Georgia Bulldog coach Kirby Smart "Very Pleased" With Freshman Receivers
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ATHENS - There’s been a lot of talk around the wide receivers in Athens this year, especially since the passing game hasn’t exactly been clicking the last two weeks until late in the ballgame.
We know Georgia has the best tight end room in the country, but if the Bulldogs want to stay undefeated throughout the regular season, they’ll need more receivers to step up in November.
AD Mitchell going down early in the season was huge. He was the No. 1 receiver heading into the season, and the sophomore hasn’t been able to contribute over the last several weeks. Unfortunately, it looks like Georgia’s star receiver might be out this upcoming week as well according to head coach Kirby Smart.
“Adonai has looked better, but he hasn't probably looked as good as I thought he did in pregame last week,” Smart said about Mitchell. “I really thought he looked good in pregame and hasn't quite been to that mark. I don't know if it was the adrenaline, or the rush, I thought he looked pretty good in pregame and thought we might be able to use him more, but it didn't work out. He didn't really tweak it again, but he's not 100%. He's been very similar this week as he was last week.”
Ladd McConkey has had his fair share of touches and opportunities. We see Kearis Jackson and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint make a player or two each game. Dill Bell and Dominick Blaylock have also seen some passes come their way.
Smart was asked about the “challenges” some of his young receivers are facing, but Georgia’s head coach sees things a little differently.
“Challenges, or opportunities?”, Smart asked back. “There's something about playing receiver that you really need to do it in a game to get the utmost confidence. Dillon [Bell] probably has got a little bit of that, De'Nylon [Morrissett], he's played more than most freshmen, but still not a lot. C.J. Smith has really come along well but hasn't had a ton of opportunities. Those guys are getting a lot of reps and getting better in practice, but it's hard to gain the confidence and experience you need until you get live game reps, and those guys have not gotten a ton. “
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The younger receivers may not be able to get a ton of experience so far, but that’s to be expected. Smart added that he’s very confident in the younger receivers, including tight end Oscar Delp. There’s plenty of talent in the freshman class but we may not see much of them for the remainder of the season.
“I'm very pleased with that class of guys”, Smart added. “It's probably the first wide receiver class that we can say across the board, man, they got some good players in it, they're just not there right now. There's a couple guys in front of them, too.”
In the end, Georgia needs AD Mitchell back. There needs to be more chemistry with Stetson Bennett and the receivers. The talent is there, but things just seem a tad off right now. If Georgia wants to win a possible shootout with Mississippi State and Tennessee next month, the receivers need to be more involved in the passing game. That will allow more one-on-one situations for Brock Bowers, and it will help the backs make plays in the passing game as well.
Are we being a little nitpicky as far as the receiver production is concerned? Possibly, but if you want to win a national championship, everything needs to click offensively. And for that to happen, we have to see more from the receiving core.