Darkhorses: Dominick Blaylock
A few receivers in Georgia Football's hyped passing attack have gotten all of the love this offseason.
Jermaine Burton, Arik Gilbert, Kearis Jackson and others all deserve the attention, but there's one talented receiver going overlooked: redshirt sophomore Dominick Blaylock.
Blaylock hasn't competed since the 2019 SEC Championship Game when he tore his ACL. The Walton High product tore his ACL again in fall camp last year, putting his Georgia career in doubt. He also wasn't healthy enough to compete in the G-Day game.
But don't write off Blaylock just yet. If he can return to form, offensive coordinator Todd Monken will make Blaylock a big part of Georgia's offense. If anyone has forgotten about Blaylock, here's a quick refresher:
Nose for the end zone
Blaylock caught 18 passes for 310 yards during the 2019 season, but his most impressive stat was his five touchdowns. That's a score on over a quarter of his catches. You may think there's no way Blaylock can keep that ratio up over a 30-plus season, but you'd be mistaken because if Blaylock has the ball near the end zone, he finds a way to cross the goal line.
None of Blaylock's touchdowns were easy catches in the end zone. He earned every one. His first score was a 25-yarder on a screen pass deep in the backfield. His next touchdown was a 60-yard catch-and-run on a quick out. Of course, both of those were against Murray State and Arkansas State, but he showed that same tenacity against Florida and Auburn.
Blaylock had a three-yard touchdown against Florida where he had to lower his shoulder and power his way into the end zone. Against Auburn, he caught a long pass and began stumbling with three defenders right behind him. Blaylock kept his balance long enough to score a 50-yard touchdown.
YAC factory
Blaylock doesn't only have a nose for the end zone, he has a nose for yardage in general. He excels on screen passes because he's good at finding space and running defenders into blockers.
Against Notre Dame, Blaylock turned a bad block by George Pickens into one that took out two defenders. He picked up 15 yards and a first down on the play. Those plays were the norm for Blaylock last year.
Update on Rehab
According to sources close to the situation, Blaylock's second rehab stint is ahead of schedule and all signs point to him making a full recovery. There are questions as to whether or not Georgia will elect to use him during the season opener against Clemson, but Dawgs Daily expects him to travel and dress.
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