Georgia Bulldogs: Christian LeMay
ATHENS, Ga. -- Over the last two weeks, we reviewed the competition for playing time at each position on Georgia’s depth chart and identified a player to watch at each position.
A defense that lost 12 significant players will be a focal point well into the fall, and it was in our post-spring recaps. Let’s take a look at the defensive positions first:
A defense that lost 12 significant players will be a focal point well into the fall, and it was in our post-spring recaps. Let’s take a look at the defensive positions first:
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Mark Richt admitted it in his final interview of spring practice. There is no mystery as to who will start at quarterback in Georgia’s first game against Clemson.
The more intriguing aspect of the next 12 months is whether redshirt junior Hutson Mason will be able to seize the Bulldogs’ backup job this fall and -- more importantly -- the starting position for 2014.
Mason is the odds-on favorite to back up Aaron Murray this fall, having played in eight games as his backup between 2010 and 2011, but he probably will not enjoy extensive playing time this fall unless Murray endures a significant injury.
To this point, that seems unlikely since Murray has started all 41 games of his college career. Nonetheless, Mason will almost certainly receive the first chance to follow Murray this fall and will be in position to become the 2014 starter with a strong fall as Murray’s backup.
The more intriguing aspect of the next 12 months is whether redshirt junior Hutson Mason will be able to seize the Bulldogs’ backup job this fall and -- more importantly -- the starting position for 2014.
Mason is the odds-on favorite to back up Aaron Murray this fall, having played in eight games as his backup between 2010 and 2011, but he probably will not enjoy extensive playing time this fall unless Murray endures a significant injury.
To this point, that seems unlikely since Murray has started all 41 games of his college career. Nonetheless, Mason will almost certainly receive the first chance to follow Murray this fall and will be in position to become the 2014 starter with a strong fall as Murray’s backup.
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Editor’s note: Over the next two weeks, we’ll take a closer look at each of Georgia’s position groups at the end of spring practice. Today we begin with the quarterbacks:
Returning players/stats: Aaron Murray, Sr. (14 starts in 2012, 249-386, 3,893 yards, 36 TD, 10 INT); Hutson Mason, Jr., (Redshirted in 2012); Parker Welch, Jr. (3-7, 39 yards, 1 TD); Christian LeMay, RSo. (1-2, 43 yards, 1 INT); Faton Bauta, RFr. (Redshirted in 2012)
Newcomers: Brice Ramsey, Fr. (ESPN’s No. 7 pro-style quarterback signee in 2013. Enrolled in January)
Key storyline: After passing for 10,091 yards in his first three seasons as Georgia’s starter, Murray is poised to break all of the SEC’s key career passing records as a senior. He is 1,437 yards away from former Bulldog David Greene’s SEC-high 11,528 career passing yards. With 696 completions, he is 199 away from Florida quarterback Chris Leak’s record of 895. With 1,131 attempts, Murray trails Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen’s SEC record by 383 passes. And with 95 touchdown passes, he is 19 behind Florida’s Danny Wuerffel’s 114.
Murray is also the FBS active career leader in touchdown passes and is fourth with a 158.55 career passer rating. He’s already the first SEC quarterback ever to pass for 3,000 yards in three straight seasons.
Breakout candidate: Considering that Murray has started all 41 games of his career and will enter the season as a Heisman Trophy candidate, there is no reason to expect a breakout player to emerge at quarterback this season. However, it will be worth watching the competition behind him over the next year as players jockey to become Murray’s replacement in 2014.
Reviewing 2012: Murray ranked second nationally in passing efficiency with a 174.82 passer rating and threw for 330 or more yards in four of the last eight games, including 427 yards and five touchdown passes -- both UGA bowl records -- in a Capital One Bowl win against Nebraska. His low-water marks were a 109-yard effort against South Carolina and a three-interception first half against Florida, but otherwise Murray enjoyed an outstanding season.
