Ranking Top Georgia Bulldogs Football Storylines as Spring Practice Nears

With spring practice quickly approaching, head coach Mark Richt’s Georgia Bulldogs football team will start preparing for the 2015 season in the SEC East, but it needs to find replacements for some key contributors first.

Georgia finished 10-3 last season following a 37-14 win in the Belk Bowl over the Louisville Cardinals. However, the Bulldogs missed out on the SEC East Division title and the chance to play in the conference championship for a second consecutive year to the Missouri Tigers—despite beating the Tigers 34-0 in the regular season.

When spring practice officially begins on March 17, Richt will get his first glance at the team's new-look roster and coaching staff.

After Mike Bobo’s offense led the SEC in scoring this past season with 41.3 points per game, the offensive coordinator took a job as the head coach of Colorado State.

The departure of Bobo left a major opening in Georgia’s staff until the hire of Brian Schottenheimer. The former St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator comes to the college ranks with a long history of coaching in the NFL and will look to build on Bobo’s success.

Richt will also be without his All-SEC center David Andrews, as the senior enters this year’s NFL draft. At the same time, the offensive line returns four other starters and hopes to continue its productivity in the ground game next season.

The Georgia roster has concerning holes to fill following the exit of potential first-round draft pick Todd Gurley and starting quarterback Hutson Mason.

The storylines regarding the voids left by the Bulldogs' star performers will come to a climax at the spring game on April 11 in Athens, Georgia.

4. Who Will Begin the Season at Inside Linebacker?

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Neither Amarlo Herrera nor Ramik Wilson will return to the Georgia defense next year, creating concerns for the Bulldogs in the middle of their defense. Herrera and Wilson led the team in tackles last season with 115 and 110, respectively.

Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt will hope that Tim Kimbrough can continue to develop in his junior season to help fill one of the voids at inside linebacker. Kimbrough played 13 games in the 2014 season, contributing 32 tackles.

Jake Ganus, following his transfer from UAB, could fill the other inside linebacker spot. The talented linebacker joins Georgia after UAB closed its football program following the 2014 season.

Ganus will be one option to watch for the other inside linebacker spot after racking up 70 tackles and 16.5 tackles for loss this past season for the Blazers.

However, the linebacker corps as a whole may be the best in SEC due to the likes of Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins. The pass-rushing ability of these two defensive stalwarts and emerging talent Lorenzo Carter will give Pruitt something to rely on moving forward.

3. Replacing Todd Gurley and Providing Support for Nick Chubb

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Georgia established a clear dominance on the ground last season, primarily behind the legs of Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb. The Bulldogs led the SEC in rushing offense with 257.8 yards per game on the ground.

This success was due in large part to the freshman breakout star Chubb. The running back ran for 1,547 yards and tallied 16 total touchdowns—14 rushing and two receiving.

Despite only playing six games in the 2014 season, Gurley may be selected in the first round of the NFL draft this year. His absence will create questions of depth in the backfield, as Gurley still ran for 911 yards and nine touchdowns in his limited appearances.

Looking ahead to next season, Gurley’s workload will likely be left to Sony Michel or Keith Marshall. The freshman Michel ran for 410 yards and five touchdowns on 64 carries in 2014.

Marshall is likely behind Michel on the depth chart but has shown flashes of talent in the past. Both Marshall and Gurley were part of Georgia’s 2012 recruiting class, and Marshall was actually the higher-rated prospect, according to Rivals.com.

The second-ranked running back in the 2012 class, Marshall went on to run for 759 yards and eight touchdowns in his freshman season. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury in the middle of the 2013 season and hasn't established himself in the Georgia backfield since. 

Despite the depth questions at running back, Schottenheimer can still game-plan around arguably the SEC’s best running back in Chubb.

2. Offensive Production from Wide Receivers

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Georgia relied on its two senior receivers, Michael Bennett and Chris Conley, in the passing game last year, but neither will be with the team for the 2015 season.

Bennett caught 37 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns. Conley caught one less pass but racked up 657 yards and eight touchdowns for the Georgia offense. 

Malcolm Mitchell shows promise to be an explosive receiver on the outside who can help replace Bennett and Conley. But injuries remain a big issue, as Mitchell suffered a torn ACL two years ago and reinjured the knee last season.

If the playmaker can remain on the field for Georgia, he could make a big impact next season, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Low:

“The X-factor of all X-factors is Malcolm Mitchell,” Low said. “Can he stay healthy? If he can avoid injuries, he has a chance to be one of the best deep threats in the league.”

The Bulldogs could also introduce another speedster to their offense by utilizing return specialist Isaiah McKenzie in the passing game. The freshman caught the eyes of Georgia fans with his three return touchdowns last season.

Receiving remains an issue, but before Mitchell and Co. can catch anything, Georgia’s coaching staff needs to figure out who will be throwing the football to the receivers.

1. Continuing the Success at the Quarterback Position

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Senior signal-caller Hutson Mason's impressive season was just the latest at a position of stability for Georgia.

Before Mason, Aaron Murray lined up under center. And before Murray, Matthew Stafford led the Bulldogs.

With the departure of Mason, the quarterback position is wide open for the first time in a while. The prime candidates to start Week 1 for Georgia are Brice Ramsey, Faton Bauta and Jacob Park.

In terms of experience, Ramsey led the group with eight appearances last season, but he failed to show the consistency required to be the outright starter.

Ramsey possesses tremendous arm strength, but his accuracy and decision-making let him down when he came on in relief for Mason last season. Against Louisville in Georgia's bowl game, Ramsey threw four completions for 51 yards and an interception.

With a new offensive coordinator looking to put his stamp on the offense, Bauta and Park will have the opportunity to prove themselves in spring practice. 

At 6’3” and 218 pounds, Bauta is a dual-threat quarterback who could provide a read-option capability to the offense. Entering his redshirt junior year, Bauta may not fit a pro-style offense but would bring a physical presence similar to Tim Tebow to the position.

The biggest unknown of the group is Park. The freshman decided to redshirt his first year and work with the scout team all season. During his time pretending to be the other team’s quarterback, Park raised the eyebrows of some of his teammates, according to a report by 247Sports' Gentry Estes:

“You guys are going to see what he’s about,” said cornerback Damian Swann. “The kid has got a bright future—athletic, strong arm, can make every throw.”

As spring practice progresses, the quarterback position will be under a lot of scrutiny as Ramsey, Bauta and Park fight to emerge as the starter.

Spring games give fans an early look at their favorite teams before the fall season. In this game, Georgia will need to show its fans that the team has replaced the talent it lost from last year.