ATHENS — Georgia’s spring game will be the final chance for players to impress coaches before adjourning for the next few months, but more than a few Bulldogs have already stood out.
Georgia announced its spring award winners Friday, with tailback Washaun Ealey, linebacker Justin Houston and offensive lineman Cordy Glenn among the top performers.
Glenn took home offensive MVP honors, while Houston, who moved from defensive end to outside linebacker this spring, was named defensive MVP.
Despite being firmly established in the starting lineup without any significant competition this spring, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said Glenn stood out with his effort throughout the spring.
“He’s just outstanding the way he’s worked, the way he’s competed,” Bobo said. “Sometimes that’s tough for guys to do with us being so thin at certain positions when you know somebody behind you is not going to take your job. He has tremendous talent, but just to see improvement in him, the knowledge of what we’re doing, he pretty much knows what we’re doing and he’s able to execute and then use his God-given ability to dominate.”
Houston said he has had his head on a swivel for much of the spring, learning the ropes of the new 3-4 defensive scheme that has him working as a stand-up rusher rather than his former role as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end. But after finishing with the second-most sacks in the SEC last season, the rising senior took another step this spring.
Ealey battled some minor knee injuries, but still turned in another strong performance during the past month and was the winner of the team’s Coffee County Hustle Award among offensive players. Demarcus Dobbs and DeAngelo Tyson, both defensive linemen, shared the award on the defensive side of the ball.
Tailback Carlton Thomas turned heads last spring, but took yet another step forward this year and earned the team’s most-improved player award on offense this year. While the compliments have poured in for Thomas since his arrival at Georgia, he has had trouble finding playing time in the backfield. That could change this season, Bobo said.
“He’s had an even better spring from the standpoint of his physicality — not just in how he runs the ball because he’s always run physical for his size, but in his pass protection, he’s done an outstanding job, and he’s done a good job of protecting the football,” Bobo said.
On the other side of the ball, the kudos for cornerback Vance Cuff were virtually unanimous, and he and fellow corner Brandon Boykin shared most-improved defensive player honors.
Cuff, a rising senior, played intermittently last season but seems to have taken quickly to the defensive scheme of new secondary coach Scott Lakatos.
“Vance is really gaining confidence daily, and he’s making some really nice plays, plays that I hadn’t seen him make on a consistent basis,” head coach Mark Richt said. “I think you can just see his demeanor, his confidence level has really risen. I think he’s really excited about what’s going on and we’re glad to see him do well.”
Outside linebacker Reuben Faloughi was honored as Georgia’s top defensive walk-on, but it’s an award he definitely won’t receive next year. Faloughi was awarded a scholarship Thursday for his efforts this spring after working his way up the depth chart and turning heads among the coaches.
“He’s shown some pass rush skills, particularly in individual drills and one-on-one things,” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “I’ve seen it come up more in team settings. It’s one thing to do it in an individual drill or a one-on-one when everything’s isolated. It’s being able to transform that over to a team period when it becomes a habit – a habitual trait you have that you can swing your hands. I’ve seen that over the last few days, I’ve seen him doing those kind of things.”
Fullback Shaun Chapas and linebacker Akeem Dent won the team’s True Grit Awards, and fullbacks Cameron Allen and Kevin Lanier earned top walk-on honors for the offense.
