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Jermaine Burton highlights the struggles Georgia has had at wide receiver
Even prior to the George Pickens injury, there was the thought Jermaine Burton was going to take a big step forward in 2021.
As a freshman, Burton was thrown into the fire to start the season. He eventually grew into a key contributor, scoring a touchdown against Alabama and then racking up 197 yards against Mississippi State.
With a full offseason, Burton seemed primed to make a big jump forward. Even after the loss of Pickens, there was still some confidence that Burton could emerge as Georgia’s top wide receiver.
But almost nothing has gone right for Burton in 2021.
“We’ve had roughly 45 practices. Out of the 45 practices he’s practiced 10-15 times,” Smart said. “He missed a lot of time, and he was already a young player last year who grew.”
Burton suffered a knee injury in the spring one week after Pickens went down. Georgia then held Burton out of the remainder of spring practice after that.
The sophomore from Calabasas, Calif., was at full health to start fall camp. On the first day of practice, Burton sprained an ankle and he returned to the sidelines for another two weeks.
All that missed practice time starts to add up and explains why Burton had just two catches for 11 yards in Georgia’s win against Clemson.
If you had told Georgia supporters before the game that would be Burton’s final line, confidence in a Georgia victory would not have been high.
“For him, he knows the upside,” Smart said. “His best football is in front of him, and he has done everything we asked in terms of getting well. Rehab and pushing himself, but he’s not in game shape. We’ve got to improve that and work on it.”
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Not helping matters for Burton was that he spent most of the game matched up against Clemson’s Andrew Booth, a former 5-star prospect who certainly lived up to the billing for the Tigers.
There were a couple of examples on Saturday where a hobbled Burton played a part in ending Georgia’s drive. Twice, the Bulldogs ran swing passes to James Cook towards Burton’s side of the field.
Burton was tasked with blocking Booth and potentially springing Cook for a first down and more. The first time Burton made contact with Booth, but the Georgia receiver was unable to keep Booth from breaking free and bringing Cook to the ground on a third down.
The second time Booth just beat Burton to the spot and brought down Cook before he could do much of anything. It end a Georgia at a key point in the fourth quarter.
Perhaps a healthier Burton makes those plays. Maybe if he had been able to focus on building strength and working on reps in practice, Burton is able to seal off Booth and Cook is able to pick up the first down.
It’s unfair to put the wide receiver situation at large on Burton. Kearis Jackson still isn’t healthy as he recovers from offseason knee surgery and Dominick Blaylock has yet to be fully cleared.
Perhaps if all three are able to get healthy and practice, we’re having a very different conversation about Georgia’s wide receivers the next time the Bulldogs play an opponent of Clemson’s caliber.
“To have guys that have that kind of experience is great. Dom is really close,” Smart said. “He is going against our defense with the scout offense. He is getting closer. It is a confidence factor for him. It is about feeling comfortable, going out there and knowing what to do, and Kearis is the same way.
“It is not as simple as ‘We are getting him back next Wednesday.’ I want to get him back as much as anybody, but he is not yet, and we are going to be patient to make sure that they are ready to go.”
Related: Kirby Smart explains Georgia offensive struggles, receivers lined up wrong, lack of execution
With those players injured and hobbled, Georgia is having to turn to younger, inexperienced options. While Brock Bowers’ debut was impressive, few would have predicted or preferred that he emerge as Georgia’s leading receiver after the first week of the season.
For the Clemson game, it really seemed the best ability for the Georgia wide receivers was availability.
Burton was out at practice on Monday for Georgia. It’ll certainly help that he’s not matched up on a cornerback like Booth, and he may not see another cornerback that good until he sees Florida’s Kaiir Elam at the end of October.
Like the rest of the Georgia offense, Burton has time to get right and show improvement. The Bulldogs certainly need to demonstrate that the next time they take on an opponent of Clemson’s caliber.
“He’s certainly a very talented football player that were excited about,” Smart said. “And he will help us be explosive. He’s just got to practice more.”
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