Walk-on Welch and LeMay played behind Murray in mop-up duty -- second-stringer Mason redshirted in order to establish a year between himself and Murray -- but neither player had much of an opportunity to distinguish himself. Welch passed LeMay on the depth chart after the freshman lost a fumble and threw a pick six against Florida Atlantic.
Projecting 2013: Murray has improved statistically -- and the Bulldogs’ win total has also increased -- in each of his three seasons as a starter. If he can continue that progress and cut back on his interception total a bit, he should rank among this season’s Heisman contenders throughout the fall. The key will be the first month of the season, when the Bulldogs face Clemson, South Carolina and LSU. Murray’s mediocre results against ranked opposition have been extensively covered, but he seemed to turn a corner in that regard late last season. The Bulldogs need him to be close to error free in the first month if they are to remain in SEC championship contention.
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Dale Zanine/USA TODAY SportsMichael Thornton (left) hopes to play a bigger role on UGA's D-line in 2013.
Dale Zanine/USA TODAY SportsMichael Thornton (left) hopes to play a bigger role on UGA's D-line in 2013. Newcomers: Brice Ramsey, Fr. (ESPN’s No. 7 pro-style quarterback signee in 2013. Enrolled in January)
Key storyline: After passing for 10,091 yards in his first three seasons as Georgia’s starter, Murray is poised to break all of the SEC’s key career passing records as a senior. He is 1,437 yards away from former Bulldog David Greene’s SEC-high 11,528 career passing yards. With 696 completions, he is 199 away from Florida quarterback Chris Leak’s record of 895. With 1,131 attempts, Murray trails Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen’s SEC record by 383 passes. And with 95 touchdown passes, he is 19 behind Florida’s Danny Wuerffel’s 114.
Murray is also the FBS active career leader in touchdown passes and is fourth with a 158.55 career passer rating. He’s already the first SEC quarterback ever to pass for 3,000 yards in three straight seasons.
Breakout candidate: Considering that Murray has started all 41 games of his career and will enter the season as a Heisman Trophy candidate, there is no reason to expect a breakout player to emerge at quarterback this season. However, it will be worth watching the competition behind him over the next year as players jockey to become Murray’s replacement in 2014.
Reviewing 2012: Murray ranked second nationally in passing efficiency with a 174.82 passer rating and threw for 330 or more yards in four of the last eight games, including 427 yards and five touchdown passes -- both UGA bowl records -- in a Capital One Bowl win against Nebraska. His low-water marks were a 109-yard effort against South Carolina and a three-interception first half against Florida, but otherwise Murray enjoyed an outstanding season.
Walk-on Welch and LeMay played behind Murray in mop-up duty -- second-stringer Mason redshirted in order to establish a year between himself and Murray -- but neither player had much of an opportunity to distinguish himself. Welch passed LeMay on the depth chart after the freshman lost a fumble and threw a pick six against Florida Atlantic.
Projecting 2013: Murray has improved statistically -- and the Bulldogs’ win total has also increased -- in each of his three seasons as a starter. If he can continue that progress and cut back on his interception total a bit, he should rank among this season’s Heisman contenders throughout the fall. The key will be the first month of the season, when the Bulldogs face Clemson, South Carolina and LSU. Murray’s mediocre results against ranked opposition have been extensively covered, but he seemed to turn a corner in that regard late last season. The Bulldogs need him to be close to error free in the first month if they are to remain in SEC championship contention.
DawgNation Mailbag: Full contact edition 
March, 22, 2013
Mar 22
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Radi Nabulsi | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- Week two of Spring camp had the Georgia Bulldogs hitting the practice field in full pads while preparing for a scrimmage on Saturday. Position battles and projected performances dominated the questions we received for this edition of the DawgNation Mailbag.
Adam (Charlotte): What is your view on the post-Aaron Murray quarterback position battle? Brice Ramsey comes out very highly recruited but played in a pure running team and didn't really showcase his talents. Could the big bad SEC be too much for him?
