Rico Johnson to DB, and other looks at the roster

Players aren't due to check in until tomorrow, with practice starting Friday, but Georgia updated their roster and the coordinators talked.  Oh, and Gentry Estes has a nice look at 5 newcomers (well 4 and one change over) that could emerge from the unexpected this fall as someone or someones always do.  So what did we learn?

Well for starters, that talk new DC Jeremy Pruitt made all summer about the defense needing to lose weight?  They were listening.  The goal was a leaner, faster D and the weights indicate he should be able to get exactly that.  After 350 pound behemoths in Kwame Geathers and John Jenkins led a bulked up line, there are only 3 players on the defense at or above 300 (DL Toby Johnson hits 3 bills right on the nose, true freshman Lamont Galliard is at 305 down from when he was on a high school field and when he signed, and the biggest is expected starting Nose Chris Mayes at 317).

Other significant new bits defensively include the last remaining member of check gate, James DeLoach, now listed as a DT after spending the last two seasons trying to keep his weight down at OLB.  Reggie Wilkerson is still listed as a CB despite being reportedly now at safety (I doubt that makes a difference to Pruitt when he starts putting folks in to play).  Freshman Dominick Sanders (6', 187) is going to start at S, while JUCO Shattle Fenteng begins at corner.  And despite being expected to be a WR and KR option, Swainsboro's Rico Johnson will begin his Bulldog career at CB.  This is reported to be almost purely a need standpoint based on the depth charts, and Johnson could (if not is likely) to shift back to WR next fall.

Offensively, we see a bigger OL with Zach Debell making a massive jump to 298, expected LT John Theus now up to 313, and RT or LG Kolton Houston checking in at a bigger but still worrisome 287.  Emerging RG Greg Pyke is listed as the heaviest man on the team at 321, with guard/tackle/twitter treat Watts Dantzler a pound shy at 320.  Your freshman OL, Kendall Baker is a nice 6'6, 310, with fellow tackle Dyshon Sims listed 6'4, 302, and Isaiah Wynn only 6'2, 283.  Jake Edwards, who will redshirt after a knee injury during summer workouts, is listed as 6'4, 273.

Slender speedster Reggie Davis is up to 170, and Brendan Langley has shifted from number 4 to 28.  I'm not noticing too many (any?) other number changes of returning players there.  But if you were curious about the true freshman Sony Michel will wear #1 (same as redshirt freshman SS Tramel Terry) and is listed at 5'11, 208.  Both QB Jacob Park (6'4, 202) and OLB Lorenzo Carter (6'6, 237) will throw on the number 7.  Aaron Murray's 11 is now on the back of another native Floridian, OLB Keyon Brown (6'3, 247).  Cedartown's Nick Chubb, of the most impressive physique, will wear 27 on his 5'10, 228 pound self.  The only ILB in this class, Detric Bing-Dukes (6', 230) has been given 33.

New DBs Shaq Jones (6'2, 176) will get 25, while the 5'10, 194 pound Malkom Parrish out of Quitman gets 14.  TE Jeb Blazevich (6'5 and an undersized 232), who if Jay Rome struggles with his health could start this year, will be #83.  Macon product and WR Shakenneth Williams (6'1, 197) gets #23, and little Isaiah McKenzie (5'8, 164) will be fielding punts against the number 16 on his chest.  Of those already mentioned above, CB Johnson gets 19, Galliard will be #53, Sanders wears 24, and Fenteng will share #31 with Chris Conley.  The freshman OL get 55 for Sims, 65 for Baker, 64 for Edwards, and 77 for Wynn.

We are now exactly one month away from hosting Clemson in Sanford Stadium.  Get your grills ready.