J.R. Reed’s decision to come back for another year certainly qualifies as good news for Georgia’s secondary.
Had Reed left early for the NFL, it would have put the Bulldogs in a bit of a bind as far as safety is concerned. But as it sits, two days before the start of spring practice. Georgia will hit the field with much of the same contingent it featured a season ago.
Along with Reed, Richard LeCounte, and Tyrique McGhee, the trio accounted for most of the snaps for the Bulldogs last year.
Reed finished with 66 tackles, with LeCounte leading the team with 74 stops, with McGhee chipping in with 23. However, there are some talented upstarts ready to make marks of their own.
Sophomore Otis Reese started to see more and more playing time as the season went along, while junior Mark Webb also made his presence felt later in the year, when he began pushing for time at Star.
The interesting aspect of Georgia’s thought process in the secondary is that players often cross-train to play different positions. This means names like Christopher Smith and William Poole will be among the returnees whose names will also figure into the mix.
As UGASports continues its spring preseason breakdown, it’s time to look at the safeties.
2018 Analysis
Reed’s experience served the Bulldogs well, as did LeCounte, although he sometimes got himself in trouble with some fundamental flaws that occasionally affected his ability to make plays in the open field.
That’s one of the reasons fans started to see more of Reese, who at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, has the size and athleticism that Smart ultimately wants to have at the position.
The Bulldogs hoped that DeAngelo Gibbs would become a key part of the secondary, but he never worked out and ultimately transferred to Tennessee.
Overall, however, Georgia’s secondary proved to be a strength for the Bulldogs, who finished third in the SEC in pass defense.
Key Departures
The Bulldogs lost backup Jarvis Wilson to graduation, but he’s not the only former safety no longer on the team.
We mentioned Gibbs, who has since moved to wide receiver after his transfer to Tennessee. But the Bulldogs will also be without Trey Bishop, who put his name in the transfer portal.
To our knowledge, Bishop still has not lined up with a new school, but he wasn’t expected to figure into the mix until his ongoing legal issues were over.
Key Newcomers
Georgia signed Lewis Cine in December as an early enrollee. At 6-foot-1 and 185, he projects as a safety, but could get looks at Star.
We’ll have a better idea about that once practice gets underway.
2019 Predictions
Reed and LeCounte are expected to go into spring as the starters, but both players have to keep their eye on Reese.
The former Leesburg standout came to Athens with the reputation of being a big hitter, but proved as the year went along that his skill set went way beyond that.
More and more, Reese proved he belonged on the field, and assuming he keeps up the hard work, that’s going to put a lot of pressure, presumably on LeCounte, to up his own game.
Word is, LeCounte has had a great winter, but regardless of who starts, Bulldog fans can expect to see a lot of Reese, Reed, and LeCounte on the field this fall.
The situation at Star is a bit more unclear.
Georgia has no shortage of bodies who will get looks, including Divaad Wilson, who is also expected to be in the running for reps at cornerback.
McGhee, of course, will be in the mix, along with Webb and Poole who opened at Star in last year’s G-Day game.