Adam (Charlotte): What is your view on the post-Aaron Murray quarterback position battle? Brice Ramsey comes out very highly recruited but played in a pure running team and didn't really showcase his talents. Could the big bad SEC be too much for him?
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia’s football program seemed to be on the ropes with two weeks remaining until signing day 2011. Three seasons of declining results, capped by the program’s first losing record under Mark Richt in 2010, left the Bulldogs in an uncertain position.
But when Malcolm Mitchell and Jay Rome elected to join the Bulldogs’ “Dream Team” recruiting class on Jan. 20, 2011, an impressive finishing push for Richt’s coaching staff leading up to signing day was launched. That was a big step toward the on-field resurgence that allowed the Bulldogs to win back-to-back SEC East titles over the last two years.
Another strong signing class followed the “Dream Team” in 2012 and played a role in the Bulldogs’ division championship. And as Richt’s staff attempts to reel in a final batch of blue-chip prospects before national signing day on Wednesday, we can review the successes of the past two seasons and point to that mid-January day -- 13 days before signing day 2011 -- that Valdosta (Ga.) teammates Mitchell and Rome publicly committed to the Bulldogs as the jumping-off point for Richt’s staff to restock their roster with a flood of talent.
But when Malcolm Mitchell and Jay Rome elected to join the Bulldogs’ “Dream Team” recruiting class on Jan. 20, 2011, an impressive finishing push for Richt’s coaching staff leading up to signing day was launched. That was a big step toward the on-field resurgence that allowed the Bulldogs to win back-to-back SEC East titles over the last two years.
Another strong signing class followed the “Dream Team” in 2012 and played a role in the Bulldogs’ division championship. And as Richt’s staff attempts to reel in a final batch of blue-chip prospects before national signing day on Wednesday, we can review the successes of the past two seasons and point to that mid-January day -- 13 days before signing day 2011 -- that Valdosta (Ga.) teammates Mitchell and Rome publicly committed to the Bulldogs as the jumping-off point for Richt’s staff to restock their roster with a flood of talent.
ATHENS, Ga. -- Brice Ramsey has a boatload of untapped potential as a quarterback, and Jeff Herron has believed for years that Ramsey would one day become a big-time college signal-caller.
“I actually could go back to Brice when he was in the fifth grade at a youth camp that we were hosting and watching him run around and lead people and throw the ball as a fifth grader,” said Jeff Herron, who coached Ramsey at Camden County High School in Kingsland, Ga. “It’s rare that you can tell with kids that early, but you certainly could [then].”
“I actually could go back to Brice when he was in the fifth grade at a youth camp that we were hosting and watching him run around and lead people and throw the ball as a fifth grader,” said Jeff Herron, who coached Ramsey at Camden County High School in Kingsland, Ga. “It’s rare that you can tell with kids that early, but you certainly could [then].”
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By the numbers: UGA classes since 2006
January, 18, 2013
Jan 18
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David Ching | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- Here’s a breakdown of Georgia’s last seven recruiting classes and what they managed to accomplish in college and beyond:
2006
ESPN top five classes: Florida, USC, Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame
Georgia’s ranking: 4
2006
ESPN top five classes: Florida, USC, Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame
Georgia’s ranking: 4
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ATHENS, Ga. -- While Georgia makes across-the-board changes with its defensive personnel, the Bulldogs will deal with the exact opposite situation at quarterback.
They have a depth chart loaded with five scholarship players, plus a walk-on who essentially served as the No. 2 quarterback by season’s end.
One thing is clear, however.
They have a depth chart loaded with five scholarship players, plus a walk-on who essentially served as the No. 2 quarterback by season’s end.
One thing is clear, however.
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Editor’s note: Over the next several weeks, we’ll take a look at each position on Georgia’s depth chart and project how it might look in the future. Today we examine Georgia’s quarterbacks:
Current two-deep depth chart: Aaron Murray (Jr.), Hutson Mason (Jr.)
