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Where does Jacob Eason rank among the best QBs in America?

UGA QB Jacob Eason
Curtis Compton/AJC
Cy Brown
Cy Brown

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Where does Jacob Eason rank among America’s best QBs?

Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports did God’s work and ranked all 130 spring starting quarterbacks in FBS, and it should come as no surprise that Jacob Eason appears near the top of the list. The rising sophomore ranks 21st in Lassan’s estimation, better than the vast majority of passers in the country but still lagging behind the absolute best in the country.

As expected with any true freshman quarterback, Eason had his share of ups and downs last fall. However, the 5-star recruit showed flashes of his potential by throwing for 2,430 yards and 16 scores. Georgia’s supporting cast is a work in progress around Eason, as the offensive line and receiving corps are two preseason question marks. Eason has all of the arm talent to rank among the best in the SEC. Will he take a step forward in 2017?

Eason joins a stellar crop of SEC QBs near the top, including fellow freshmen Jake Bentley of South Carolina (24), Shea Patterson of Ole Miss (23) and, of course, returning SEC Offensive POTY Jalen Hurts of Alabama (11). Two of Georgia’s opposing QBs in 2017 make an appearance in the top 20, with Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald at 15 and Auburn newcomer Jarrett Stidham at 12. Austin Allen of Arkansas ranks 14th in America.

There’s obviously a lot of competition for Eason to be the best in the SEC, but he has all the physical tools to do it, as you could see in any Georgia game last season. However, he still needs to improve his touch on passes, and, more importantly, his command over the offense. The latter comes with time. The longer he’s at Georgia, the more comfortable he’ll become with the scheme and playbook that was wholly unfamiliar to him when he came to Athens a year ago.

For the former, he’ll need a bit of help. It’s something that’s been harped on over and over again this spring, but that’s because it’s so damn important: Georgia has to get some viable options at receiver. The number of drops last season is not sustainable if the Dawgs want a productive passing game. To be fair, some of them were because of the aforementioned lack of touch by Eason, but many were also forced by lack of concentration. But it’s something else that can and should be fixed with an offseason worth of focus.

Lassan’s ranking seems right to me. Eason’s better than fellow freshmen Bentley and Patterson, but behind Hurts, Allen, Fitzgerald and Stidham. And he’s way behind Lamar Jackson and Sam Darnold. But he has all the tools to get to that level. He just needs a little more work.

Georgia equestrian receives No. 2 seed

Georgia equestrian has been named a No. 2 seed for the NCEA National Championship in Waco, Texas, which begins April 12. The high seed comes with a first-round bye, so the Bulldogs won’t have their first contest until Friday, April 14 against the winner of Fresno State vs. New Mexico State.

Greyson Sigg named SEC Golfer of the Week

Georgia golfer Greyson Sigg was the natural choice for SEC Men’s Golfer of the Week following a fantastic performance at the Linger Longer Invitational. The senior from Augusta won the tournament by 5 strokes and shot a personal-best 16-under par for a total of 200, also the second-best score in school history. It was the fourth tourney win of Sigg’s career and first this season.

Pair of Bulldogs named SEC Freshmen of the Week

Georgia tennis’ young guns had a good week, as a Bulldog claimed the SEC Freshman of the Week title in both women’s and men’s divisions. Elena Christofi collected the award for the Lady Dogs for the second time this season, while Nathan Ponwith took home the men’s honor for the third time.

ICYMI

Good dog

It’s a battle of wills.

NEXT The curious case of Mecole Hardman’s position at Georgia
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