Like so many other programs in America, Georgia has suspended the start of spring drills. It's a bummer for Bulldog fans because spring practice is where they get their offseason football fix. Practice reports, photographs, Kirby Smart press conferences, and player interviews discussing what is new and who is standing out help hold the UGA faithful over until the start of preseason camp on or near August 1.
We're still unsure whether or not spring drills will happen at UGA. If practices do resume, we don't yet know if the Bulldogs will get all 15 allotted practices in or if the annual G-Day spring scrimmage will take place. It's a waiting game at this point and no one knows for sure what the future holds.
With that said, it's going to have an impact on the Bulldogs just like it'll affect every other team in the nation. Below, Dawgs247 attempts to break down how it will affect Smart's fifth team at UGA.
There are plenty of new pieces for Georgia. The Bulldogs have a new offensive coordinator a new special teams coordinator, a new offensive line coach, a new quarterback, a new feature running back, and a new-look offensive line. if spring drills end up being cancelled or abbreviated, the coronavirus will have had a major affect on Georgia's 2020 team.
Todd Monken is bringing a new offense to Georgia and you know that he was chomping at the bit to see what he has to work with. He has had plenty of time to get the ball rolling as it relates to relationships with his players. Monken and the rest of the UGA staff have had the ability to spend six hours per week with players in a workout setting and two more hours per week in a classroom setting. The problem is that none of those eight hours a week he can spend with players includes a football. The veteran assistant coach may have an idea about how his players can retain information and how they can get after it and compete in a workout setting, but he has no clue at this point how any of that translates to the football field.
Graduate transfer Jamie Newman was considered to be a big pickup for UGA in January, and many were excited about the prospect of him going through spring drills with the team. It was an opportunity for him to get a head start on learning the offense and building a rapport with the rest of the offense. That's now in question and its a really tough break for a team that has a new starting quarterback for the first time in three years.
When it comes to the offensive line, there's a small silver lining to be found. Matt Luke has already had an opportunity to work with a large portion of this group. He coached the Bulldog offensive front for the Allstate Sugar Bowl and returns three of the five starters from that game. The former Ole Miss head coach got a good look at the rest of that group. Justin Shaffer, the guy we have projected to start at left guard, was unable to practice due to a neck sprain in week seven (South Carolina) that ended his season. Due to academic issues, Ben Cleveland was unable to travel for the Sugar Bowl but he did partake in the practices in Athens.
Still, he was supposed to have 15 more practices to get a better feel for this group. That may still happen but it seems a bit unlikely at this point.
With that in mind, there are some players who'll be on the 2020 team who might benefit from a shortened or cancelled spring practice. The Bulldogs have 21 more players, 20 freshmen and one graduate transfer in tight end Tre' McKitty, who'll be arriving over the summer. It doesn't help UGA but it could help them because they won't be as far behind the others because the players currently on campus won't have 15 extra opportunities to develop before they arrive.
The defense shouldn't be heavily affected because of how much experience the Bulldogs return, but a guy like Jordan Davis could be impacted. The junior nose tackle has had some issues keeping his weight in check and breaking his routine from a workout standpoint could result in those issues raising their head once again. Davis, as well as a few other Bulldogs like Trey Hill, Jamaree Salyer, Xavier Truss, and Julian Rochester, will have to be vigilant as they workout on their own and fend for themselves when it comes to nutrition.
Special teams is going through a transition period when it comes to coaching and place-kicker. Scott Cochran is in his first season as an on-field coach and will have to wait to get things going. Like Monken and Luke, he has already been involved from workout and classroom standpoint, but with no ball present, there's only so much work that can be done. He'll be breaking in a new place-kicker and odds are that he'll have fewer practices to see what he's working with there. Jake Camarda might not get the extra work he needs when it comes to field goals, extra points, and kickoffs. Incoming freshman Jared Zirkel, however, could benefit from there being more of a level playing field in the place-kicking competition.
Every team in America is going to deal with set backs in terms of leadership, team chemistry, development, and the installation of new concepts in all three phases of the game, but there's no question that UGA could have it's own unique challenges due to the coronavirus.
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March 13, 2020 at 11:52PM
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How the coronavirus could impact Georgia's 2020 team - 247Sports
"to have an impact" - Google News
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