Georgia Football: Grading Each Unit, Spring Edition

The G-Day game is only a couple of days away, and it will mark the end of a productive (and controversial) spring season.

Coaches will still be evaluating the players during the G-Day game, but the evaluations really took place when the players were practicing over the last month.

And when it comes to evaluating the positions now compared to what they were at the end of last season, some spots look the same, a few look better and a couple positions have some questions that need to be answered.

Here's the spring edition of position grades for the Bulldogs.

Quarterback

Aaron Murray is looking to build on a successful 2011 season where he threw for over 3,000 yards and 35 touchdowns.

In the last spring scrimmage, he looked like he has not miss a step, as he completed eight of his 13 passes for 125 yards and one touchdown.

As of right now, Hutson Mason is the backup, and he also looked sharp in the last spring scrimmage. Mason threw for 151 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

This position is a stable as any other position on the team, and if Murray has a great 2012 season, so will the Bulldogs.

GRADE: A-

Running Backs

This has been a position fans have been focused on since Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley were signed in February.

Gurley will join the team in the summer, but Marshall has been practicing with the team because he enrolled in January. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo told reporters that he has been impressed with Marshall's speed.

Bobo has also been impressed with the improvement of Ken Malcome and Isaiah Crowell. Both are growing in the offense, and both are keeping themselves healthy.

Marshall will not play in the G-Day game because of a hamstring injury. But Crowell and Malcome will fully participate, and while the stats may not show it, I think fans will be surprised how far they have come.

GRADE: B

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

With Malcolm Mitchell working at cornerback, Tavarres King is taking a bigger role in the offense.

King has his share of inconsistencies, but finished the 2011 season with a strong performance in the Outback Bowl. Michael Bennett and Chris Conley also played big roles at receiver last season, and Justin Scott Wesley has had a solid spring, according to King.

As for the tight ends, Jay Rome has been turning heads all spring. In the Bulldogs' first spring scrimmage, Rome pulled down two touchdowns, and the players said he looked like Orson Charles when he was on the field.

Arthur Lynch has worked hard this spring and is more experienced than Rome. Lynch could start when the first game arrives, but both players will help the offense in numerous ways.

GRADE: B+

Offensive Line

This is one of the areas where  the Bulldogs have questions. When the Bulldogs take the field on Saturday, the starting five will consists of tackles Kenarious Gates and Kolton Houston, guards Chris Burnette and Dallas Lee and center David Andrews.

According to King, he said the offensive line has come together over the last few practices once they learned how to play together. Gates and Brunette are the only two full-time starters from last year, Lee is coming back from an injury that took half of his season and Houston is back after being ruled ineligible last season.

It going to be interesting and fun to see how the offensive line plays on Saturday.

GRADE: C

Defensive Line

Like the quarterback position, the defensive line is stable from top to bottom. Kwame Geathers and John Jenkins have looked good this spring, according to defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, and Abry Jones is back to play defensive end/ tackle.

The Bulldogs lost DeAngelo Tyson, but it looks like Garrison Smith will be the heir apparent. The Bulldogs also moved Ray Drew and Cornelius Washington from outside linebacker to end so the defensive line would have more depth.

This was one of the Bulldogs' strongest positions last year, and it should be no different in 2012.

GRADE: A

Linebackers

The linebackers were the reason the Bulldogs were a top-five defense last year, and it starts with Jarvis Jones.

The All-American linebacker from Columbus, Ga. will not slow down in 2012 and should have another big year.

Alec Ogletree will miss a few games because of a failed drug test, but the Bulldogs have plenty of depth with Michael Gilliard, Christian Robinson and Amarlo Herrara.

With Washington now playing defensive end, guys like Chase Vasser and Ramik Willson got a chance to see if they can win the spot opposite of Jones this spring.

The linebackers will continue to get better and the defense as a whole will be strong because of this position.

GRADE: A+

Secondary

This is the most unstable group on the team, and it's not because of the type of athletes that are playing in the secondary.

There is little to no depth at the secondary position, and with the suspensions to Bacarri Rambo, Branden Smith and Sanders Commings, along with the knee injury to Shawn Williams, this spring was a time to see what players would step up and fill the voids that will be left in the beginning of the 2012 season.

Mitchell has done well at cornerback this spring and will likely start when the season begins. As for the other corner spot, that will go to Damian Swann, who has exceeded expectations this spring.

Corey Moore will see a lot of time at safety, and he also had a strong spring.

The talent is there with the starters, but with Mitchell, Swann and Moore taking their place at the beginning of the season, the secondary becomes a huge question mark.

GRADE: C+

Special Teams

The Bulldogs ranked near the bottom in the conference in every major special teams category last season. So one of the points of emphasis this spring was to shore up any deficiencies they have in their methods. 

There will be a new punter and kicker since Drew Butler and Blair Walsh have graduated, but that competition won't take place until the summer when Colin Barber and Marshall Morgan arrive on campus.

Despite having more starters play on special teams, the whole unit is and will be inexperienced once the season begins. The talent is there, but the special teams have been a work-in-progress this spring and will continue to be at that level in the summer.

GRADE: C-