ATHENS — Zamir White represented the biggest news in a Georgia football scrimmage filled with highlights on Satuday.
The Georgia football hype machine has been running overtime the past 24 hours with talk of White’s impressive scrimmage, George Pickens’ insane catch, and Stetson Bennett’s savvy performance.
WATCH: George Pickens unbelievable catch
Coach Kirby Smart said he wasn’t pleased with the overall energy and execution, particularly from the first team offense and first team defense on Saturday.
But, Smart conceded, some individuals fared well.
White took a giant leap in his comeback from the ACL injury that sidelined him a year ago last August.
White not only proved he was ready for contact, but he also appeared downright dominant in a one-on-one hitting drill with inside linebacker Channing Tindall.
He’s a full-grown man when he’s out there running the ball,” Smart said after the scrimmage. “He was running behind his pads … “
Smart’s biggest challenge now is how to manage White, because it’s clear the redshirt freshman is ready to go full throttle through whatever brick walls are put before him.
Of course, there’s only one ball to go around and junior D’Andre Swift and senior Brian Herrien were expected to be the one-two punch.
Swift has had a healthy offseason and has said he’s ready for whatever workload Smart puts before him, even if that included running into starting middle linebackers Monty Rice and Tae Crowder on Saturday.
Crowder did just enough to hold up Swift at the goal line while Rice cast aside the block attempt of John Fitzpatrick to come over and clean up on the tackle.
It appeared both offense and defense celebrated the stellar collision.
Then, for all the talk of Pickens’ catch, the freshman from Alabama showed he could lower a shoulder in his hitting drill against freshman safety Lewis Cine.
A battle of heavyweights showed Clay Webb and Tramel Walthour in a standoff
Ameer Speed showed his open-field tackling when he wrapped up 6-5 receiver Tommy Bush, and then Eric Stokes stood up Miami transfer Lawrence Cager.
As if those one-on-one highlights weren’t enough, the Bulldogs also released a highlight video from the scrimmage.
Herrien broke loose for a TD run in the scrimmage, a sign that the battle for carries with White is just getting started.
The UGA film crew showed some artistic skills running a split screen of a Matt Landers catch and Stokes interception off the arm of Fromm, likely an indication of how the QBs day went based on Smart’s Saturday comments.
A highlight of a Demetris Robertson catch was included, significant considering he didn’t have a catch all of last season and missed the spring G-Day Game on account of illness.
An Otis Reese interception came off a ball Speed deflected while in coverage of Pickens.
Junior receiver Trey Blount flashed with a difficult catch in coverage off a well-thrown ball by Bennett, and then there was one more clip of White, dragging Speed for extra yardage on a carry.
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