With spring practice complete, we’re taking a look at each position for the Bulldogs before they begin summer workouts.
Today, we’ll start with the running backs.
Georgia prides itself on being “Running Back U,” and based on the returning talent, there’s every reason to believe the Bulldogs will be in position to defend their title.
What we knew going in
When James Cook and Zamir White announced a few months ago that they would be returning to Athens for another year, there was a guarantee the running back position would again be a major strength.
With White and Cook, along with Kenny McIntosh, Daijun Edwards, and Kendall Milton, the Bulldogs return their top five rushers from the previous year.
The depth allowed coaches to move freshman Lovasea Carroll over to defense, where he is competing for playing time at corner.
Although head coach Kirby Smart has yet to call the move official, it certainly appears to have attained some permanence.
McIntosh didn't take part in the spring due to an elbow injury, but he is expected back soon and should be fully healed for the start of fall drills.
With so much talent, the most difficult job for offensive coordinator Todd Monken is finding different ways to get each of them the football. However, it certainly beats the alternative of not having enough bodies.
What we learned
Kendall Milton is ready for a bigger share of the running back load.
Healthy after injuring his MCL against Florida, Milton was a name we started hearing several weeks ago as really making an impression.
During one of his latter Zoom press conferences, Smart seemed to indicate as much when he singled out the 220-pound tailback for his efforts during short-yardage and goal-line drills.
But Milton is so much more than that.
The California native scored the first touchdown of G-Day on an 8-yard run to put the Black Team up 7-0, finishing with eight carries for 34 yards.
White was not bad himself, rushing for 28 yards on six attempts, an average of 4.7 per carry.
It’s apparent that Monken has bigger plans than just having the group run the ball. The quartet of White, Milton, Cook, and Edwards combined for 22 receptions during G-Day, with each back hauling in at least five passes, both on designed dump-offs and check downs.
Pass protection has also been a huge point of emphasis for the group, and although Smart will tell you there’s still plenty of work to do there, progress was made this spring.
What we're waiting on
There’s really not a lot of mystery remaining when it comes to Georgia’s running backs.
The most compelling question is probably what kind of jump Milton ultimately makes, and whether or not the carries begin to even out between he and White over the course of the year.
We’ve obviously seen Georgia have great success over the years with its running backs. Smart will have absolutely no problem keeping backs fresh.
Although having so much talent could ultimately affect the rushing totals, don’t be shocked if White and Milton both approach 1,000 yards come fall.
Cook caught 16 passes in the eight games he played in last fall. It’s never been a shock to see the Florida native split out, and we may see even more of that come fall.
McIntosh and Edwards will continue to get their chances. In the old days, having so many backs and just one football to around might have been a problem.
Today, it doesn't seem to be an issue.
Position coach Dell McGee appears to have done an excellent job of getting his players to buy into the “all for one and one for all” concept. That will help ensure Georgia’s backfield is one of the most productive such units in the SEC.
What they said
JT Daniels on his running backs catching the football: “I love throwing the ball deep, and you see it a lot. Especially when you have James, Zamir, Kendall, all the guys we have, I think check downs are the most underrated, underappreciated part of the offense. At a bare minimum, it's easy to throw. At a bare minimum, it's three yards, and that's if the first guy tackles them. It's very rare the first guy tackles any of our running backs. If a defense wants to bring vertical pressure and drop back and play soft while playing good coverage, if I have to check it down 10 times in a row, I have to check it down 10 times in a row. There's no problem with that for me.”
Kirby Smart on his running backs and pass pro: “That's one of the areas we've really targeted this spring, in terms of pass protection and pickups. A lot of people want to come after JT (Daniels) and be aggressive and blitz and do things, but we're going to ask for people to really pay for that. The way to make people pay is to block it and pick it up. but I'm pleased with what those guys have done.”
