Review: Fall Camp Battles to Watch

Georgia starts the on-field portion of fall camp Friday as they begin preparation for the 2021 season.

Georgia players and coaches finished up their time off over the last few weeks and reported back to campus Wednesday in preparation for the start of fall camp. 

Georgia will have a little under a month to prepare for their season-opening game with the Clemson Tigers, a potential top-4 matchup that will have high stakes and a playoff-like atmosphere on a neutral field in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

The majority of that time will be focused on position battles and installing the playbook. Georgia returns a talented offense with most of the key starters back for 2021, while defensively, everything except the secondary brings back impact players. 

So what are the position battles to watch over the next month? 

Cornerback

The loss of both starting outside cornerbacks, Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell, left Georgia with a glaring hole in the secondary heading into the offseason. Luckily the Dawgs were able to bring in some reinforcements through the transfer portal. 

Derion Kendrick was one of two defensive backs added to Georgia's roster through the portal this offseason. The former Clemson Tiger was an All-ACC first-team cornerback who brings a lot of experience in the regular season and the playoffs.

Kendrick's arrival in Athens means he will likely be the No. 1 cornerback on the roster heading into 2021, with the rest of the inexperienced players battling it out for the spot opposite of him. 

Ameer Speed is the oldest option of them all. After spending the past three seasons in a reserve role, he will be among those looking for a spot. At the same time, Jalen Kimber (redshirt freshman) is the second most experienced option behind Speed. Leaving a pair of former highly touted recruits, Kelee Ringo and Nyland Green, joining them in the battle. 

Talent is not the issue in Athens at cornerback; it is the experience that worries many when talking about the secondary. 

Left Tackle 

Arguably the most important battle that will likely draw most of the attention is at left tackle. Georgia returns 2020 starter Jamaree Salyer, for his senior season, yet there is a growing feeling that the staff wants to move the former guard back inside to his natural position. 

Before Salyer can move back to guard, the Dawgs need someone to replace him at left tackle. Left tackle is right up there with the quarterback in terms of importance on a football team as it is usually the quarterback's blindside blocker. 

Like cornerback, Georgia has options, but all except Salyer lack experience in a season where the opening opponent is a potential playoff matchup. The dream option is true freshman Amarius Mims, who sources have raved to Dawgs Daily about, being the future at left tackle for Georgia. 

Mims has the talent and size to play the position at a high level in the SEC; the only thing holding him back is the lack of experience. Whoever starts on the left will be competing against projected first-round defensive end Myles Murphy from Clemson in week one. 

Inside Linebacker 

Georgia's situation at inside linebacker is a good one as they return a potential Butkus award winner in Nakobe Dean for his junior season and two competent running mates, who will battle to play alongside him. 

With Monty Rice off to the NFL and currently fighting for a spot on the Tennessee Titans 53-man roster, he leaves behind two possible replacements. Quay Walker and Channing Tindall are the two battling it out at inside backer. 

Both seniors have some experience, but Walker brings the most experience as he filled in for an injured Monty Rice throughout the 2020 season. Walker showed promise as a consistent tackler but was inconsistent when pursuing ball carriers and helping out in coverage.

Unlike Walker, Tindall has yet to see a quality amount of snaps for real evaluation. Through his three seasons, he's become known as Georgia's best blitzing linebacker. That was his primary role through three seasons and occasionally appeared to help out in coverage. 

With that being said, it seems Walker has the upper hand on Tindall with his added experience. Meaning for Tindall to win the job, he'd need to prove himself in all facets of the job. 

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