Georgia moves Nick Moore from linebacker to fullback

Georgia has once again moved a linebacker to fullback.

Twenty-two-year-old freshman Nick Moore, once a baseball prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization, made the transition from defense to offense on Monday. Moore started preseason practice as an inside linebacker but is starting this week practicing at fullback.

“Nick came over today and we’re going to take a look at him,” Georgia offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “I think he’s excited about the possible opportunity. He wouldn’t be the first linebacker that’s come over to become a pretty good fullback.”

Moore’s move could have something to do with one injury and one absence at the fullback spot. Projected starter Christian Payne, who started his Georgia career as an inside linebacker, cracked his fibula during last Friday’s scrimmage. Senior Quayvon Hicks was not present at Monday’s practice. Schottenheimer declined to talk about Hicks’s absence from practice but said he was the “elder statesman” of the position group.

Working as Georgia's first-team fullback on Monday was freshman Turner Fortin.

Though learning the offensive playbook would be the biggest challenge, the linebacker to fullback transition is a fairly common one.

“Going from linebacker to fullback is probably the easiest physical transition you can make because you just got to go hit somebody,” senior inside linebacker Jake Ganus said. “You don’t tackle them, you block them, so there are a lot of differences.”

Schottenheimer said Moore “didn’t look too out of place” in Monday’s practice at his new position.

“Fullbacks are a different breed,” Schottenheimer said. “The things you ask them to do, not everybody gets excited about doing. He’s got a lot of stuff to learn but I think he’s excited about the opportunity.”

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Georgia moves Nick Moore from linebacker to fullback."