Three takes on the running backs ahead of spring practice
Last fall, Kenny McIntosh was a primary playmaker in a deep running back room. But depth at the position never seems to be a problem for Georgia and won’t be when the Bulldogs kick off spring practice in two weeks.
How will Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards split the carries?
Georgia will typically play three, sometimes four running backs during the course of a given game.
However, typically, it’s two backs who will shoulder the bulk of the load.
With Kendall Milton, it’s just a matter of staying healthy. The California native has dealt with minor knee issues each of his first three years. While none were particularly serious, they did keep him from being on the field as much as he likely would have been.
When he’s played, the results have been impressive. Last fall, Milton rushed 85 times for 592 yards, losing three yards all year while averaging a Bulldog-best seven yards every time he touched the ball. His eight rushing touchdowns were second on the team behind McIntosh and quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Daijun Edwards, meanwhile, quietly went about his business by rushing for 769 yards, just off McIntosh’s team-leading 829 with seven rushing scores of his own.
Both backs will spend much of the spring working on their receiving skills, but chemistry will certainly not be an issue considering this will be the duo’s fourth year working together.
Edwards and Milton each deserve the spotlight and both figure to receive plenty of opportunities to do exactly that.
Depth for days
We did not mention Branson Robinson just above but obviously could have.
Robinson made a nice impact his freshman season with the Bulldogs, rushing 68 times for 330 yards and three touchdowns, two coming in the national championship win over Texas Christian.
Assuming he stays healthy, Robinson could approach 100 carries as a true sophomore and combine with Edwards and Milton to give the Bulldogs quite the 1-2-3 punch.
Or could it be four?
Redshirt freshman Andrew Paul was actually creating a lot of buzz for himself before tearing his ACL during Georgia’s second preseason scrimmage and was lost for the year.
Paul told UGASports prior to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl that his recovery was on track, and expected to take part in spring practice in one way, shape, or form.
Even if he is limited, Paul is expected to be 100 percent for fall practice. Assuming that is the case, Georgia’s running back room will be even deeper.
Does freshman Roderick Robinson play?
Short answer. Yes.
Unless due to injury, Smart has never redshirted one of his scholarship running backs since he became Georgia’s head coach.
Although the margin of games could impact any decision, Roderick Robinson II is fully expected to see the field during the course of the upcoming campaign. Even as the fifth running back, Robinson will get a few opportunities to show what he can do.
Look for Smart and running backs coach Dell McGee to put the California native in a position to be successful by allowing him to carry the football in non-pressure situations, thus enabling him to get used to football at this level.
Like each of Georgia’s running backs, his future is extremely bright.