One of the reasons quarterback JT Daniels decided to return to Georgia for another year no doubt had to do with the receivers at his disposal.
In our position preview series, we've already examined the returnees for the Bulldogs at slot and flanker. Today’s article focuses on split end, where the Bulldogs have one of the best wideouts in the entire SEC: George Pickens.
A former five-star recruit, Pickens has the potential to put up some dynamic numbers for the Bulldogs. Based on the success that he and Daniels enjoyed together last year, it's not much of a stretch to anticipate it.
Getting Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint back after last year’s ankle injury will give Georgia another weapon. And some of the youngsters behind these two should find a foothold learning the system until it's their time to contribute to Georgia’s offensive success.
Mercurial is a good way to describe Pickens' Georgia career thus far. This is certainly not to insinuate that the native of Hoover, Alabama, Is a bad person. It has more to do with a career marred by incidents attributed to a general lack of maturity.
However, when his focus takes precedence, watch out.
Pickens’ performance in Georgia’s Sugar Bowl win over Baylor, when he earned game MVP honors by catching 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, led to many predicting a huge sophomore campaign.
That didn't happen, however—at least not until Daniels assumed command at quarterback, with four games to go. The two formed an immediate connection when they both returned from injuries.
After catching 13 passes for 140 yards before missing the Kentucky and Florida games, Pickens returned to the field in time for Daniels’ debut against Mississippi State. In the four games that followed, he caught 23 passes for 372 yards.
Prorate those numbers over the course of a full 12-game season, and you're looking at a season somewhere in the vicinity of 69 catches and 1,116 yards. For you Georgia football history buffs, only one receiver in Bulldog history has caught over 1,000 yards receiving in one season, that being Terrence Edwards, who caught 59 balls for 1,004 yards.
Assuming Pickens stays healthy, he could put up similar numbers.
As for Rosemy-Jacksaint, one item is clear: he's a tough son of a gun. There aren't a lot of receivers who would have held onto the ball and scored after the gruesome ankle injury he suffered against Florida.
The injury was a terrible shame, because Rosemy-Jacksaint was just starting to come into his own, joining Kearis Jackson and Jermaine Burton among the team's top receivers.
Although Rosemy-Jacksaint is expected to be limited for spring, a full recovery is expected by the start of fall camp.
Other receivers we expect to receive hard looks at split end include redshirt freshmen Justin Robinson, and true freshmen Jackson Meeks and Adonai Mitchell. The two new kids are already in Athens as early enrollees which will help them learn their roles in the offense.
