georgia uga arik gilbert

ATHENS — The Georgia football offense will have dynamic look this season but maybe not exactly like many had expected.

Coach Kirby Smart has stressed having an explosive offense and committed to it with his recruiting and hiring of former NFL offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

So it’s not surprising to hear Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Adonai Mitchell are emerging at the “X” position that was opened up when George Pickens suffered a torn ACL last March.

Transfer Arik Gilbert, meanwhile, has had limited availability and his status for the team’s first scrimmage on Saturday is questionable.

Gilbert played tight end at LSU last season but came to Georgia seeking snaps on the perimeter at the “X.”

Smart made it clear that was the team’s desire, as well, but ultimately Georgia will field a lineup that optimizes the talent on the roster.

“He’s a playmaker, he’s a guy who you need to get the ball in his hands,” Smart said at SEC Media Days. “He’s worked out with the wide receiver group, that’s where he indicated he wanted to work and train at. That’s been a big part of what he wants to do.

“We’ve got to find out if he can sustain, if he’s got the stamina at that position to play that position, to play the X, to play the Z, play the slot. We’ll find ways to move him around.”

Things are still shaking out in the receiver rotation with players like Jermaine Burton and Arian Smith nicked up.

It has already been a long, hot and exhaustive offseason for the Bulldogs.

Smart and his players are down to their last three weeks to sort out their lineup and polish the gameplan for the 7:30 p.m. opening game on Sept. 4 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

Here are three pressing questions Georgia faces entering the first of two scheduled fall scrimmages:

1. Will Arik Gilbert contribute vs. Clemson?

There are more questions coming out of camp about Gilbert than answers, as he has missed practice time and others have performed well at the “X” receiver position.

There’s an old saying that “Georgia is not for everybody” with the great demands and tight ship Smart runs, and it can take time for players to adjust and get up to speed with the elite training that goes on within the walls of Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall and the practice fields behind it.

Gilbert is a great talent, but it takes more than that to get on the field at Georgia, as former 5-star recruit and Freshman All-American Demetris Robertson learned when he first arrived at UGA in 2018.

Robertson worked his way into the receiver rotation his second season with the team, but he ultimately transferred again to Auburn, where there’s not as much competition and he has a clear path to playing time.

2. How quickly will Sedrick Van Pran develop?

The center-snap exchange is the most overlooked facet on every play in football but it’s vital to a team’s success. That’s why Van Pran, more than anyone, needs a strong Saturday scrimmage.

Van Pran is a tremendous athlete at 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, and he was the No. 1 center prospect in the nation in the 2020 signing class and a Top 100 player.

In a perfect world Van Pran could grow into the position playing behind third-year player Warren Ericson. But with Ericson injured and out an unknown amount of time, the Bulldogs need Van Pran to be 100 percent consistent now.

Does secondary lack quality depth?

Georgia is down seven defensive backs from a season ago with five moved on to the NFL, and two others transferred to Miami (Tyrique Stevenson) and LSU (Major Burns).

The Bulldogs added transfers Derion Kendrick (Clemson) and Tykee Smith (West Virginia), but there’s a lot of youth and unproven players behind them.

Georgia is perilously thin at safety and cornerback entering the season and will need rapid development and sustained health among their defensive backs for a championship run.