ATHENS — Georgia football incoming graduate transfers Lawrence Cager and Eli Wolf have looked the part, by all counts.
Soon, in two days when practice starts, they’ll have a chance to start proving they can play the part.
“I’ve seen them workout, and they do that hard,” Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said. “They are very mature, just what you’d expect.
“These guys come from two really good programs, they work really hard, they know this is their season, so this is their opportunity to shine, and I feel like those guys have bought in and they’ve really blended in well.”
It’s about as glowing of a review as a coach can give at this stage of the offseason.
Cager and Wolf couldn’t arrive at positions with any more need at Georgia than receiver and tight end.
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The Bulldogs lost their top five pass catchers from last season, four of them going to the NFL, another recently dismissed from the team.
Cager, a 6-foot-5 target from Miami, has a 40-inch vertical leap and led the Hurricanes in TD catches and yards per reception last season.
Wolf, a 6-4, 239-pound former Tennessee team captain, has a frame that mirrors departed TE Isaac Nauta, and is a step quicker.
Georgia safety J.R. Reed has gotten a good look at Cager and Wolf this summer in 7-on-7 drills.
“Those guys definitely come in with the right mindset, they are older so they know what to do,” Reed said. “They are learning, they are picking up stuff really fast ,and you can tell that they have experience.
“Eli and Cager fit into this team and their position rooms, and we’re glad to have those guys on our team.”
Reed marveled at Cager’s catch radius, and attested that the former Tennessee tight end could open some eyes.
“Eli is actually sneaky fast — he’s a lot faster than he looks — and he’s a good route runner,” Reed said. “He’s an older guy and he knows what to do. So he brings some leadership to the table.
“We’ll just have to see them in pads.”
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