Georgia Football: Secondary Depth an Alarming Concern for the Bulldogs

It’s clear that the Bulldogs will be without Branden Smith, Sanders Commings, Bacarri Rambo and Alec Ogletree at the start of the season. That’s four starters that will miss at least one game at the start of the season.

Smith is the only one facing a one-game suspension due to his misdemeanor arrest, but he has hired a lawyer to fight the charges. Commings and Ogletree will serve a two-game suspension, while Rambo could serve a four-game suspension being that this is the second time he has failed a drug test.

So now the question is, who will step up for the players that will be missing in action?

Ogletree will be missed, but Christian Robinson, Michael Gilliard and Amarlo Herrera can handle the inside linebacker duties.

As for Smith, Commings and Rambo, that’s 75 percent of the secondary that you won’t have for the opening game of the season against Buffalo. And even when Smith comes back for the game against Missouri, Rambo and Commings will not be there for the SEC opener.

Malcolm Mitchell is getting some work in at corner during spring practice, and there’s a chance he will start in the Buffalo game. As for the other corner, Damian Swann is expected to fill the void on the other side. Swann played in 11 games last season, including one start.

Who will back up Mitchell and Swann? That will be even more interesting because Blake Sailors is the only other letterman returning. Sailors appeared in all 14 games last year and recorded nine tackles.

The Bulldogs would have more depth at corner, but due to Jordan Love transferring and Nick Marshall being kicked off the team, they are really thin and can’t afford to have any more injuries or suspensions.

As for safety, Shawn Williams is back at strong safety and had a solid 2011 season. Williams and Rambo worked well together last year, so that chemistry will be lost to the first quarter of the season. Chris Sanders was a candidate to replace Rambo, but he was kicked off the same time as Marshall.

The likely candidate to replace Rambo is Corey Moore, who played mostly on special teams last season. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Moore is looking impressive and should be ready to go when the season begins.

Connor Norman is another guy that could see some playing time at safety. Norman, a walk-on, was one of the better special teams players for the Bulldogs last season, and Mark Richt told DawgNation that he will throw is hat in the ring.

So, the depth in the secondary is not there. It’s clear the players that are on the roster now have to step up because it’s important that the Bulldogs get off to a great start. The one thing that is benefiting the Bulldogs is that they start the season with Buffalo, Missouri, Florida Atlantic and Vanderbilt. But if the suspensions keep coming and injuries play a factor, the Bulldogs will be in a world of hurt.