What Georgia will look like in 2021 Part 9: Flanker
While breaking down the main candidates at flanker for Georgia, we noticed this has the potential to be one of Georgia’s most intriguing positions to watch.
The talent level is truly unique.
Jermaine Burton enjoyed a solid freshman year by catching 27 passes for 404 yards and three touchdowns.
While there’s little doubt that Burton’s best days are still ahead, the player with the most intriguing potential just might be Arian Smith.
We will talk more about Smith here shortly. But as one of the team’s fastest players (along with cornerback Kelee Ringo) and perhaps the team’s best deep threat since Mecole Hardman, Smith will be fun to watch.
Although George Pickens certainly garnered a lot of attention at split end, Burton proved rather quickly he was ready to make a significant impact.
With seven starts, Burton caught four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown against eventual national champion Alabama, but it was later in the year against Mississippi State where the entire SEC saw what he is truly capable of doing.
Burton caught eight catches for 197 yards and two touchdowns in that game, the fourth-highest total in Georgia history.
Considering the improvement you typically see players make between their freshman and sophomore years, combined with a full season of JT Daniels at quarterback, Burton’s numbers could take a significant jump this fall.
Smith’s future may be even more exciting.
There is quick, there is fast, and then there is elite. Smith is the latter. Not many college receivers have “world-class speed” attached to their bios, but Smith does, and Bulldog fans saw that for themselves in the four games he played last fall.
Against South Carolina, Smith caught a 31-yard touchdown from Daniels, and later in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, outraced a would-be defender to pull one in for a 55-yard gain against Cincinnati.
Even if Smith does not catch a pass, he is going to draw a lot of attention from opposing defenses, and that is going to make the job defending the likes of Pickens, Burton and Kearis Jackson that much more difficult.
One can certainly assume that offensive coordinator Todd Monken will find other ways to get the football in space to Smith, perhaps on the occasional reverse or speed sweep.
The Bulldogs also bring back a couple of other receivers who figure earn some reps, led by fifth-year senior Demetris Robertson, who still has the talent, but has not quite achieved the success many thought he would have. Do not give up on the Savannah native, however, as he can also contribute to the slot.
Tommy Bush, meanwhile, has battled injuries throughout his career, but we understand he is healthy and at 6-5 makes a tall target.