Tavarres King Photo: Rivals.com

Such is the life of a college football fan. Of course it’s probably not healthy to carry this behavior into May, but health isn’t the calling card of your typical SEC fan.

Yesterday the Bulldog nation was thrown into the doldrums with the announcement of Paul Oliver’s ineligibility. Today, they are back on top of the world with the Friday afternoon announcement that Habersham Central WR Tavarres King has committed to Georgia for the recruiting class of 2008. UGASports.com was on location and has coverage ($). Because of his 6’1" 65lb. frame, he draws comparisons to Terrence Edwards.

King joins South Carolina standout A.J. Green to become one of the best on-paper receiver tandems to commit to Georgia since Reggie Brown and Durrell Robinson in 1999. Unlike that tandem, Green and King should both show up on campus for their freshman season. It is possible that Georgia isn’t done yet – other outstanding in-state prospects such as Joshua Jarboe are considering the Dawgs and would be significant additions in their own right. People want to catch passes from Matt Stafford.

King chose Georgia over Clemson, Florida, and Georgia Tech.

That’s about the only positive spin I can put on the news that Paul Oliver is ineligible for the 2007 season:

University of Georgia senior cornerback Paul Oliver has failed to meet NCAA academic eligibility requirements for competition this fall and plans to petition the NFL for entry into the supplemental draft this summer.

Oliver’s situation does not preclude him from remaining enrolled in school. He was a regular starter last season and has started 15 games in his career.

“We’ll miss him for sure,” UGA head coach Mark Richt. “Of course, he could have made a decision to leave for the draft immediately after his junior season. He was aware there could be risks but he decided to continue in school and get closer to his degree. His best opportunity now to continue his playing career is through the supplemental draft coming up in July.”

Well, crap. Oliver had emerged into the one bonafide star on the Georgia defense, and it was considerably good news that he returned for his senior season. No more.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Georgia is relatively deep, if young, at cornerback. Bryan Evans, Prince Miller, Asher Allen, Ramarcus Brown, and Thomas Flowers are all experienced. It’s just that a player with Oliver’s ability is a difference-maker, and it’s not quite the same to say “we’ll be fine” at cornerback because of the depth. Championship-quality teams often have a few of those difference-making upperclassmen, and Georgia just lost one of their better ones from this year’s team.

With three new starters on a thin defensive line and three healthy linebackers at the moment, the Dawg defense really needed the secondary to be a rock of strength this year. With Oliver gone, the load just got a lot heavier for guys like Evans, Allen, and Brown, and Miller.

(First, do yourself a favor and read this hoops recruiting post over at GeorgiaSportsBlog.)

While we were busy with the postmortem of the 2006-2007 basketball season, I eventually settled on a shooting guard as the biggest-need-not-yet-met. Levi Stukes is gone and while there were some capable shooters on the roster, no one had really set my hair on fire as a consistent outside weapon. Make no mistake, it isn’t the only need for improvement on the team, so it was interesting to see the different directions that spring recruiting took. There was the small forward D.J. Kennedy who, while undersized for a forward at 6’5″, was considered “versatile” enough to play on the wing. Kennedy signed with St. John’s. Then there was Steffphon Pettigrew, another 6’5″ small forward who was named Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball and led the state in scoring. Despite the Mr. Basketball honor, Pettigrew never really drew major college offers. Georgia showed some interest but didn’t offer. Pettigrew chose to remain in-state and sign with Western Kentucky.

Troy Brewer Photo: Rivals.com

That brings us to Troy Brewer. The name appeared Tuesday on the UGASports.com hoops message board, and news of his signing broke on Wednesday. Brewer is yet another 6’5″ wing, but he seems to have a stronger outside shot than some of the other players the Dawgs were considering.

What is really impressive about Brewer is the pedigree. He didn’t start until his senior season at Gaithersburg (MD) Montrose Christian, and that was because he played behind someone named Kevin Durant. As a first-year starter, he recorded 15.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Montrose Christian is a national top 25 program and plays against the likes of Oak Hill. Big-time college basketball should not rattle him in the least. Coach Felton agrees. “Troy is simply accustomed to winning,” said Felton. “He is a product of one of the premier high school programs in the country at Montrose Christian. Coach Stu Vetter has turned out Top 25 teams, as well as a long list of high-level players, at each of his schools over the past 20 years. We feel like Troy is another member of that list.”

