Tyrique Stevenson Should Play A Major Role in the SEC Championship Game
Tyrique Stevenson was the third-ranked corner in last year's class, and from the moment he stepped foot on campus the Georgia coaching staff recognized they had something special on their hands.
At 6'1, Stevenson has abnormal arm length that allows him to get his hands on any receiver, paired with elite closing speed.
This summer defensive coordinator, Dan Lanning said "You go watch practice, you watch that guy for a little bit and you’re saying, ‘Holy moly we’ve got a ballplayer"
Lanning went on to say about Stevenson "We've got to do a good job as coaches of getting him ready to get out there and play."
Well, with the regular season having come to an end, Stevenson has played more and more as of late and we believe he should play a major role Saturday against LSU in the SEC Championship.
LSU forces opponents into man to man situations on the outside by placing four -- and sometimes five - receivers into the formation, all of whom are dynamic playmakers in the open field.
Traditionally Georgia plays 5 defensive backs at all times, with either Mark Webb or Divaad Wilson at the STAR position. However, against LSU you could see them use their third-down package a lot more on Saturday, rotating a sixth defensive back into the equation.
Adding Stevenson into the equation provides Georgia with a level of versatility with his ability to not only shut down wideouts in coverage, but also as a blitzer.
It's something we spoke to senior safety, J.R. Reed about this week during media availability:
"Tyrique is one of those guys who can get in here, and you just see the talent as soon as he shows up. He can play any of those positions in the back end. He's working very hard. He's taking his studies seriously. So he goes out there and works hard every day and makes plays for us. He's one of the guys we've got to have on the field." J.R. Reed on Stevenson
"We've got to have him on the field." If that doesn't tell you something about Reed's trust in Stevenson nothing will. After all, Reed is the vocal leader of the Georgia defense.
