Showing posts with label Cordy Glenn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cordy Glenn. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Mark Richt: I Want To Stay At Georgia for 10 More Years..."At Least"

Mark Richt spoke openly about his desire to remain in Athens as head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs and, given the buzz that suddenly seems to be accumulating around the team (both positive and negative), he has a good chance to state his case for seeing that happen if he completes a solid 2011 campaign.

In the meanwhile, he might want to take a long look at how his staff recruits offensive linemen as, yet again, Georgia finds that very unit in the news again for all the wrong reasons. This time the news surrounds junior, A.J. Harmon, who has decided to transfer.

Harmon was expected to play a key role in the offensive line rotation this season—particularly in the wake of the Trinton Sturdivant injury—but was unable to get his academics in order (at least that's the rumor floating around), leaving depth on the offensive line at dangerous levels.

That said, Mark Richt has made it clear that Georgia is not out of options yet.

Watts Dantzler, Xzavier Ward, and Zach DeBell are all due in this summer and, at least two of those three guys, are expected to play a contributive role on the line this year and that likely would have been the case even if A.J. Harmon had not made the decision to transfer.

As for Richt, he's been in this situation on far more occasions than he'd like during his tenure at Georgia and, to be frank, it would be more disconcerting if this were a conversation about Cordy Glenn or Ben Jones as Harmon hasn't been as impactful on the line as the scurry around him now might lead you to believe.

Although, to be fair, anytime you lose significant experience at the left tackle position—even if it is in a reserve capacity—you feel a little less easy heading into the season. Harmon certainly had the reps and the familiarity with the blocking schemes that you like to see in your linemen, but he never was able to breakthrough as a starter and it is likely he didn't see that changing much this season either—academic problems or not.

The arrival of the heralded tackles from the 2011 signing class just got a lot more interesting—hope these dreams won't be of the deferred kind.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Georgia Bulldogs: Tough Break for Trinton, What's Next for Georgia?

Photo Credit: DAVID MANNING
Trinton Sturdivant is out for the 2011season. He tore the anterior crucial ligament (ACL) in his right knee during Saturday's scrimmage and will spend the next year rehabbing.

Because Sturdivant took a medical redshirt in 2008—a player who uses his redshirt season for medical reasons is eligible to apply for a medical hardship year—he could possibly receive a sixth year of eligibilty from the NCAA based on his circumstances.
Medical Hardship Waivers

In order to be eligible for a medical hardship waiver, a student-athlete must have competed in at least one contest in the first half of the season, but no more than three contests or 30%, whichever is greater (14.2.4). The total number of contests is calculated by the schedule on the first date of competition. Participation in Conference postseason is counted as one competition.

If a student-athlete is unable to compete at all during an entire season because of an injury or illness, the student-athlete may not file for a medical hardship waiver. In this case, the season would be considered a medical redshirt season.

If the student-athlete has two or more seasons of medical redshirt because of an injury or illness (or one season of medical redshirt and one season of medical hardship), the Compliance Office can file for an extension of the five-year clock (a sixth year) only after the student-athlete has reached the end of the existing five-year clock [emphasis added].
However, much of this seems unlikely given Sturdivant's flirtation with the NFL this past season. He may want to take this opportunity to get strong and apply for next year's draft in hopes of having a ahot at playing in the pros.

We'll have to wait and see what happens here, but it's most likely Sturdivant has played his last game at the University of Georgia.

That said, the next question is what will Georgia do at left tackle?

Cordy Glenn appears to be the best option as he has experience playing the position, but if he moves from right tackle—a position he is admittedly more comfortable playing—Georgia will have to find someone to take his place. Some choices, according to Anthony Dasher of UGASports.com, would be Austin Long, Kolton Houston, and Justin Anderson.

Kolton Houston is a redshirt freshman with plenty of talent, but he seems best built to play offensive guard due to his average pass-blocking skills. He has impressed offensive line coach, Will Friend, in practices thus far, but it seems doubtful he would be ready to play right tackle this season. That said, he has gotten some looks all across the line this spring and remains a legitimate option—even if only as a reserve.

Justin Anderson has moved back to the offensive line after one season of trying his wares on defense, and while he's adjusted well to being back in his natural element, he's practiced solely at guard this spring. Add to that, Anderson has a lengthy injury history—he missed a majority of 2010 with a turf toe—and may not be physically ready for the rigors of playing on the outside.

Austin Long is the wild card of this bunch. He was highly touted when he arrived at Georgia, but has been besieged by injuries and hasn't contributed much. This is his first spring of really giving it a go and he's already had to miss some time with a sore shoulder.

Those are Georgia's best options for the moment, but there is still the possibility they could find their solution when the 2011 signees enroll—Watts Dantzler, Zach DeBell, and Xzavier Ward among them.

Looks like coach Friend has a lot more work yet to do this spring.