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Key Spring Practice Battles for Georgia

Spring practice at Georgia will be kicking off soon, so we take a look at some of the key position battles for the Bulldogs.

Georgia returns 16 of 22 starters from a year ago, yet even though they are set to have one of the most experienced teams in college football this fall, there are still some questions on both sides of the ball. 

Following are positions that will be battle grounds during spring practice:

Tackle

We believe that Georgia has one tackle penciled in. Warren McClendon played at an elite level in 2020, and heading into the spring he is preparing to hold off some extremely talented competitors like Amarius Mims and Broderick Jones. 

Xavier Truss and Owen Condon will also be in the mix. Condon preformed extremely well last offseason, winning the job at right tackle to begin the season. However, midway through the season opener against Arkansas, McClendon replaced Condon and never gave up the position. 

According to sources, during walk-throughs leading up to spring practice, Truss is at left tackle and McClendon is back at right tackle. Of course, things could be subject to change. 

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Cornerback

When a team has their top three corners — Eric Stokes, Tyson Campbell and DJ Daniel — leave for the NFL there will be questions at the position. Add to that the transfer of Tyrique Stevenson to Miami and this is suddenly a problem point for the team. 

One positive is that there is talent on the roster at the position. Georgia is loaded with young stars, but they just haven't played much, if at all. Kelee Ringo is expected to be one of the two starters, leaving Ameer Speed, Jalen Kimber and Nyland Green battling it out for the other starting spot. 

This spring will be about who can become comfortable in the playbook and set themselves apart from the others. We believe it will be a battle between Green and Kimber. 

Backup Quarterback

This is a battle where head coach Kirby Smart won't reveal very much. We can already hear him saying, "I felt like both Carson (Beck) and Brock (Vandagriff) had a great week of practice." However, this spring will go a long way in determining the future of the position for 2022. 

The answer to the question of "who is the backup quarterback" probably won't be answered until the first time Georgia is up big in the second half of a football game this fall, but this spring will give us an indication of who that person might be. 

Linebacker

Nakobe Dean is set to have an All-America caliber season as a junior. He led the team in tackles in 2020 and in his third season we expect him to make yet another leap in his development. However, with Monty Rice off to the NFL, there's a battle to see who will be Dean's wing man. 

Quay Walker was the third linebacker for Georgia in 2020, and saw an abundance of playing time. However, Channing Tindall took advantage of his limited snap count last fall. This will be an extremely heated and physical competition this spring. 

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