Despite coming off an 11-3 year with a top-10 finish, as well as returning 17-of-22 starters, the Georgia Bulldogs would typically not be in a “rebuilding” mode. Yet coach Mark Richt is not your typical coach.
“I think it’s time to reset our goals,” Richt said. “We’re going to go back to ground zero and start from scratch, just like it’s the first year again. I think it’s important to continue to improve and feel like you’re moving forward.”
Boasting an impressive 32-8 record since Richt arrived at Georgia, as well as appearing in the past two Southeastern Conference Championship games, the Bulldogs have an impressive slate to begin with this spring.
Beginning at quarterback, the Bulldogs will be looking for leadership from the 2002 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, David Greene.
Heading into his final season as a Bulldog, Greene has passed for 3,307 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2003, ending the season with MVP honors in Georgia’s 34-27 overtime win at the Capital One Bowl against Purdue.
Backing up Greene will be junior D.J. Shockley, who played in six games in 2003 prior to a season-ending knee injury.
Getting an early start at quarterback are freshmen Blake Barnes and A.J. Bryant, who both graduated high school early in order to participate in spring drills with the Bulldogs.
Leading the running backs corps is sophomore Michael Cooper, who completed the 2003 season with 673 yards and six touchdowns, leading the team and earning him Freshman All-SEC honors.
Junior Tony Milton is the veteran of the group, despite having last season cut short due to a leg injury. Milton did not take part in spring practice.
At the wide receiver position, running back Tyson Browning will look to make the transition to wideout.
“We want to make him a legitimate receiver,” Richt said. “He already knows what to do at tailback. This gives us some versatility.”
Richt added he is looking to switch Browning back and fourth.
“If it works out, we will be able to line him up as a back and shift to receiver, or we can line him up at receiver and switch to back,” Richt said. “We think he can play both positions.”
Returning starters Reggie Brown and Fred Gibson will add a spark at the position.
Brown is coming off his best season as a Bulldog, catching 49 passes for 662 yards and three touchdowns.
Gibson, who missed the majority of the 2003 season, managed to finish strong with two touchdowns in the Capital One Bowl.
Perhaps Georgia’s biggest loss is that of tight end Ben Watson, yet the Bulldogs have some young budding stars looking to prove themselves worthy this spring.
Although junior Martrez Milner caught just one pass last season, he proved dominant on special teams and showed signs of improvement.
Sophomore Leonard Pope has also shown signs of promise, earning Freshman All-SEC honors in 2003.
On the other side of the ball, the Georgia defense is led by two-time All-American David Pollack, who decided to return for his senior season.
The reigning Ted Hendricks Award winner, Pollack is just 5.5 sacks short of the school record, set by Richard Tardits at 29 sacks.
Also returning will be 2002 starter Will Thompson, who missed the entire 2003 season due to a broken leg.
Georgia will boast one of the best linebacker cores in the SEC, returning all starters and reserves, as well as bringing two redshirt freshmen in.
Leading the pack will be First team All-SEC linebacker Odell Thurman, who ranked second on the team in 2003 with 121 tackles, as well as putting up two interceptions.
Senior Arnold Harrison is coming off his best season as a Bulldog, posting 45 tackles in nine starts.
Leading the linebacker reserves is junior Derrick White, who has the versatility to play at multiple linebacker positions.
The defensive secondary may be in question, losing Bruce Thorton, Decory Bryant and All-American Sean Jones.
Anchoring the defensive secondary will be junior Thomas Davis, who is coming off a 2003 campaign with 138 tackles, as well as an interception and a touchdown following a blocked punt.
Replacing Jones will be junior Greg Blue, who had three starts and played in 10 games last season and finished the year with 42 tackles.
At cornerback, the Bulldogs will return veteran Tim Jennings, who started in seven games last year and led the team in pass break-ups with 11.
Also bringing experience to the squad will be junior DeMario Winter, who spent time at both corner and safety in 2003.
Redshirt freshman Mikey Henderson and Paul Oliver will also look to make contributions at cornerback.
Finally, the loss of placekicker Billy Bennett has put the Georgia special teams at somewhat of a loss.
Bennett ended his career as a Bulldog as the NCAA’s career leader in field goals, as well as being the SEC’s all-time scoring leader.
Top candidates entering the spring are redshirt freshman Andy Bailey and sophomore Gordon Ely-Kelso.
Kelso, who dropped a punt in last year’s SEC Championship game, averaged just 38.4 yards per punt last season.
Georgia’s spring practice ended with its annual G-Day Game on April 17, as the Red team defeated the Black team, 21-0.
Gibson led the Red team with two touchdown receptions, alongside Greene’s two touchdown passes, including a 64-yard touchdown to Gibson.
Now that practice is over, Richt said he was pleased with what he got out of the team.
“All spring, we’ve had guys fighting for the right to play and to start,” Richt said. “That’s what spring’s all about. We’ve displayed some toughness and even gotten tougher.”
Richt added the Bulldogs have a lot to look forward to next season.
“The tempo and effort have been good and the leadership has been great,” Richt said. “We’ve got real strong team unity. There’s a lot of good coming out of this spring.”