Who’s ready to move up for more playing time?: With Murray’s announcement on Sunday that he plans to return for his senior season, it’s hard to say how much playing time will be available. Mason just completed a redshirt season that would allow him to compete to be the starter in 2014. He would probably be the first option to play over several younger contenders.
Current two-deep depth chart: Aaron Murray (Jr.), Hutson Mason (Jr.)
Who’s ready to move up for more playing time?: With Murray’s announcement on Sunday that he plans to return for his senior season, it’s hard to say how much playing time will be available. Mason just completed a redshirt season that would allow him to compete to be the starter in 2014. He would probably be the first option to play over several younger contenders.
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3 up, 3 down: Georgia 42, Georgia Tech 10
November, 25, 2012
11/25/12
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David Ching | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia took care of business and did it quickly in Saturday’s 42-10 win against Georgia Tech.
The third-ranked Bulldogs (11-1) removed any question of whether they might look past their in-state rivals (6-6), scoring four touchdowns in their first five possessions as they swept into next Saturday’s SEC championship game matchup against No. 2 Alabama (11-1) with their 11th win in the last 12 tries against Georgia Tech.
Let’s recap some of the highs and the few lows from Saturday’s victory.
The third-ranked Bulldogs (11-1) removed any question of whether they might look past their in-state rivals (6-6), scoring four touchdowns in their first five possessions as they swept into next Saturday’s SEC championship game matchup against No. 2 Alabama (11-1) with their 11th win in the last 12 tries against Georgia Tech.
Let’s recap some of the highs and the few lows from Saturday’s victory.
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia survived on Saturday, but its 51-44 win against Tennessee was hardly a textbook victory.
Let’s recap some of the history we witnessed at Sanford Stadium and go over some other key points from the Bulldogs’ (5-0, 3-0 SEC) win that keeps them undefeated going into an enormous SEC East showdown against South Carolina (also 5-0, 3-0 after a 38-17 win against Kentucky on Saturday) next Saturday.
And by the way, if you didn't know already, ESPN College GameDay will be in Columbia for the occasion.
Let’s recap some of the history we witnessed at Sanford Stadium and go over some other key points from the Bulldogs’ (5-0, 3-0 SEC) win that keeps them undefeated going into an enormous SEC East showdown against South Carolina (also 5-0, 3-0 after a 38-17 win against Kentucky on Saturday) next Saturday.
And by the way, if you didn't know already, ESPN College GameDay will be in Columbia for the occasion.
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Upon Further Review: Georgia-Vanderbilt
September, 24, 2012
9/24/12
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David Ching | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- Another week, another blowout win for Georgia in Saturday’s 48-3 victory against Vanderbilt.
Let’s review some of what I learned from watching a recording of ESPN2’s broadcast in this week’s “Upon Further Review.”
• I don’t want to go too far overboard in praising Georgia’s offensive line. Interviewing Will Friend will condition you in that way, I guess. But they truly have played great in the last two games. I don’t know how many times I’ve written down Chris Burnette and Dallas Lee’s names for pulling and knocking a potential tackler out of the screen while rewatching the last two games, but it has been a frequent occurrence. Great job on their parts.
Let’s review some of what I learned from watching a recording of ESPN2’s broadcast in this week’s “Upon Further Review.”
• I don’t want to go too far overboard in praising Georgia’s offensive line. Interviewing Will Friend will condition you in that way, I guess. But they truly have played great in the last two games. I don’t know how many times I’ve written down Chris Burnette and Dallas Lee’s names for pulling and knocking a potential tackler out of the screen while rewatching the last two games, but it has been a frequent occurrence. Great job on their parts.
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Emptying the notebook with some late-night thoughts and observations from Georgia’s 48-3 win against Vanderbilt on Saturday night.
* It’s amazing to see the strides Aaron Murray has made as Georgia’s quarterback. Rarely does he force a throw. He has such a great grasp of the offense, which Mark Richt said is a product of a relentless work ethic.
