UGA football roster: George Pickens headlines group of talented wide receivers
George Pickens had an outstanding season in his first year on the UGA football team. He enters 2020 as one of the best wide receivers in the SEC.
George Pickens’ freshman season was the best for a UGA football wide receiver since AJ Green’s debut year in 2008. That should be enough to excite any Georgia fan because Georgia receivers seldom regress after their freshman campaigns. If that trend continues with Pickens, the sky is the limit for the Hoover, Ala. native.
Pickens finished his first year with 49 catches for 727 yards and eight touchdowns. He earned MVP honors in the Sugar Bowl for absolutely abusing the Baylor defense. Pickens ended that night with a whopping 12 catches for 175 yards and one score.
His best traits as a player and probably the traits head coach Kirby Smart appreciates the most, are his passion and effort, and how they affect his skill set. Laying out for overthrown passes, being physical in press coverage to get open and blocking in the running game were some of the ways Pickens’ passion for the game and desire to win shows itself each Saturday.
What’s most impressive about Pickens’ freshman season however was the lack of returning leaders in Georgia’s receiving corps. Tyler Simmons and Trey Blount were the only receivers who caught a pass in 2018, and they only combined for 12 that season.
Besides Lawrence Cager, Pickens didn’t have a mature receiver to occupy most of the defenses’ attention. He had to grow up fast, especially when Cager’s season ended prematurely.
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Pickens didn’t falter, he actually played better. He caught seven passes for 98 yards against South Carolina when Cager’s injury issues really began to be a problem, and then had all 35 of Georgia’s receiving yards a week later against Kentucky. He later had outstanding games against Texas A&M and LSU before his MVP performance in the Sugar Bowl.