Terry Godwin shows commitment to Georgia by focusing on football

ATHENS -- Georgia receiver Terry Godwin denied himself an opportunity to stretch his arm out this spring.

Godwin, a former high school baseball standout and 33rd-round pick by the Atlanta Braves in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, showed off the arm in the wildcat last season, throwing a 44-yard touchdown pass against Penn State in the TaxSlayer Bowl.

After the season, he started to feel the itch to get back on the baseball diamond but ultimately opted not to split his time between the two sports.

"I had to get used to the terminology that we were bringing in for football," Godwin said.

With a new offensive system with Jim Chaney and new receivers coach James Coley, Godwin's commitment to the football team is critical, given that Godwin is the team's returning leader in catches and receiving yards with the graduation of Malcolm Mitchell.

So even though Godwin is just a rising sophomore, he'll be expected to be the No. 1 target for the quarterback who wins the starting position.

"I don't look at it as a role, I look at is as just part of the offense, just trying to help the team contribute and do what I can," Godwin said. "I don't expect (to be the No. 1 guy), but if it happens, it happens. I'm just going to go out there and just try to help make plays."

A lot of what Godwin will have to do is replace the productivity on the field of Mitchell, who led Georgia in receiving yards, catches and touchdowns in 2015. In order to do that, Godwin will have to take advantages of some of the lessons that Mitchell left behind.

"I learned from him just going out there, doing what you're told, just make sure if you mess up on a route, just catch the ball," Godwin said. "Always go out to practice, work hard like it's a game because when that game time comes, you've got to be ready for it."

Godwin isn't known for being the most vocal player, which means most of his leadership will happen by example. Other players already have noticed that Godwin seems to understand the importance of leading by example, as has head coach Kirby Smart.

"He understands his role on the team and he understands that he's an explosive player, and in order to make explosive plays he has to be in the game and be involved," junior outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter said. "He's working hard to stay involved and be a major key to the offense."

"I've seen him grow," Smart said. "I've watched him practice when he was a ninth-grader. He was a kid who always competed hard. He's a kid who's leading by example right now, too. He's not comfortable being vocal about it, but he's making plays out there."

Godwin acknowledged that he has matured during the course of the past year, although he's still learning and growing his game, especially in regards to route running and learning the new playbook and terminology associated.

But there's no doubt, Godwin is committed.

"You have to make sure you're in your playbook regardless of if it's new or old, because ... if you want to be the best, you've got to be in the playbook and be in the film room, as well," Godwin said.

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Terry Godwin shows commitment to Georgia by focusing on football ."