Georgia Football: 10 Benchmarks for Spring Success

With a 10-4 record and a trip to the SEC Championship Game, one would think the Bulldogs would not have a lot to work on during spring practice, right?

That is far from the truth because the Bulldogs want to achieve more, which is winning the SEC and having a shot at the national title.

They are starting to look like a contender, as they have a top five defense, one of the conference's best quarterbacks and a head coach who knows how to win.

But there are still some things they have to work on in order to take the next step. It's not going to be easy, but trying to win a BCS title is never a walk in the park.

Here's 10 benchmarks for the Bulldogs to achieve spring success.

Solidify the Kicker and Punter Position

With the Bulldogs signing Marshall Morgan and Colin Barber in February, it looks like those two will win the spots for kicker and punter.

But according to Richt, expect players like Jamie Lindley and Adam Erickson to get some good looks during spring practice.

This will be two interesting position battles because whoever wins the spots will be replacing two of the best to ever play in the SEC in Drew Butler and Blair Walsh.

Finding a Role for Faton Bauta

He has been compared to Tim Tebow for his running abilities at the quarterback position. But with the team having already enough quarterbacks, there could be another use for the freshman.

Because he played numerous positions in high school, Bauta could move to tight end or fullback it the coaching staff sees fit.

However, he does bring a different dimension to the quarterbacks and could be used as a signal-caller in short-yardage situations.

Keith Marshall Emerges

Like Bauta and offensive lineman Mark Beard, Keith Marshall enrolled early so he could get a head start on the playbook as well his academics.

Marshall is expected to play right away, so the expectations are already sky high for the freshman.

With Isaiah Crowell, Ken Malcome and Carlton Thomas back, and you also add Marshall's friend Todd Gurley coming in this fall, Marshall has his work cut out for him in order to earn some paying time.

Finding New Offensive Line Starters

It has been well documented that the Bulldogs need offensive line help, as Cordy Glenn, Justin Anderson and Ben Jones have moved on.

There are players ready to take their spots such as Beard, Watts Danzlter, David Andrews, Austin Long, Hunter Long and Kolton Houston.

Chris Burnette, Kenarious Gates and Dallas Lee are the three returning starters so the competition is going to be tight for the remaining two or three spots.

Oh, and let's not forget about John Theus, who will not be with the team during spring practice, but will also compete for playing time when he arrives in the summer.

Getting Secondary Help

This is a huge area of concern for the Bulldogs because they only have nine scholarship defensive backs on the roster.

Other than Brandon Boykin, the starting unit is the same from last year. But with Chris Sanders and Nick Marshall kicked off the team, and you add Sanders Commings being suspended for the first two games of the season and Jordan Love transferring, the secondary needs help in the worst way.

This is why Malcolm Mitchell will get some reps at corner during spring practice. If he does well, then expect him to see him play a lot of defense during the early stages of the season.

Finding a Home for Richard Samuel

Richard Samuel has been a very loyal and patient Bulldog.

He went from tailback, to linebacker, back to tailback and now there is talk that he could play fullback since there's already enough tailbacks and not enough depth at the fullback position.

Samuel has done everything the coaching staff has asked of him, and hopefully he can end his career with a strong senior season at whatever position he plays.

Replacing Orson Charles and Aron White

Everyone knew Orson Charles was going to leave because his draft stock was not going to get any higher. And since Aron White graduated, finding two tight ends this spring is a must.

The likely two to take their place are Arthur Lynch and Jay Rome. Both players are big targets that have good hands. So they will not have a problem finding chemistry with Aaron Murray.

Evaluate Special Teams

They won't work on special teams too much during spring practice, but it is a big area of concern for the Bulldogs.

Richt has said that the team won't make any drastic changes and they just need to be sure they are comfortable in their scheme.

The special teams have to be better than last year. One could make the argument that the special teams were one of the reasons the Bulldogs did not win 11 or 12 games last year. 

Stay Healthy

This is a benchmark for any team, but the Bulldogs have to stay healthy in order to have a successful spring.

The only position that can afford to take a hit is linebackers because of the depth. Other than that, the Bulldogs can't have too many players out with injuries.

There will be some players that will miss the G-Day game due to some nagging injures, but as long as a key player or two does not have a injury that will keep him out of the majority of spring workouts, the Bulldogs will be fine.

Stay out of Trouble

With arrests to Branden Smith and Sanders Commings this year, the Bulldogs are having issues with the players staying out of trouble.

That has to change quickly if they want to have a great 2012 season because the more times the players get in trouble, the more the team suffers.

Getting into trouble with the law causes players to miss numerous games, and because the Bulldogs lack depth and experience with other teammates, they can't afford another arrest this year.