Georgia has three-way race for starting star, with one in the lead

If Georgia had a game this weekend, head coach Kirby Smart knows who he would start at the star position.

It would be Tyrique McGhee, the rising sophomore cornerback from Peach County. McGhee got plenty of practice at the position last season, but also trained at cornerback. He is still practicing at both positions, dividing his time between first-team star and second-team cornerback.

McGhee is currently considered the third outside corner, making it imperative to cross-train him at both spots. When McGhee is seeing corner reps, Deangelo Gibbs and Richard LeCounte are getting work at the star.

“The way we’re practicing, Tyrique is really our star,” Smart said. “But he’s on a split field when we split them up. He practices at corner and he practices at star. He’s taking reps at both places. If we lost a corner right now, Tyrique might be the first corner in the game. But he would be our star if we played today.”

In 2016, Maurice Smith started 13 games at the star and rarely came off of the field. It’s a position Smart believes is one of the most important on defense based on its responsibilities in the modern age of the spread offense.

The star is tasked with guarding shifty slot receivers as well as bulky tight ends. Therefore, a solid blend of size and smarts is needed to play the position.

Smith, who transferred to Georgia from Alabama, fit that bill a year ago and was the least of Smart’s worries on the defensive side of the ball.

“I think that’s a really important spot in your defense,” Smart said. “It’s like an anchor. (Smith) was just steady. He didn’t play much anywhere else because he just played there. We’re trying to develop and figure out who those people are.”

While Smith is 6-foot and 195 pounds, McGhee is a tad smaller at 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds.

Smart noted that ideally, the star position is served by bigger defensive backs since fighting off blocks from tight ends is customary. Gibbs, at 6-foot and 200 pounds, would actually seem to be the prototype for the position.

“If you’re out there playing on Charlie Woerner and he comes to block you, do you want a 160-pound guy or do you want a 205-pound guy?” Smart said. “It’s pretty obvious we’ve got to have a big guy. Deangelo is a guy who we know has the ability. Can he sustain, can he learn, can he do all the things he’s got to do?”

At the same time, Gibbs, as a true freshman, would have to master the position and give the coaching staff confidence that he could get the job done without worry. That could be a tall order as a true freshman, especially while competing with someone like McGhee, who has spent a year learning the position.

While Gibbs has the size and talent to potentially start as a true freshman, Smart isn’t ready to hand him the reins just yet. Part of it has to do with the learning curve from high school to college football. Another part is that Gibbs may be better suited at another position in Georgia’s secondary.

But as far as getting early playing time as a freshman, the star position would seemingly be Gibbs’ best chance, considering that is the lone starting position that doesn’t return a starter.

“There’s an argument to say that guy takes every rep at that position and that becomes his home base and he becomes like (Smith),” Smart said. “But we’re not ready to commit all that to him because we think he’s a good football player who might be able to play other positions. So the battle continues with Tyrique, Richard LeCounte and Deangelo Gibbs. We think in those scrimmages, it will reveal itself who the guy is.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 11:50 PM with the headline "Georgia has three-way race for starting star, with one in the lead."