Lovasea Carroll Emerged in Scrimmage

Cornerback Lovasea Carroll separated himself from other freshmen in Saturday's scrimmage.

Every year fans look forward to five-star prospects making plays in their first year of action only to be disappointed if they end up on the bench in Year 1. The Georgia Bulldogs signed a talented recruiting class headlined by top-end talent, but one unheralded freshman has separated himself in an unpredictable way. 

Lovasea Carroll was not initially recruited to play cornerback, nor has he ever played the position at a high level, yet the former highly esteemed running back recruit has moved over to the position as a freshman. In his high-school career at IMG Academy, he was one of the best running backs in the country but was asked to switch positions when he arrived at Georgia.

Many players would have sulked, and for good reason. It’s a tough situation to be put in, but instead of refusing the position change, Carroll took it in stride and now might see the field in his true freshman season.

Only three freshmen played with the second-string group in the scrimmage on Saturday according to sources: Carroll, cornerback Nyland Green and outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss. Out of all three, Carroll made the biggest impact, playing within the system and making several splash plays.

A source close to the program put it best by simply saying, “Lovasea looks the part at corner. He’s a thick and explosive athlete."

It is clear that Carroll has already made an impression on head coach Kirby Smart. Taking on a new position is an extremely difficult process and the fact that Carroll has done it so quickly is a reflection of his work ethic and desire.

The position change makes sense upon further examination. Carroll is 6-foot-1 and weighs 190 pounds, measurements that make much more sense for a corner than a running back.

He has good top-end speed, while also impressing the scouting community with his lateral agility and ability to put his foot in the ground and change direction in an instant. He wastes very little movement, meaning that he would translate to corner extremely well.

Carroll has also had a positive impact on the team of the field. In a recent post to his Twitter account, his caption read, “Never said it was gone be easy💯”. That is a good representation of what his attitude has been since joining the program.

While Carroll likely won’t see the field a lot in his first year, there is a possibility that he could become a mainstay in reserve duty. One thing is clear: Smart and his staff like what they have seen from someone who wasn’t expected to see the field at all in the early stages at running back. 

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