Five improvements Georgia football can make with summer workouts approaching

During his first six months on the job, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has oftentimes downplayed the talent on his roster.

Part of that might be to temper expectations in year one. Another component might be that he was simply used to a different kind of depth during the past nine years at Alabama.

And some of what Smart has said might simply be true when it comes to what the Bulldogs have available in 2016.

Smart faces the tough task in, at minimum, keeping the program at the kind of consistency it has enjoyed in the past during his first season.

To do so, Smart will hope certain positions show positive gains during voluntary workouts once the summer semester begins. And from there, he’ll need that improvement to continue when team activities reconvene in August.

Here are five areas Georgia will hope to get better at during the summer before preseason practice begins.

Getting the defensive line game-ready: Smart has been most vocal about the Bulldogs getting bigger up front on both sides of the ball. But the offensive line does appear to be moving in the right direction, considering the strides it made through the spring and with Rhode Island graduate transfer Tyler Catalina’s addition this summer.

The defensive line, however, still needs improvement. Sophomore Trent Thompson will anchor the unit along with elder statesman John Atkins, a fourth-year junior. With Chauncey Rivers’ dismissal for a third drug-related arrest, Georgia will need to make up for a player who was expected to contribute quite a bit.

It doesn’t help matters either that Michael Barnett and DaQuan Hawkins both experienced knee injuries during spring practice, taking valuable reps away. Those two will look to get back on the field this summer.

Freshmen Julian Rochester, Michail Carter, Tyler Clark and David Marshall will be expected to contribute early, although Rochester is still awaiting disciplinary action after an April arrest for possession of a BB gun and criminal damage done to his dorm.

Shoring up depth behind Nick Chubb, Sony Michel: Chubb’s status for the season-opener against North Carolina has yet to be decided. Michel is a quality back who ran for 1,161 yards and 8 touchdowns a year ago following Chubb’s season-ending knee injury. Behind those two backs, quality contributors will need to step up.

Brendan Douglas has a lot of experience as he has had to fill in for injured backs in each of his three years. Douglas, however, has dealt with a wrist injury that limited him in the spring. Tae Crowder got a lot of reps this spring as he continues to develop following his redshirt season. Shaquery Wilson moved from wideout to running back near the end of spring practice and gives Georgia an additional receiving threat out of the backfield.

Freshmen Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien both could factor in the rotation, as well. Holyfield, who committed to Georgia in September, will most certainly see playing time in his first season. Herrien ran roughshod over GHSA Class AAAAA opponents in 2015 and could be a sneaky addition to this roster. Even so, Georgia needs to make sure each back is game-ready in the event of potential injury to those at the top of the depth chart.

Finding defensive leadership: With players organizing workouts this summer, Georgia will need a few defensive leaders to emerge. And whoever does will have big shoes to fill now that Leonard Floyd, Jordan Jenkins and Jake Ganus are off to the NFL.

Early in spring practice, Smart said that safeties Dominick Sanders and Quincy Mauger had stepped into that role. But Smart also stated he’s hoping for inside linebacker Natrez Patrick and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter to become better leaders as well.

Voluntary workouts generally are a good time for leadership to develop, with the Bulldogs dealing with the losses of some high-quality players.

Adding incoming contributors at receiver: Entering the spring, there was plenty of concern at receiver. After G-Day, that worry seemed alleviated with how players such as Jayson Stanley, Michael Chigbu and Riley Ridley looked.

But Georgia will need to ensure its depth by getting its freshmen involved once they arrive to campus. Incoming freshman Tyler Simmons and junior college transfer Javon Wims figure to contribute in their inaugural seasons — especially Sims, who has a 6-foot-4 and 215-pound frame.

While the receiver position appears better than initially believed, getting both Simmons and Wims in the fold will be beneficial for this unit.

Determining the OLB rotation: Carter and Davin Bellamy are presumed starters at outside linebacker. From there, it’s still a toss-up as to how the rest of the rotation will go. One of the defensive stars at G-Day was D’Andre Walker, who totaled four sacks — of the touch variety — in the scrimmage. Walker made big strides this spring as he enters his sophomore season.

Like Bellamy a season ago, Georgia will hope some other players step up and provide production without having much prior game-day experience. Candidates for this include former defensive tackle Keyon Brown, who made the position switch during TaxSlayer Bowl practices, and Chuks Amaechi, who saw special-teams and outside linebacker reps in 2015. Amaechi, however, didn’t get to practice this spring as he recovered from labrum surgery.

This story was originally published May 23, 2016 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Five improvements Georgia football can make with summer workouts approaching."