ATHENS — Freshman quarterback Jacob Eason was obviously the main story on the field Saturday. That shouldn’t obscure some other players who helped their cause with good performances.
Here’s a look at some of them:
- Michael Chigbu and Jayson Stanley: The search for more receivers to complement Terry Godwin may be landing on two of his classmates. Chigbu and Stanley both offer the size (6-foot-2 and up) that Georgia needs. But can they produce? The coaches seemed to try to find out right away, as the pair were targeted – and hauled in – two of the first three passes. Stanley, who Kirby Smart had singled out for praise earlier in the week, had four catches for 87 yards before halftime. Chigbu only had two catches for 10 yards, but it also looked like he was robbed of a long touchdown catch by the officials. (Smart wanted to call for a television replay, but that apparently doesn’t happen in spring games.)
- Isaac Nauta and Jordan Davis: Look, the top two tight ends on this team are still Jeb Blazevich (who started for the first-team offense) and sophomore Jackson Harris (who quietly had seven catches for 53 yards). But Nauta, the five-star recruit, showed why he will be a factor, hauling in six catches for 56 yards, including a touchdown pass from Eason. Davis, trying hard not to get lost in the shuffle, had two catches for 36 yards. Smart keeps saying that he loves the way coordinator Jim Chaney uses his tight ends. Well, Chaney certainly has a lot of choices.
- Reggie Davis: The senior gets forgotten, even though he’s scored some long touchdowns over the years. He has track speed and breakaway abilities, and if he gets the ball in space can do something with the ball. That’s what he showed when he took a short pass over the middle during G-Day, and also hauling in a 39-yard pass down the sideline from Eason. Davis finished as the leading receiver (six catches for 134 yards), and if Chaney can devise some ways to use Davis’ speed, it adds an element to Georgia’s offense that people aren’t talking about yet.
- D’Andre Walker: The sophomore outside linebacker was credited with four sacks. Yes, that was with spring game rules, and it mostly came against the second-team offensive line. But Walker offers a lot of potential as a long and athletic talent, a la Leonard Floyd. Don’t put that comparison on him quite yet, but Walker also showed flashes last year, and could push for playing time.
- Aaron Davis: The junior was, a bit surprisingly, relegated to the White team, which was the second-team defense. That means he apparently was passed this spring by sophomores Rico McGraw and Juwuan Briscoe, who started for the Red team along with entrenched cornerback starter Malkom Parrish. But if Davis, the former walk-on, wanted to grab attention, a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown certainly did that.
