The first spring camps at Georgia are in the books for Zachariah Branch and Noah Thomas.
The two transfer receivers, Branch from USC and Thomas from Texas A&M, have jokingly complained about Georgia's pollen in interviews this spring. But the two braved the elements anyway on Saturday, competing in front of fans in Sanford Stadium for the first time at G-Day.
"They're two different types of receivers," offensive lineman Earnest Greene said. "Zach’s a little explosive, gadget-type receiver. I mean, they've both been making a lot of plays this spring. So I'm really happy to have them both on the team."
Thomas is the bigger of the two, listed at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds. Georgia quarterbacks targeted Thomas on a pair of jump-ball situations early in the game, both of which fell incomplete.
Still, those are the types of situations where Thomas is expected to be utilized.
"Noah's a weapon, definitely," Greene said. "He's athletic, he can run good routes, and he's made a lot of plays in practice. You know, just getting open, he can make contested catches. We call that competitive excellence."
An AC sprain ended Thomas' day early, although Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the game the injury isn't believed to be serious.
Branch has battled his own injuries. Smart mentioned that he had to miss several practices late in the spring, costing him valuable reps.
But Branch still made one of the plays of the day on Saturday, soaring up for a 36-yard reception that set up a touchdown.
Both transfers are expected to be major parts of the Bulldog offense this fall. Just as importantly, according to Greene, they fit in well off the field, too.
"They really embrace what we try to uphold in the program," Greene said. "We're just making sure, like, we still play for the love of the game. We love the sport of football. We're not playing this sport for whatever comes with it, you know what I'm saying? We still have love for the game, and that's what that's all about."