Who's Next Man Up at X-Receiver?

Rumors of Georgia receiver Arik Gilbert’s absence were confirmed Saturday afternoon by Kirby Smart as he addressed the media following Georgia’s first scrimmage of fall camp.

Smart said that Gilbert is dealing with “personal issues” and is not with the team at this time. With no timetable set for a potential return to the practice field for the sophomore receiver, Georgia will need to look elsewhere until his return.

Luckily for Georgia, they have recruited well over the last two seasons at wide receiver after the thrashing in the 2019 SEC Championship at the hands of a historic LSU offense that saw Joe Burrow and a host of future NFL receivers lift the Tigers to a national championship.

Heading into fall camp, the projected receiver depth chart looked like this for 2021:

X-WR: Arik Gilbert

X2: Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint

Z-WR: Jermaine Burton

Z2: Adonai Mitchell

Slot: Kearis Jackson

Slot 2: Arian Smith

The addition of Gilbert gave Georgia the best possible replacement for George Pickens, who excelled in his four games with JT Daniels at quarterback in 2020. Pickens is now sidelined with a torn ACL that he suffered at the beginning of spring practice.

Now with Arik Gilbert being away from the team for now, the Dawgs will once again be looking for someone to step up and fill the void.

Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint looks to be the most likely full-time option for Georgia. Jacksaint is returning from a gruesome ankle injury suffered against Florida a season ago. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida native was fullfor the summer workouts leading up to the start of fall camp.

Rosemy-Jacksaint finished his freshman season with four receptions for 62 yards and 1 touchdown, which came on the play that would end his season. Ironically Rosemy-Jacksaint was filling in at X-receiver for the injured George Pickens against Florida. However, the former four-star receiver showed flashes of what made him special in his time at St. Thomas Aquinas, high school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Arguably the biggest winner from spring practice this season was freshman Adonai Mitchell. Mitchell made a name for himself in the annual G-Day game, where he would connect with JT Daniels on seven receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown.

The former Houston, Texas native spent years in the Houston area before transferring to Antioch, Tennessee, finishing his high school career. Mitchell was once committed to Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss before he flipped to Georgia in the summer of 2020.

Many overlooked the former Texan as someone who would need years of development behind the scenes before touching the field as an impact player at the college level. However, after one spring, Mitchell will now have to chance to see significant snaps in year one as a Bulldog.

Both Rosemy-Jacksaint and Mitchell are good route runners with some size to them. Mitchell is the taller option at 6-foot-4, while Jacksaint is listed at 6-foot-2. With or without Gilbert, these two young receivers will be in the rotation early on.

Options don't end there as Redshirt freshman Justin Robinson and sophomore Jermaine Burton bring the necessary tools to play both X and Z receiver spots for Georgia when needed.

Burton was an impact player as a freshman last season, taking over the Z receiver spot. Burton finished 2020 with 404 yards on 27 catches as a true freshman, seeing action in all ten games.

Meanwhile, Justin Robinson saw little action as a reserve not recording a catch from a season ago. Robinson took a redshirt last season and will enter 2021 with the potential for a more involved role at receiver.

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