Emptying the Notebook: Portal buzz, final thoughts on Georgia spring practice

Georgia ended spring drills almost a week ago and it’s almost time for final exams. The team is currently working out and will get some time off in May before getting back to work for summer workouts when six more players will join the team. Oh, and the NCAA’s spring transfer portal window is open. After gathering info from sources this week and rewatching the G-Day a few times, it’s time to empty the notebook.

*** Let’s start with the transfer portal. Rusty Mansell has reported that Georgia will have significant interest in Arizona State quarterback Jaden Rashada when/if he enters the transfer portal. He has announced his intentions and Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham took to Twitter to make that seem like a done deal on Thursday night. UGA will not be the only team involved here and I’m interested to see how quickly this thing moves. I would expect the Bulldogs to push for a visit.

As far as other positions in the portal, it appears that defensive line is not a priority. That could change if the right guy gets into the portal but I’m told that it’s unlikely that the Bulldogs pursue a defensive lineman at this time. Now I could be reading too much into this, but the fact that it isn’t a priority says something about the way the current Georgia defensive linemen developed this spring.

When I compare the current portal window to the one in December, it has been much quieter on the Georgia end of things. Back in December it seemed like we were hearing and trying to substantiate multiple defection rumors every day. I can honestly say I’ve heard virtually nothing to that end in this window thus far but we all know how quickly things can change.

*** I mentioned that I rewatched the G-Day game a few times and I also went through and watched every throw from Gunner Stockton. The more I watch it, the more I think he had a solid day and I can see growth from last season. Stockton stepped into a couple of throws downfield and showed some horsepower that we hadn’t seen before. His overthrow of Nitro Tuggle going toward the bridge end zone had some serious zip on it. I do think he tends to hold the ball too long at times and my biggest concern is when he inevitably has to get a lot on a throw while moving away from the rush. But I do think we saw a better version of Stockton than we saw in the Orange Bowl.

*** One of the things that stood out to me most from the G-Day game was a blitz pickup from Trevor Etienne. In the first half, with the offense going toward the closed end zone, the first-team defense brought a double A-gap blitz and Etienne stepped up and struck Jalon Walker. He wrapped his arm around him a little but that initially pop was enough to buy Carson Beck time. Pass protection was the knock on Etienne coming in and it seems like he has bought into what UGA wants in that way.

Staying with running back, I continue to hear that Branson Robinson is still several months away from being back to full speed. If I had to make an educated guess based on everything I’ve heard, I’d project him to be cleared in September but it’ll be October before he’s ready to help. I’m also not ruling out the possibility that he could join Andrew Paul in the transfer portal. Robinson is an out-of-state player who built a really strong bong with Dell McGee and he’s no longer part of the program. I haven’t heard anything about that yet, but it’s something that makes sense to me.

*** I’ve been high on Dominic Lovett since I saw him play against Georgia in 2022. The Bulldogs getting him out of the transfer portal was massive and he did some really good things this year. I think he’s going to be a lot better in his second season with the program but after studying the G-Day game, I’d project Dillon Bell as UGA’s leading receiver in 2024. There’s just something about the way the light has come on for him as a complete wideout. Going back to the second half of last season and the Orange Bowl, Bell has become a bit of a force with the ball in the air. It wouldn’t shock me if he’s slightly below 6-feet tall but he plays much bigger than that.

*** I spoke to a source earlier this week who told me that there is a lot of excitement about the addition of Ben Yurosek. He’s going to be with the team very soon and I’m told that the plan is for him to get right to work. Don’t be surprised if some info trickles out about him staying on campus and getting some work in when the team breaks during May.

*** Based on what I saw in the spring game, I believe Daniel Calhoun will eventually be Georgia’s No. 4 guard in 2024. It may not be that way by the end of preseason camp, but I think he’s going to get there at some point. When he locks on to a block, guys have a hard time getting free. He got under the shoulder pads of Xzavier McLeod on Andrew Paul’s one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter bad moved him pretty quickly. I think the holdup there will be pass protection.

With that said, I saw an improved Xavier Truss at right tackle on Saturday. Monroe Freeling is going to play a ton and it’s very possible that he overtakes Truss at some point because he’s just that talented, but Truss is lighter, moving better, and seems to have improved in the run game. He’s not going to move guys off the ball but he does some things that show his veteran savvy.

Another guy I continue to hear really good things about is Jamaal Meriweather. I think he struggled at times in the G-Day game but I’ve had multiple sources tell me that the coaches are excited about his development. He had a really good spring.

*** Another young guys who is going to play meaningful minutes this season is Joseph Jonah-Ajonye. While he won’t turn 18 until November, that guy’s arrow is pointing upward in a big way. I noticed several reps during the G-Day where Jonah-Ajonye used his hands like a veteran. He’s really good at striking blockers and using his hands to get off of blocks. I saw multiple instances where he either cleanly shucked a block after finding the football or crossed the face of an offensive lineman to get into the play.

*** I mentioned this yesterday when I wrote about six guys trending upward after spring drills but the Georgia staff is really fired up about KJ Bolden and Ellis Robinson. The latter has a tougher row to hoe when it comes to getting on the field but he’s in the thick of the competition at cornerback. Bolden, however, has put himself in position to win that starting safety spot opposite of Malaki Starks. I’ll go as far as to say I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t end up starting some games this season.

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