New Georgia football coach Kirby Smart was not expecting to name a starting quarterback this spring.
That's now a certainty.
Smart said Saturday afternoon that he needs to see more competition among returning starter Greyson Lambert, redshirt junior Brice Ramsey and heralded freshman Jacob Eason. The Bulldogs held their second scrimmage in Sanford Stadium, which was also their 12th spring practice, and quarterbacks are sure to be the center of attention this Saturday at the G-Day game.
"I think it's going to go into August," Smart said in a news conference. "I think it has to, because I need to use this game to judge. Hopefully, this is going to be a real-game environment, so I wouldn't want to name anybody going into it."
Lambert and Ramsey took first- and second-team repetitions in Saturday's scrimmage, according to Smart. Eason took second- and third-team reps, so there was no change from the first scrimmage.
Both scrimmages have been closed to the media.
Smart said he and his offensive assistants will map out plans this week for the quarterbacks at G-Day. One option could be letting Lambert and Ramsey split time with the first-team offense, while another would be letting all three roll with the starters and backups.
"We've got to get the evaluation that we need," Smart said. "That's the most important thing."
Saturday's scrimmage, which was preceded by a pep talk from legendary Bulldogs tailback Herschel Walker, lasted more than two hours. The offense had the much better day, according to Smart, and also was superior in Thursday's practice.
"We either have a long way to go on defense or we're better than I think on offense," Smart said.
Smart said the offense ran the ball better in the second scrimmage, with junior tailback Sony Michel producing some nice runs and benefiting from missed tackles. He added that the offensive line, which continues to have Isaiah Wynn back at left tackle, created more holes and offered better pass protection than the week before.
Sophomore receivers Michael Chigbu and Jayson Stanley earned praise from Smart for improved blocking, as did redshirt freshman tailback Tae Crowder for his running. Crowder has been Michel's backup this spring with Nick Chubb and Brendan Douglas recovering from injuries and A.J. Turman having transferred.
"Tae has grown up a lot," Smart said. "He's had to."
Odds and ends
Ramsey continues to be the top punter for the Bulldogs. Smart said he's looking forward to Rhode Island graduate transfer offensive lineman Tyler Catalina coming in this summer and "competing right away." Senior inside linebacker Tim Kimbrough scrimmaged Saturday but missed a recent practice due to academics. Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Mirko Jurkovic is sidelined by a dislocated knee. Smart said it was a "sigh of relief" that the NCAA voted Friday to ban satellite camps.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.