Thursday post-practice notes: What does D'Marcus Hayes need to do?
Georgia signed D’Marcus Hayes out of junior college hoping the Mississippi native could provide some significant help on the offensive line.
There’s apparently still some work to be done.
“I’ll be honest with you,” head coach Kirby Smart said after practice on Thursday, "he didn’t make the jumps in the spring that we wanted him to, but he’s played better this fall camp.”
The Bulldogs are counting on Hayes to get his act together.
With Isaiah Wynn still out with an undisclosed illness, the opportunity has been there for the Madison, Mississippi native to score some points with the staff.
But so far, he’s still taking second-team reps behind Dyshon Sims, who was moved over from right tackle to provide depth in the absence of Wynn.
“Cooler days and the inside days, he seems to play better. When we’re outside and he fatigues more, he doesn’t,” Smart said. “So, it’s either a mental capacity regarding being able to keep it going or it’s mental toughness pushing through it. But we’ve challenged D’Marcus because he’s got some talent. We hope he can help us. But there’s a lot of competition out there between him, Isaiah and Dyshon.”
Cooler temps lead to better tempo
Cooler conditions led to Georgia having one of its better outdoor practices thus far in camp.
“We had a really good practice, really good tempo today. I was really worried after going inside yesterday, sometimes you’re a little sluggish after going inside. But our leadership did a good job of challenging guys during flex, and we had a good practice. There was a lot of energy and a little more enthusiasm that we’ve had some other days,” Smart said. “I don’t know what the temperature was but it was cooler than I expected. We did a lot of end-of-game situations at the end of practice, which have been good, and the battles have gone both ways.”
Saturday’s scrimmage will follow similar script
There will be nothing unusual about Georgia’s first scrimmage set for Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium.
“It will be very similar to the scrimmages we’ve done in the past,” Smart said. “It will be ones versus ones in game situation, twos versus twos in game situations, threes versus threes, goal line, red area. It’s going to be very similar to what we’ve done in the past, with the exception of having a lot of kicking mixed in.”
Georgia’s scrimmage will be closed to both the media and the public, but Smart is scheduled to meet the press at its conclusion.
Tyler Clark, David Marshall making an impression
Smart was asked to offer an update on sophomore defensive linemen Tyler Clark and David Marshall and had some positive words to say.
“Tyler has done well. Tyler is one of those guys who has improved a lot. Last year this time, he was starting to come into his own,” Smart said. “David’s been having some injury issues, but just like Tyrique McGhee, you never hear him complain. He’s at practice every day and works his tail off.”
Smart pleased with effort he’s seeing
Although Georgia’s overall talent level isn’t where Smart ultimately hopes it will be, when it comes to effort, he likes what he sees.
“I watched a clip today of LSU-Alabama and we were doing a drill called get the ball back. We showed our team trying to stop them and there were eight first-rounders up on the defense. Is that where we want to be? Are we there? No.” Smart said. “Sure, we want to get there, but we’ve got kids who know how to compete and we’ve got kids who play hard. I’m proud of the way our kids are practicing.
"I’m not going to poor-mouth anything. I am proud of the way they’re practicing. And I’m really proud of the way the leaders are leading and taking on the role of being in uncomfortable situations.”