Georgia Football: The Suspension of Spring Practice Hurts Bulldogs More Than Most
Everyone has been drastically impacted by the pandemic that has spread across the world with the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus. And though these are unprecedented times for all of us, the Georgia football program is impacted a bit more than most with the suspension of spring athletic activities for the time being.
The University of Georgia, like many other programs across the country, is going through a number of serious changes. Not only will they have potentially four new starters along the offensive line, a new quarterback, and several new weapons on the way this fall, they have a new offensive system that is set to be installed as well.
All of these changes, though not uncommon even in the SEC, require continuity that only comes from taking as many reps as possible. Let's take a look at those impacted by the possibility that spring practice never arrives.
Jamie Newman
The change in terminology alone is enough to overwhelm some quarterbacks because unlike the NFL, on September 7th when Georgia takes on Virginia, Jamie Newman won't have his offensive coordinator in his helmet telling him the plays.
Though there are several weapons that would have been available this spring for Newman to build a rapport with, the identity of the wide receiver and tight ends room wasn't going to be established until the fall when the remainder of the wideouts from the 2020 signing class arrive.
Newman is an experienced quarterback on the college level at this point, and the suspension of spring practice doesn't keep him from studying his playbook. However, nothing can prepare you for in-game action quite like live bullets in practice during this spring. For now, it looks like he will have to learn on the fly when athletic activities resume.
OG, Justin Shaffer
Justin Shaffer
This name might come as a surprise to some, but Shaffer was set to compete for a starting guard spot this spring with the likes of Warren Ericson and Ben Cleveland.
Shaffer suffered a neck injury during the South Carolina contest this year and was just recently cleared to return to action. He can certainly win the job this fall, however, Warren Ericson impressed Matt Luke enough to earn the start in the Sugar Bowl against Baylor with Shaffer out and there's Clay Webb who will be looking to earn playing time too.
Todd Monken
Monken's coaching history proves that he is somewhat of an offensive chameleon. He's offensive identities in terms of formations and personnel have changed at each of his coaching stops which means he surveys the talents he has and then establishes the identity of the offense from there.
His chance to survey his talent has been drastically impacted by this suspension of activities. And though he can watch as much film as he wants on the guys that played last year, the fact is those players were playing in a completely different system than what he might implement now that he's the OC.
Tyrique Stevenson
Stevenson is going to be on the field a lot in 2020, that we know. What we don't know is what position he will end up playing, or whether he might do a little bit of everything like he did last season.
We've been on the record here with our aspirations to see what Stevenson could do at the STAR position. However, Stevenson did have some ground to make up on Senior, Mark Webb and Divaad Wilson who have spent at least two full seasons at the position.
The STAR position at Georgia requires knowing all of the coverages in the back end, the blitz packages, and run fits. This means it requires a player that has full depth knowledge of the defensive scheme.
As Stevenson mentioned following the SEC championship game, he had an adjustment period unlike most because he was having to learn so many positions. A player being asked to do that much could only benefit from as many reps as possible.
Adam Anderson
After entering the Unversity of Georgia as a five-star prospect and the No. 1 outside linebacker in the 2018 class out of Rome High school in Rome, Georgia, production and playing time has been limited for Adam Anderson. And with the emergence of Nolan Smith as the nation's top player in 2019, along with Jermaine Johnson playing an increased role towards the end of the season, this spring was Anderson's time to climb back into the conversation.
Though, when he was on the field Anderson got after the quarterback at an elite level. He had 18 quarterback pressures in 2019, third-most on the team, despite playing in a limited role.
