Georgia Football: Aaron Murray Has Potential To Become Great SEC Quarterback

Georgia head coach Mark Richt knows his quarterbacks.

Going back to his days at Florida State, he helped Chris Weinke and Charlie Ward become Heisman trophy winners.

When he came over to Athens in 2001, he helped David Greene become the winingest  quarterback in NCAA history.

 He also mentored D.J. Shockley which led to a SEC Championship and then it  guided Matthew Stafford to being a No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Now a new quarterback comes into the picture with Aaron Murray and they hype surrounding him before he took a snap in college was fierce.

Can he be a great SEC quarterback? That’s going to be up to him because he does have the potential, it’s just a matter of how fast he grows up in a tough SEC environment.

In his first three games, Murray has done a good job leading the offense, completing 62 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also can score with his legs with two rushing touchdowns so far this season.

But there are times where he has and will look like a 19-year old who has little experience. The best example has to be when the he faced Arkansas where he was sacked six times, including twice on the last series where they had an opportunity to win the game.

Some of the blame has to go towards the offensive line for not picking up the blitzes, but some has to go on Murray because a quarterback has to have that clock in their head and can’t afford to hold on to the ball for a long time.

But then there was the game against South Carolina where he was able to stand tall in the pocket and deliver some big throws. Despite UGA losing that game, Murray was one of the few players that stepped up.

What it comes down to is this, Murray is going to be a very good SEC quarterback when it’s all said and done. Will he be a great one? It depends if the rest of the team will follow his lead and becomes the lead that Greene and Shockley was during their time in Athens.

There are going to be times where he will struggle and what fans have to remember is this is all part of the learning curve for a young quarterback. Let him take his lumps this year and he will be a better QB in Year 2 and year 3.

Georgia is not having the season they hoped. But if Murray continues to learn and grow at the quarterback position, then 2011 and 2012 could be special seasons for Murray and company.