“All of our guys work hard in preparing, but Murray, he does take it to another level in how he prepares for the game and because of that we have a high cover level to let him check out of any play that doesn’t look good,” Richt said. “He checks from a run to a run or a run to a pass at times, he’ll change the protection at the line of scrimmage, he’ll change a pass play from time to time. We rarely run bad plays because he studies so well and he has certain keys that he can kind of anticipate what’s happening and just get us out of bad situations.”
* It’s amazing to see the strides Aaron Murray has made as Georgia’s quarterback. Rarely does he force a throw. He has such a great grasp of the offense, which Mark Richt said is a product of a relentless work ethic.
“All of our guys work hard in preparing, but Murray, he does take it to another level in how he prepares for the game and because of that we have a high cover level to let him check out of any play that doesn’t look good,” Richt said. “He checks from a run to a run or a run to a pass at times, he’ll change the protection at the line of scrimmage, he’ll change a pass play from time to time. We rarely run bad plays because he studies so well and he has certain keys that he can kind of anticipate what’s happening and just get us out of bad situations.”
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3 Up, 3 Down: Georgia 48, Vanderbilt 3
September, 23, 2012
9/23/12
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David Ching | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- Motivation and focus might have been issues in a couple of Georgia’s first few games, but the Bulldogs (4-0) had no such problems in Saturday’s 48-3 dismantling of Vanderbilt (1-3) at Sanford Stadium.
With the memory of last season’s heated win in Nashville still fresh in their minds, the Bulldogs set out to prove a point against the Commodores on Saturday and sent them back to Tennessee with a humiliating loss that matched the widest margin of defeat in series history.
Let’s review some of the highlights and lowlights of the game from a Georgia perspective:
With the memory of last season’s heated win in Nashville still fresh in their minds, the Bulldogs set out to prove a point against the Commodores on Saturday and sent them back to Tennessee with a humiliating loss that matched the widest margin of defeat in series history.
Let’s review some of the highlights and lowlights of the game from a Georgia perspective:
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Upon Further Review: UGA 56, FAU 20
September, 17, 2012
9/17/12
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By
David Ching | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- After rewatching Georgia’s 56-20 win against Florida Atlantic on ESPN3 today, I can’t say that I learned much that wasn’t apparent from watching the game live.
The Bulldogs’ first-team offense was as good as I’ve seen it, there was an ugly first half for Georgia’s defense and the game eventually turned into a bludgeoning. But let’s jump into some of the finer points of the Bulldogs’ win in this week’s “Upon Further Review.”
• This is one of those situations where you ask if someone wants the good news or the bad news first. I prefer the bad news first in such a scenario, and that would be that Georgia’s defense had a truly awful first half against another opponent which had no business moving the ball so effectively.
The Bulldogs’ first-team offense was as good as I’ve seen it, there was an ugly first half for Georgia’s defense and the game eventually turned into a bludgeoning. But let’s jump into some of the finer points of the Bulldogs’ win in this week’s “Upon Further Review.”
• This is one of those situations where you ask if someone wants the good news or the bad news first. I prefer the bad news first in such a scenario, and that would be that Georgia’s defense had a truly awful first half against another opponent which had no business moving the ball so effectively.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
David Ching
David Ching came to ESPN.com in 2011 after six years covering UGA for the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer and Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald. He lives in Athens. Email him at davidchingespn@gmail.com.
Radi Nabulsi
Radi Nabulsi joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering the University of Georgia for Rivals.com for four years and for the UGA Athletic Association since 1993. Nabulsi is a graduate of the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and lives in Athens. He can be reached at radinabulsiespn@gmail.com.
Kipp Adams
Kipp Adams joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering University of Georgia football and basketball recruiting for five years at Rivals.com. He lives in Sandy Springs, Ga., and enjoys spending time with his two sons. He can be reached at kippadamsespn@gmail.com.