 622 yards and seven TDs on 99 carries.