2012 SEASON OUTLOOK To say Georgia’s 2012 football season began with spring practice would be inaccurate. According to Coach Mark Richt, it began around 6 p.m. the evening of Jan. 2 in Tampa, Fla. That’s when the 2011 Bulldogs pulled off the pads for the last time, minutes after their triple-overtime loss to Michigan State in the Outback Bowl. In the locker room, Richt thanked the senior class for its leadership during the 10-4 season that included an SEC Eastern Division title. He then reminded the Class of 2012 that its watch had started. “Every year has a new challenge,” Richt said. “Every year, you have a new team. I knew when we left the Outback Bowl that team was gone and we’d never see it again. Every year brings new dynamics, new leadership, new chemistry, new unity. As coaches and players, we get to build it all over again.” Richt paused and noted that some aspects of Georgia’s process will not be new: “We will try to get better on a daily basis, so that we can compete at the highest level we can when we get there.” That process will continue in preseason drills and throughout the fall campaign. And with camp approaching, there is plenty of reason for optimism. Georgia will return 15 starters from the 2011 squad whose 10game winning streak was the school’s first since the 1980s. Offensively, the Bulldogs return their leading passer, rusher and receiver, while the defense boasts 2011’s top performers in tackles, sacks and interceptions. Are there holes to fill? Of course. Every team deals with that, and newcomers will arrive for camp to bolster the depth chart. But the nucleus is in place for the Bulldogs to maintain their position among the nation’s elite. Competition breeds success, and that’s what Richt wants to see during the Bulldogs’ workouts. “I feel like everyone’s excited about the future,” Richt said. “We’re all moving forward. (At the first team meeting), we talked about where we are and where we’re going. As always, we want to compete and prepare in such a way that we have a chance to win every time we go out. We want to win the East and have a shot at the SEC and a shot at the next one. That won’t change for us.” QUARTERBACKS Aaron Murray (6-1, 211, Jr.) has established himself as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks, and he will enter the 2012 season as an All-America and All-SEC candidate. Last season, Murray completed 238-of-403 passes for 3,149 yards – giving him two straight years of 3,000-plus yards. He connected on 35 touchdown passes to set the school’s single-season record. Murray added two touchdowns rushing to establish the UGA mark for touchdown responsibility at 37. Among SEC quarterbacks, Murray ranked second in passing yards per game and total offense and fifth in passing efficiency. Murray earned All-SEC honors and was selected for the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Hutson Mason (6-3, 196, Jr.) backed up Murray a year ago, seeing action in four games. Mason hit on 18-of-30 passes for 254 yards and two scores in 2011 and is planning on redshirting this season to create a year of separation between he and Murray. Christian LeMay (6-2, 198, RFr.) impressed Georgia’s coaches during his redshirt season and will enter the mix. Faton Bauta (6-3, 222, Fr.) enrolled early and went through offseason conditioning and spring drills. Parker Welch (6-3, 204, RSo.) and Greg Bingham (6-4, 223, RSo.) provide additional depth. RUNNING BACKS Tailback appears to be one of the deepest positions on the team. In 2011, Georgia’s top five leading rushers were tailbacks, and four of them are returning. In addition, the Bulldogs added an early enrollee. Isaiah Crowell (5-11, 215, So.) earned 2011 Freshman All-America and SEC Freshman of the Year honors as he rushed for 850 yards and five touchdowns. The Bulldogs also got 247 yards and a touchdown from Brandon Harton (5-6, 174, Jr.), 240 yards and a touchdown from Richard Samuel (6-2, 243, Sr.) and 174 yards from Ken Malcome (6-0, 226, RSo.). Each tailback, except for Harton, started at least one game in 2011. Keith Marshall (5-11, 202, Fr.) enrolled in January and went through spring practices with the Bulldogs. Marshall was rated
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Left to right, tailback Isaiah Crowell, quarterback Aaron Murray and guard Chris Burnette will help lead the Bulldogs’ offense in 2012.
by one recruiting service as the nation’s top high school running back after gaining 4,552 yards and scoring 55 touchdowns during his career. Georgia also returns Kyle Karempelis (5-9, 180, So.) and Alex Parsons (5-10, 194, Jr.). With the graduation of Bruce Figgins, Alexander Ogletree (5-10, 224, Jr.) enters the preseason as the Bulldogs’ only experienced player at fullback. Georgia also will evaluate Merritt Hall (5-11, 216, RFr.), Dustin Royston (5-11, 242, Jr.), Cory Campbell (5-10, 210, RSo.) and Taylor Maxey (5-10, 220, RFr.). Samuel cross-trained at fullback during the spring and creates other options. WIDE RECEIVERS Excluding tight ends, the Bulldogs return their top five receivers from a year ago, although one might be lining up primarily on the defensive side of the ball in 2012. Tavarres King (6-1, 192, Sr.) paced the Bulldogs with 47 receptions for 705 yards and eight touchdowns in 2011. He capped the season with six grabs for a single-game, school-record tally of 205 yards and a score in the Outback Bowl. Malcolm Mitchell (6-1, 184, So.) followed with 45 catches for 665 yards and four touchdowns to earn Freshman All-SEC recognition. In the spring, Mitchell trained as a cornerback as Georgia attempted to fill a void at the position. The Bulldogs also return Michael Bennett (6-3, 208, RSo.), Chris Conley (6-3, 202, So.) and Marlon Brown (6-5, 222, Sr.). Bennett had 32 catches for 320 yards and five touchdowns, Conley added 16 for 288 and two scores, while Brown had 15 for 234 and three touchdowns. Rantavious Wooten (5-10, 185, Jr.) returns for 2012 after missing most of last season with a concussion. Also back are Taylor Bradberry (6-3, 192, Sr.) and Rhett McGowan (6-0, 190, Jr.). Justin Scott-Wesley (5-11, 218, RFr.) is a speedster who redshirted in football but performed on the track team. Michael Erdman (5-10, 191, RSo.), Jamal Payette (6-3, 183, RFr.) and Curtis Wyatt (6-1, 195, RSo.) bring additional depth. TIGHT ENDS This position was hit hard with the early departure of NFL draft pick Orson Charles and the graduation of Aron White. Charles and White were the only tight ends with catches last year, as Charles hauled in 45 for 574 yards and five touchdowns and White added nine for 101 yards and four scores. Charles finished the season with All-America and AllSEC recognition and as a finalist for the John Mackey Award. Each tied the school record for touchdowns by a tight end with 10 in his career. Arthur Lynch (6-5, 272, Jr.) appeared in all 14 games last season, including a start, and performed primarily in blocking situations and on special teams. Jay Rome (6-6, 254, RFr.), who joined the basketball team after football season, turned heads during his redshirt campaign and in the G-Day Game. The Bulldogs also have Hugh Williams (6-5, 254, RSo.), Greg Mulkey (6-3, 230, RFr.), Jack Loonam (6-0, 215, RFr.), Geoff Rapp (6-3, 230, RFr.) and Drew Wilson (6-2, 206, Jr.).