Georgia football: Wide receivers carving their roles in the Bulldogs’ offense
Georgia football has made an effort to improve its receiving corps in recent recruiting classes. The competition for playing time starts on Mar. 17 with the first spring practice.
This is a big spring for the passing game. Not only is Georgia football looking for a new starting quarterback, but its rebuilding its passing game after the departures of several receivers.
Georgia has a few wideouts jockeying for spots at the top of the depth chart. While others are looking for a head start against the incoming group of receivers arriving this summer. Georgia signed three top 100 wide receivers, each with potential to play early. Until those three arrive, here’s what the battle at wide receiver looks like.
So. – George Pickens
George Pickens is the superstar of Georgia’s offense entering the spring. Pickens is coming off the second best freshman year in school history for a wide receiver. He caught 49 passes and gained 727 yards, adding eight touchdowns in the process. Pickens might even be the best wide receiver in the SEC.
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Pickens has some of the strongest hands you’ll ever see. He has some of the strongest fingertips you’ll ever see for that matter. How he makes those fingertip catches look so routine is, well, there aren’t any words to describe it.
Pickens is the first guy the new starting quarterback, whoever that is, needs to get on the same page with. Their connection will make the whole offense run better. Pickens is at the top of the wide receiver depth chart and that’s not going to change until he leaves school.
RSr. – Demetris Robertson
The fanfare that surrounded Demetris Robertson when he transferred to Georgia has died down after a pair of lackluster seasons, but he’s still an excellent receiver. Until someone besides Pickens can surpass him, he’s one of the starters out wide.
This is an important spring for Robertson, not only as a receiver, but as a leader. This is his third-year on campus and Georgia’s offense doesn’t have many senior leaders in skill positions.
Robertson brings a lot of speed to the position, but he’s yet to show that off in Athens. He had a few great games this past season where he reminded fans of why they were so excited when he transferred. His best game was a five-catch, 51-yard performance against South Carolina where he caught a huge touchdown late in the game. He had solid outings against Auburn and LSU as well.
RJr. – Matt Landers
Matt Landers gets a lot of criticism. Most of it is warranted. Landers dropped a lot of passes, kept a lot of points off the board. He ran the wrong route against South Carolina, leading to an interception in the fourth quarter. Landers missed an easy touchdown grab against Florida before halftime and later held on D’Andre Swift’s scoring run when Swift was already past the block.
But, it’s important to remember why Landers’ mistakes were so glaring; he’s a fantastic route runner. Landers gets himself open and he uses his 6-5, 200 lbs. frame very well to climb above defenders. If he can just make the catches, he’ll carve out a fine role in Georgia’s offense.
Fr. – Justin Robinson
The first receiver nipping at Landers’ heels is incoming freshman Justin Robinson. He is the only one of the four receivers Georgia signed who enrolled early. Robinson is an overlooked player on Georgia’s 2020 class. 247Sports Composite ranks him barely inside the top 300 (No. 297) and he’s No. 49 out of all wide receivers. But at 6-4 and 210 lbs. He has some size that was missing from Georgia’s receiving corps. He also played in an option offense in high school so he’s used to blocking. We all know how much Kirby Smart values blocking out of his receivers.
Robinson’s task this spring is to just learn the playbook. Coaches have raved about his explosiveness, so that’s not a concern. Because of the offense he played in, he doesn’t have a lot of experience running different routes. Enrolling early is huge for Robinson’s development.
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Other receivers
There are a few unproven receivers who still deserve a mention. Redshirt sophomore Tommy Bush has good size (6-5, 195 lbs.) and coaches have praised him in the past. However, a sports hernia limited him last season. Redshirt junior Trey Blount didn’t play much in 2019 either and was able to take a redshirt. The fact coaches wanted to redshirt him shows that they see potential. Lastly, Redshirt freshman Makiya Tongue also has earned praise from coaches, but he ultimately stayed off from the field in 2019.