The Monday Dawg

Well I love the RB position here's some info from 247 Georgia:
NICK CHUBB (Soph., 5-10, 228) – Had one of the five-best rushing seasons in UGA history (1,547 yards on 219 carries) despite playing sparingly in the first five games and is being projected as a prime Heisman Trophy candidate for 2015.

SONY MICHEL (Soph., 5-10, 208) – Five-star signee who rushed for 410 yards and five TDs in 2014 despite missing five games with a broken shoulder blade.

KEITH MARSHALL (Jr., 5-11, 215) – Proven veteran and former five-star recruit who redshirted this past season during a string of nagging injuries on top of an ongoing recovery from a season-ending knee injury in 2013.

BRENDAN DOUGLAS (Jr., 5-11, 213) – A valuable reserve player and durable, physical runner that Georgia has been glad to have when injuries struck the unit each of the past two seasons.


Quayvon Hicks: Still one of those guys you want first off the bus, so to speak.
A.J. TURMAN (R-Soph., 6-0, 212) – Missed the entire 2014 season while recovering from foot surgery after redshirting as a freshman in 2013.

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FULLBACK

QUAYVON HICKS (Sr., 6-2, 257) – Doubled as a tight end this past season but was still capable of being used as an I-formation fullback and a legitimate threat to carry the football from the position.

CHRISTIAN PAYNE (Soph., 6-1, 222) – Non-scholarship addition and Athens-area native who contributed as a fullback and special teams player in 2014 after starting out at inside linebacker.

CAMERON FAULKNER (Sr., 5-11, 240) – Physical non-scholarship player from Snellville, Ga. (transfer from Bethel University) who could have contributed more in 2014 had he not suffered an ACL injury during the season.

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Departures from 2014: TB J.J. Green (Transferred to Georgia Tech), TB Todd Gurley (Declared for NFL Draft), FB Merritt Hall (Medically disqualified for concussions), TB Kyle Karempelis (Sr.), FB Taylor Maxey (Sr.)


Keith Marshall looks to be a prime bounce-back candidate in 2015 for Georgia.
Additional returnees: TB/FB Dominic Bryan (Jr., 6-0, 236), FB Matthew Fox (R-Fr., 6-3, 210), TB Ben Souther (Jr., 6-2, 207), TB Kyle Vagher (Sr., 5-9, 190),

Arriving after spring: Tae Crowder (Fr., 6-3, 220)

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THREE QUESTIONS FOR SPRING
How much hitting is in order?
The temptation is there to take these guys like Nick Chubb and Sony Michel and put them in bubble wrap to hardly be touched this spring. I mean, you already know what they can do, and you know that each of them sets up to be a huge part of Georgia’s team in 2015. That’s not realistic, of course. Not only is this the first spring practice for each of those two players (who actually haven’t been campus a full year yet), but it’s the first spring practice under new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who’ll surely want to see some real football in making his assessments. That said, don’t be surprised if the other tailbacks end up with more carries in scrimmages and in G-Day situations. Chubb and Michel will do some hitting, but they’re also not going to be foolish about it.

Can Chubb be challenged atop the depth chart?
It sounds silly to even suggest that a budding Heisman candidate who played as a true freshman at a pace to easily top 2,000 yards (had he been the lead tailback all season) won’t be a clear No. 1 as a sophomore. But that speaks to the talent that is around Nick Chubb. After all, Sony Michel can play too and was actually ahead of Chubb entering the 2014 season. So was Keith Marshall, who has also proven he can be effective in the SEC and looked good during bowl practices and will be fighting very hard this spring for playing time now as a veteran with the clock ticking. Having said that, odds are clearly that Chubb will be the No. 1 guy in 2015. But these others will get opportunities, and how much could be determined by the first impressions they make on Schottenheimer.

What’s the plan at fullback?
This will be an underrated – but significant – storyline for the Bulldogs this spring. We’re thinking that Schottenheimer is likely to make good use of the tight ends in his offense, and the numbers are better there than at fullback right now. Does that mean Quayvon Hicks is back solely as a fullback? Will the H-Back become a more common sight in Georgia’s offense to make better use of the options at tight end rather than the traditional I-formation fullback? Can another non-scholarship guy – like a Christian Payne -- follow in the mold of those before him and take over the position if Hicks’ role continues to take him elsewhere? There are quite a few questions that could be addressed by how Schottenheimer chooses to approach the fullback position in the spring.

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Brendan Douglas
THIS AND THAT …
THE GOOD NEWS: Georgia lost perhaps the best tailback in the college football in Gurley and actually has perhaps the best tailback in the country now to replace him in Chubb. That’s astonishingly rare.

THE BAD NEWS: The obvious talent atop the depth chart could scare off others. You saw this already in recruiting, and depth could still be an issue if injuries hit, especially if Douglas or Turman were to opt to transfer before next season.

THE STAR: Chubb is already being compared to Herschel Walker. And his numbers as a freshman were comparable – if not better because the yards came on fewer carries.

BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: The term “bounce-back” may be more applicable than “breakout” for Marshall, but do not forget about him. Five-star ability and a strong work ethic usually are a formidable mix. Marshall still has that. He just needs to get comfortable and confident on the field again this spring.

UNDERRATED: He doesn’t fit the NFL profile of others in this unit, but Douglas is that fighter you just want on your team. He has gained 575 yards for UGA these past two seasons, and they weren’t easy yards either. His longest career run is 21 yards (against Florida in 2013), and he ran someone over even on that one. In each of his two seasons Douglas has entered the season relatively overlooked and ended up making an impact at key moments in key games.

IT IS TIME FOR: Turman to be able to show what he can do? Other than a maybe few weeks last spring, Turman really hasn’t been fully healthy since he arrived at Georgia, becoming a forgotten man while sitting out last season injured.

SPRING IS A SUCCESS IF: The top two stay healthy at tailback, Marshall makes big strides and a clear successor for Maxey emerges as the I-formation fullback, be it Hicks or someone else like Payne.

THE WILDCARD: You may remember that Detric Bing-Dukes spent about half of his redshirt year as a true freshman learning fullback before switching back to inside linebacker about mid-way through the season. Nothing says he couldn’t still play fullback if needed, and he has now has been groomed a little at the position.

AT G-DAY WE’RE WATCHING: Probably Marshall more than any other ball-carrier, just to see if he really can shows signs of regaining his freshman form. It’s a big spring for him.

DID YOU KNOW?: Herschel Walker ran for 1,616 yards as a freshman on 274 carries. Chubb ran for 1,547 yards as a freshman on 219 carries.

DWS, have been around the Red and Black for a while. In total agreement with you about Running Backs.

I sincerely hope at some point that those in Athens understand what is needed to move forward in the SEC.

Been around for a while my friend, and have seen the changes in Athens and elsewhere.

My sincere hope is that there will be "sooner or later" running backs like Walker and Chubb/Michel that have an offensive line like the "others" build year after year. I say that for this reason, look at our progress, or lack of for the Red and Black entering our 15th year.

Running backs will always mean a lot to "any team".

My problem is "helping the running backs" move forward "without" an offensive line.

While you might not agree with what I have to say, (that will always be ok) have to say this again . . . . After the kickoff, the first snap brings into play what the "offensive line" brings forward. Might be that the offensive line cannot accomplish the assignment on the first series, might take several series to understand how to "work" on the "force" you are facing, just helps to know they "understand". Single biggest issue is that the offensive line plays together for more than (one year). Anyone that played the game understands that it is not always about the "size of the body", it is about the size of the "brain". I said that also.

Do not have a clue about the 2015 offensive line other than this . . . . There are some "very good" players in Athens right now that need more than what has "happened in the past". A very good friend of mine has said that we have "two" that will start before the 2015 Season is over.

Going to say this . . . . Change is needed in the Classic City. Those that agree with the present "lineup" good for you . . . . I suppose.

Whether or not you approve or disapprove of FSU and the way "they handle things", one question . . . . do you agree with the way that "our" football program has been and is being handled in the Classic City?

Talk about this. . . . Started with DWS. Yes we have running backs. Do we have a quarterback, a quarterback that played high school football and looked "great"? Yes.

How much improvement can you and I expect from Ramsey in 2015, after watching him in "mop up duty"? I don't know, do any of you? Can our new offensive coordinator make everything right for Ramsey in the SEC? I don't know, do you? Not speaking to DWS, asking the question to anyone that reads this thread and does what? Read what others have to say? Seen a lot of that, for years.

Buc did you see the size of the 2016 OL recruit WOW a good OL saves the punishment a RB takes better OL better RB.

As far as QB haven't got a clue I know I just want a honest open completion for the starting job.

Lance Taylor new wide receiver coach 34 years old played at Bama coached in the NFL friends with CJP and CBS.

Taylor was also on staff at Stanford so imo he has experience working with good mentors

Also has strength in recruiting. Another fresh face. That speaks Bama with a Tuscaloosa accent

More of CJP inside CMR's ear. Go Dawgs. Pound the G

DWS recently went back and read some of the posts, do that quite often.

Saw your post about Tae Crowder, running back. Inclined to agree that Crowder at some point will get playing time in Athens. Big, strong running back, listed as a 2-star athlete(?). Try to stay away from that "star stuff".

Another coach on board with a Nick Saban background. Also like the fact that he has coached with Schottenheimer in the NFL and with Pruitt in Tuscaloosa. Coming from Stanford, he understands playing tough game day football.

Can't really blame Taylor for moving South, this is after all the SEC and regardless of last years National Championship results, SEC had "many NC's" prior to the one that Ohio State won.

Be interesting to see how this recent influx of talent from Alabama turns out in Athens. Who knows, maybe UGA has moved up another rung on the ladder that was a big topic on this board a couple of years back.