Richt open to playing two QBs in season opener
ATHENS — Georgia’s quarterback competition is still close enough that Mark Richt could see having co-starters for the season opener.
“We’re getting closer,” Richt said of the quarterback situation, which features sophomore Brice Ramsey, sophomore Faton Bauta and Virginia transfer Grayson Lambert.
But if the competition is close, Richt is willing to have co-starters heading into the Sept. 5 opener against Louisiana-Monroe.
“When you start preparing for Louisiana-Monroe you’d like to have a pecking order. But I’m not even set on that yet. I’m not set on saying that I’m gonna have a first-teamer by the time we do that,” he said. “There’s a chance we have a couple guys taking reps in game one, I’m not sure.”
Georgia’s first scrimmage is Friday, and Richt said they’ll try to split up reps as evenly as possible among the three scholarship quarterbacks. That means equal time not only with the first team, but with the second and third teams.
“So we can try to be as fair as we can, but also be as thorough as we can,” Richt said. “A lot of times you only get good looks when you’re with the ones, but the two units have had their moments when they can pass protect. The three units at times has been able to pass protect at times. When you get a little time in the pocket it’s easier to gauge a quarterback’s ability to take care of business.”
Georgia is now more than one-third of the way through the preseason, having practiced 10 times out of 29.
Meanwhile, as for the receivers, Richt didn’t name names, but said there are five who “we think will be game-ready,” with “a pack” of about five more where a couple or more need to be ready to go. The aim is to have eight or nine players ready for every game.
It is believed that, other than top receiver Malcolm Mitchell, sophomore Isaiah McKenzie and junior Reggie Davis have the most security in the top tier. Georgia also has an influx of good young receivers, led by Terry Godwin and Michael Chigbu, but it’s unclear whether they’re in that top five or the next five.
“It’s easy to which ones the veterans are,” Richt said. “The freshmen are up-and-down. Some days good, some days not-so-good. Just getting used to the grind of it, getting used to the tempo of it, getting used to the scheme itself. But we’re pleased with the young guys that have come in. I think the receiving corps have had a good camp so far.”
