During his press conference following Georgia’s first spring scrimmage, head coach Kirby Smart was asked if any of his 19 early enrollees happened to catch his eye.
He wasn’t in a commenting mood.
“Hard to really single anybody out. Nobody really. If I do, y’all will anoint them, like y’all are going to do anyway,” Smart said back on April 5. “Y’all take word of mouth; there’s stuff written about guys in the scrimmage that are so far from the truth, but whatever.”
Unfortunately, how the new guys are progressing will be on the minds of many attending Saturday’s G-Day (2 p.m., ESPN2).
Although the annual event is basically a team scrimmage, it will be interesting to see how newcomers have progressed.
“I mean, I think those guys are coming along. I can’t sit here and say that anyone, not midyear-wise, stood out,” Smart said. “It was a little bit of anxiety for those guys because it was the first time in the stadium and the first time going live. We built it up just for that reason because they, sure enough, are going to have anxiety in the fall when we play Oregon. We want to build that up, simulate that, and see how they respond to it.”
Come Saturday, we’ll all get to see. Let’s take a look at five players we’ll be watching closely.
• OL Earnest Greene III: We’ve heard positive rumblings about Greene for much of the spring. The California native has apparently made a positive impression, and from what we understand, the former four-star has already seen considerable work with the second unit. With Amarius Mims no longer with the program, look for Greene to get some reps Saturday as the No. 2 left tackle behind first-teamer Broderick Jones.
• TE Oscar Delp: Delp is in a stacked room, but with Darnell Washington (foot) and Brock Bowers (shoulder) out, he, along with Arik Gilbert and Brett Seither, has received an outsized number of the tight end reps. Bowers and Washington will be ready to go come fall, so Saturday could be Delp’s best opportunity to show what he can do.
• WR C.J. Smith: When talking to sources, Smith’s name is one we’ve heard mentioned more than once. Teammates and fellow speedster Arian Smith commented on him two weeks ago as someone who has already shown a knack for stretching the field. Although he’s still got much to learn, you can’t teach speed and Smith will no doubt be putting his on display Saturday.
• DE Mykel Williams: We haven’t heard a ton about Williams, but it’s going to be interesting to see how much the former five-star has progressed. Can he ultimately make an early impact? We’ll get our first look on Saturday.
• WR De’Nylon Morrissette: We mention Morrissette because when you talk to Georgia’s veteran receivers, his name is generally the first mentioned. At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, teammates like the way the former North Cobb standout attacks the ball. He’s apparently relatively advanced as a route runner for a freshman.
Others to watch:
QB Gunner Stockton, DB Jacorey Thomas, DB Malaki Starks, LB Jalon Walker, P Brett Thorson.
