Georgia Football: Five Players Who Need To Start Realizing Their Potential

Mark Richt is hoping for big things next season. Todd Grantham's defense won't be in it's infancy anymore—although there is still some doubt that he will have the nose he needs to make the 3-4 defense work—and Aaron Murray will have a year of SEC experience under his belt.

That said, there will also be some big holes to fill—on offense and defense. The biggest holes will arise with the exits of A.J. Green (who is all but certain to bolt for the NFL) and Kris Durham (who came into his own at the wide receiver spot this past season but is graduating).

Both players will be tough to replace and, as of now, there isn't much reason to assume that whoever does step in will be an adequate fill-in.

Even more, the likely loss of Justin Houston, coupled with the departure of Akeem Dent, leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive front.

Dent ranked 2nd in the SEC in tackles (121)—20th in the nation—while Houston became the terror off the edge that many predicted he would—ending the regular season with 57 tackles (19.5 for loss), 11 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.

Keeping all this in mind, it seems that Georgia will need to find a few more role players to fill-in the gaps in 2011 if they expect to better their 6-6 regular season record, or stand any chance of winning the eastern division—a feat which seems a bit premature considering the numerous questions still left to answer.

So, what players need to finally start becoming the studs that Georgia expected them to be when they decided to make Athens their home? Read on, and feel free to drop a few names of your own in the comment section:

1. Marlon Brown, WR

He's got the height, the build, and the talent to be a talented receiver, but he's fallen short in two straight seasons. In year one, Georgia wasted an opportunity to redshirt him—a head-scratcher to this day—and his forgettable play amounted to two receptions for 15-yards.

This season, he caught 11 passes, for 125 yards, and a touchdown—better but still not impressive given the hoopla he garnered coming out of high school. With both Green and Durham gone in 2011, it's time that Marlon Brown start playing up to his potential.

He's had two years to get comfortable with the speed and defensive play of SEC opposition and now it's time for him to start earning his keep.

2. Rantavious Wooten, WR

He came on strong near mid-season of 2009, and finished sixth on the team in receiving yards. His inspired play made many predict 2010 as a potential breakout year. However, his inconsistent spring play, coupled with an inability to hang onto the football, made him a lesser factor as time wore on.

He finished the regular season with seven catches for 41-yards and a touchdown.

Wooten can be a deep ball threat when he's got everything going, but he doesn't seem to be as focused  as he was in year one. He needs to fix what ails him in the mental department and step into his role as a solid contributor on this football team.

3. Caleb King, RB

King has mostly fallen flat during his career. He's never come close to eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark, and his numerous injuries have kept him on the sidelines more than we've seen him on the field.
If nothing is clear about the Georgia offense, this one thing is, they need a good rushing attack to make things happen in the passing game. If King can't be that guy, then hopefully Georgia finds the player who can be—the success of Mark Richt rests heavily on that factor.

4. Kwame Geathers, Nose

Geathers is a beast, but his commitment level has been a question mark since he entered the program in 2009—overweight and poorly conditioned. He's made great strides in the 18-months since that time, but he's still not proved to be the guy that coach Grantham is comfortable with at the all-important nose position.

Georgia experienced a lot of inconsistency at the nose this past season, and it's a position that has to be shored up if the defense expects to get any penetration off the edge. Geathers will be one of the key options the team looks to in that regard—he needs to be ready to make it happen.

5. Nick Williams, SS/LB

It's uncertain whether the learning curve for Nick Williams has been so slow because the coaches are confused about the best spot for him to play, or if it's due to Williams' inability to play consistently at either position.

Williams' desire to play safety has been well-documented, but it's obvious that coach Grantham sees a need to continue placing him at linebacker. Whatever the case may be, Williams is too talented to be relegated to the bench. Georgia needs to find away to get him more involved next season.

That said, Williams needs to find a way to play more controlled football when he does have his chance. His tendency to lose his temper and make careless mistakes after the play is just as much a reason for his absence on the field this past year.

Georgia Safety Nick Williams Is Ready To Terrorize SEC Offenses

Nick Williams is a talented, aggressive, and physical safety for the Georgia Bulldogs. However, before being named the starting safety on the 2010 post-spring depth chart, he was not remembered as such. Why? Because he has spent the better part of his career vacillating between safety and linebacker—mostly playing the latter.

Williams appeared in 12 games for Georgia last season—all at linebacker—and recorded nine tackles. He performed decently, but he never excelled at the position and he often seemed out of place playing there. However, he continued to bulk up and put forth his best effort every game.

Enter a new defensive scheme and a new defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham, and there would be no more linebacker for Nick Williams. He was going to return to the place he calls “home”—safety.

It proved to be a good move all around as Williams has the obvious size, speed, and skill-set suited for playing the safety position.

The switch is something that Williams has repeatedly expressed his pleasure in, and his excitement has translated into some exceptional play during spring practices.

What exactly has he brought to the Georgia secondary?

For one, the size that worked against him as a potential linebacker, is now an advantage for him at safety. He stood 6’2” and weighed a solid 220 pounds at the end of spring.

He hopes to slim down a bit more but his size and speed, coupled with his aggressive approach to playing the game, should make for some highlight reel hits in 2010 if he continues to develop as well as he has thus far.

Second, he’s got plenty of motivation to grow and do even better once fall practice starts because he’s likely to share time with Jakar Hamilton—the highly touted JUCO transfer who many feel will eventually become a star in his own right—and that makes him well-aware of the fact that he is only as good as his last performance; there is no loyalty.

So, his goal has been to play hard, learn the playbook, and enjoy the fact that he’s finally feeling comfortable on the football field again. He’s enjoying the freedom that the 3-4 has given him on the field and likes the idea that he can play a hard-hitting, assertive, brand of play on the field.

That said, some might wonder if Williams’ play might be a little too bold. Can he learn to play both aggressive and smart? After all, it was only last season that he grabbed negative headlines after being accused of a late hit on former Florida quarterback, Tim Tebow.

Williams defended the play but some who saw it felt that it was over the top and a bit dirty.

If the above point seems irrelevant given the overall tone and intensity of the Georgia-Florida game, then we need only look to the recent events of the 2010 G-Day game.

For those who don’t know or remember: after making a tackle on running back, Washaun Ealey, Williams held Ealey down. Ealey responded by taking a swing at Williams—Williams responded in turn and a skirmish broke out between the two late in the game. It ended with Williams being reprimanded by coach Grantham and  he was subsequently benched.

Most fans pointed the finger at Ealey, saying he was out of line, and I agree with that assessment. However, given the Georgia Bulldogs' issues with penalties last season, situations like this are cause for concern.

Does anyone care who’s at fault if the result is a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct?  Especially if it comes during a crucial moment in a close SEC contest?

As much talent and potential as Williams has for being a breakout player this season, he will need to learn to maintain his composure on the field. If he can do that, the sky is clearly the limit as he still has untapped potential that has yet to be realized.