Georgia football: Remembering the breakout stars of the 2017 G-Day Game

The 2018 Georgia football  spring scrimmage, known as the G-Day Game, is this Saturday evening at 4:00 p.m.

For many Georgia football players, G-Day is where stars are born. It’s the first time fans get to see freshmen and some junior college transfers inside Sanford Stadium dressed in the red and black. G-Day is also the first chance for many players to start at Sanford Stadium after a player ahead of them in the depth chart as left the team.

Most players who have great performances in the G-Day Game don’t go on to become a major contribute in the fall. But last year’s G-Day Game featured five outstanding performances by players who went on to shine for the first time during the 2017 season. Lets take a quick look at each of those performances.

Mecole Hardman

Hardman was the number three receiver on the red team last year and he parlayed that into being the number three receiver for the Bulldogs in 2017. His biggest catch in the G-Day game was a 38-yard grab on a perfectly placed ball by Jake Fromm. Hardman had defenders behind, beside and in front of him and he still held on. He even gained a few more yards with his speed.

Hardman caught three passes for 62 yards and clearly developed chemistry with Fromm. That chemistry produced 418 yards and four touchdowns last season. Hardman also produced on the ground with eight carries for 61 yards and two touchdowns.

Javon Wims

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Hardman wasn’t the only receiver who had a big game in April before having a huge season in the fall. Javon Wims showed fans what to expect, and warned opponents about what was coming a few months later. Wims was second on the black team with four catches for 96 yards. 47 of those yards came on a long pass by Jacob Eason with a defender on his back.

About that play, in my list of the top-10 players from G-Day from last year, I said; “that’s a big time play that will win us ball games and improve his stock for the 2018 NFL Draft. Georgia fans should expect a big year with big numbers from Javon Wims.”

I was confident with my analysis last April, but I had no clue Wims would have the season he did. He was the top receiver on the team with 45 catches for 720 yards and eight touchdowns. And he made plays, like the one in the G-Day Game all year long.

Jonathan Ledbetter

With as much depth that Georgia has had on the defensive line these last few years, it’s been difficult for anybody to stand out. But last April, Jonathan Ledbetter decided he was going to start standing out. with 1.5 tackles for a loss for 13 yards, including a sack of 10 yards. He was the leader of the red team’s defensive line that obliterated their competition.

Ledbetter continued his leadership with a 38-tackle season with 5.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. Now he is a senior leader on the defense going into his final G-Day Game. This Saturday should be the beginning of what I expect to be a glorious swan song for Ledbetter.

D’Andre Walker

Walker might not have been a starter in 2017, but you couldn’t tell that based on his stats. Walker had 39 tackles, 13.5 for a loss and 5.5 sacks. of course, that was playing outside linebacker behind Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy. A starting spot is his to inherit for 2018. And I predict that he’ll be the next superstar on our defense.

But his stardom really began in last year’s G-Day Game, if you exclude his one monster play against North Carolina in 2016. In fact, the coaches gave Walker the Defensive Headhunter Award for last spring. And in the G-Day Game, Walker sacked Fromm twice for a total of 17 yards. he also had five total tackles.

Jake Fromm

Of course, you cannot make a list of the breakout stars from G-Day 2017 without mentioning Jake Fromm. He was one half of the big story heading into the game. It wasn’t just Red versus Black, it was Eason versus Fromm. How would the freshman compare against Eason who had a pretty solid season in 2016?

Fromm gave us an example of that by going 14-of-23 with 277 yards and two touchdowns. Eason’s stats might have been better, but Fromm didn’t throw a pick and was sacked way less. But it was the game-winning drive he orchestrated after Eason’s game tying touchdown with two minutes left that was most impressive.

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Fromm later took the starting spot from Eason against Appalachian State because of Eason’s injury. We all know what happened afterwards. Fromm went on to complete 62-percent of his passes for 2,615 yards and 24 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. He is now considered an elite quarterback in the SEC. But the tables might turn this Saturday.