Georgia's most versatile player last football season was receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who had 44 catches, 19 rushes, 24 kickoff returns and 23 punt returns.
Some of that productivity could be filled this year by a backup cornerback.
Mecole Hardman, a 5-foot-11, 183-pound sophomore from Bowman, Ga., has worked on offense, defense and special teams as the Bulldogs near the midway mark of spring practice. Georgia held its fifth spring workout Thursday afternoon, practicing for two hours.
"We're experimenting with Mecole," second-year Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said this week in a news conference. "He's a bright kid. You don't want to do this with a kid who struggles to learn, and Mecole doesn't struggle to learn. He's football-savvy with good football instincts.
"You feel comfortable challenging him with more information."
Georgia's sixth spring practice is scheduled for Saturday morning.
Hardman was a five-star member of the 2016 signing class, with 247Sports.com ranking him as the No. 13 overall prospect nationally and Rivals.com pegging him at No. 11. He played quarterback and defensive back at Elbert County High School, rushing for more than 2,100 yards, and he displayed his talents in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl with three catches for 36 yards, a 31-yard punt return and a 28-yard kickoff return.
Though he played in 11 of Georgia's 13 games last season, Hardman had just six tackles on special teams, and the only time he touched the ball was a 17-yard kickoff return against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Smart offered no regrets this week when asked about keeping Hardman out of the offensive plans last season, citing his inexperience when compared to McKenzie.
"I feel like Isaiah was a better fit," Smart said. "Mecole, at times, was our second corner last year and was running with the twos. The biggest regret I have is not getting him more returns. He may have had one kickoff return, and that's where we wanted to get him in."
Junior receiver Terry Godwin, senior tailback Sony Michel and sophomore defensive back Tyrique McGhee are vying with Hardman for return-game responsibilities this year, and Smart said he may use all of them.
McKenzie led the Bulldogs in receiving, kickoff returns and punt returns last season before deciding to forgo his final year for the NFL draft, and Smart sees the potential for Hardman to have a similar opportunity.
"He's a fast kid, but he's not straight-line fast," Smart said. "He's quicker than he is fast. He has an elusiveness that maybe we don't have right now on offense. He has to become a more natural receiver, because he didn't play that in high school.
"He was more of a guy with the ball in his hands. They snapped it to him, and that's a big difference."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.