ATHENS — There are few names that stir the Georgia masses more than Shattle Fenteng.
Never mind that it’s an unusual moniker. The defensive back from Loganville by way of Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College arrived to great expectations a year ago as the No. 1-ranked junior college cornerback in the country. And, to date, the senior has played in one game and has not recorded a single statistic.
But defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeremy Pruitt indicated Wednesday that it’d be too soon to give up on Fenteng now.
“I’ll tell you what, in the last week Shattle has really improved,” Pruitt said after practice. “… I actually told him yesterday, he’s done some really nice things. Hopefully he’s getting back to his old self.”
It’s not that the Bulldogs completely misjudged Fenteng’s talent. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound athlete physically remains one of the most impressive-looking DBs on the team. But he has been unlucky with injuries. He subluxed his shoulder in preseason camp as a first-year transfer and aggravated the injury the first day of spring camp a year ago.
“He is (healthy) now,” Pruitt said. “… It seems like he’s trusting his shoulder a little bit more. He had a major injury there. He had some bad luck in the spring and didn’t get to practice but about two days. Hopefully he’s getting back in the groove a little bit.”
The former Grayson High star is not there yet, however. Fenteng was not listed on the Bulldog’s two-deep depth chart for Saturday’s game against Louisiana-Monroe and continues to get most of his practice reps with the scout team.