SEC MEDIA DAYS: Georgia coach Mark Richt still has concerns on offense

HOOVER, Ala. — As expected, it didn’t take long during his turn on the dais for SEC Media Days for Georgia football coach Mark Richt to be asked once again who his starting quarterback will be for the 2015 season.

In fact, it was the very first question he was asked.

His answer was just as expected despite the release earlier this week of the Bulldogs’ initial depth chart for 2015 that showed sophomore Brice Ramsey listed ahead of junior Faton Bauta as the starter, with incoming Virginia transfer Greyson Lambert not yet listed at all.

“I have no idea who the starter will be,” Richt said. “We are going to have a tremendous competition, continue that competition for that position. It’s going to — I think it’s going to take a while.

“We have 29 practice opportunities before the first game, and we’re going to get a rotation where we can see the guys that we want to see compete and then make a decision on who should be the starter. But right now, I don’t know who that is.”

That first, obvious question out of the way, most of Richt’s session Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham Wynfrey Hotel was spent talking offense.

Small wonder, given the number of unknowns facing Georgia as preseason practice for the 2015 campaign rapidly approaches.

Aside from finding, and then breaking in, a new quarterback, the Bulldogs must also adjust to both the new features and personality of first-year offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who came in after his predecessor Mike Bobo accepted the head coaching job at Colorado State in the offseason.

As far as Richt is concerned, so far so good on that front.

“I think think the players have taken to him well,” Richt said of Schottenheimer. “He’s a very good teacher and communicate, and I think he’s got a great personality for the college game as far as being able to recruit and being able to relate to young people.”

There are still other questions on the offense, even in areas of perceived strength, that Richt and the Bulldogs quickly hope to answer early in preseason practice.

Among them, how will sophomore running back Nick Chubb handle the hype of being tabbed as a Heisman Trophy candidate after an outstanding freshman season in which he filled in well for Georgia’s previous Heisman-hyped running back, Todd Gurley, to run for 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Once again, Richt says the early signs are positive.

“First of all, Nick is a very — he’s a pretty quiet, unassuming guy,” Richt said. “He’s a very hard worker. He’s a great student. He’s a great teammate. He’s becoming a great leader for us. And he doesn’t really like the hype.

“You can go back to his recruiting. He was very low key. He decided he wanted to be at Georgia, did it quietly, didn’t have a big old press conference. … He doesn’t care about that. He cares about working hard, playing hard and helping Georgia win. I appreciate that about him.”

So do many of his teammates, including tackle John Theus, who has no doubts Chubb will live up to his preseason billing.

“There were times (last year) Nick would find a hole, and I would try to pursue it, to catch up with him and get a block,” the 6-foot-6, 303-pound senior said. “Many times, I wouldn’t be able to do it because he’s just so fast. … Some of the things he’s done are very special, and he’s a great kid. He’s very humble.”

Perhaps the most important question of all surrounding the Georgia offense revolve around the health of Malcolm Mitchell.

The senior receiver has shown moments of brilliance throughout a career in which he has 1,485 yards and 11 TDs on 116 catches despite being plagued by injuries, particularly the last two seasons.

Mitchell hope to allay any health concerns Thursday, and says he is ready to be the Bulldogs’ go-to receiver, particularly with the departure of past reliable options like Chris Conley and Michael Bennett.

“I am feeling well,” Mitchell said. “This is the best I’ve felt physically and mentally than any other year I’ve played. … As you know, I’ve suffered from multiple inures. Just to feel good again is a blessing.”

Of course, not all the talk around Georgia’s session was about offense.

Richt is also optimistic about how much his defense can improve in the second season under defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.

That includes former Norcross star Lorenzo Carter, who made an immediate impact as a freshman last fall with 41 total tackles, including seven for loss and 4 1/2 sacks.

And Richt is expecting an even bigger impact from the 6-6, 242-pound defensive end this season.

“Lorenzo did have an impact for us as a freshman, and we thought his greatest value that he was more of an edge rusher, a speed guy off the edge,” Richt said. “That’s kind of what his reputation was coming out of high school. But if you’re going to play every down, you’ve got to play the run. You’ve got to be able to handle fullbacks coming at your on the power play and things of that nature.

“So, he’s becoming more and more physical, and he’s learning more how to play the run game better. So, he’s becoming more of a complete player. But he’s just — he’s one of many guys in that position for us that are going to help us play well.”