Because Brewer didn’t start until his senior year, he didn’t appear on the radar until very late. He started to receive interest, though not offers, from schools like Maryland, Virginia Tech, and a few West Coast schools. He is fully qualified academically.

Troy is already sizing up his chances to play right away in Athens. “”Looking at the roster I think I fit in well because at my position the two-guard a lot of their guys are 6’2″ or 6’3″ and I am at 6’5″ to 6’6″ and my extra height and length is what they need in the backcourt,” he told UGASports.com ($). Coach Felton added, “He is a terrific guard with good size and length. Shooting the basketball is considered his specialty.” That size is definitely a plus, but in the end the competition for playing time will come down to his ability to shoot consistently and of course how well he does the other things on the court.

Brewer is the fifth and final signee for the Georgia basketball 2007-2008 freshman class. He will join forwards Chris Barnes, Jeremy Jacob, and Jeremy Price as well as point guard Zac Swansey. He plans to arrive in Athens in July.

The chatter among the Dawgnation this morning is about the Banner-Herald’s publication of athletic association salaries, including administrators, head coaches, and assistant coaches. Go ahead and peek. It should go without saying that the list doesn’t represent the total compensation for many people on it.

I understand and appreciate the need for transparency in public matters, but there’s still something gauche about reporting it. Though many salaries in the public sector are stratified and paid according to job grade, there’s still a natural tendency to compare when it’s out in the open. Greed, jealousy, and vanity aren’t far behind if one isn’t careful.

I won’t get much into the report, but there is one thing that Sen. Blutarsky points out that will probably have a ripple effect: brand new offensive line coach Stacy Searles – a position coach and not coordinator – is the third-highest-paid coach of any kind at Georgia. Only Mark Richt and Andy Landers earn more (in terms of base salary of course). No other football assistant, including coordinators Bobo and Martinez, currently earn as much.

What does that mean? It could be that Searles is instantly the best assistant on the staff and is paid accordingly. More likely is that his hiring was one of Georgia’s first experiences with the increasingly expensive market for football assistant coaches. As head coaching salaries soar, assistants are beginning to see measurable increases themselves. Georgia had to compete with the likes of Alabama for Searles, and you have to think about the kind of money they offered him if they threw $32 million at Saban.

As a result, the other assistants will likely be the beneficiaries as their salaries are adjusted accordingly. Has Georgia gotten away with “underpaying” football assistants? Possibly. There has been no mass exodus, so something is keeping them here. But if Searles’ hiring is an indication of the market rates for a good position coach, Georgia will eventually have to react in order to retain the quality assistants already in place.

UGASports.com reported on Tuesday afternoon that redshirt freshman linebacker Akeem Dent broke his foot in off-season drills. He is expected to be out until July. Dent’s injury is just the latest blow to a dwindling linebacker corps. Dent is one of three injured linebackers, and of course Akeem Hebron was recently lost for the season.

Though several of the injuries should heal up in time for the season, the Dawgs have only three healthy linebackers to start the summer: Dewberry, Ellerbe, and Miller. Freshmen Rennie Curran and Charles White will surely get a look when they report to campus.

Though the attrition and injuries on the offensive line have received much of the spotlight, the linebackers have taken more than their share of hits over the past few years. Let’s go all the way back to 2002 and look at the linebacker classes since then. We’ll note those who left the program or position before the end of their careers, those who completed their career as a linebacker, those who are currently injured, and the three who are currently healthy.

2002

• Marquis Elmore: converted to DE, then to DT, never more than a minor role player
• Tony Taylor: sidetracked by knee injury but finished career strong in 2006. Signed with Falcons as a free agent

2003

• Dana Graydon: left Georgia for Ga. Military College, ended up at South Carolina St.
• Marcus Howard: moved to defensive end
• Jarvis Jackson: nice career at MLB, signed as free agent with Tenn. Titans
• Odell Thurman: played just two seasons, all-SEC MLB, 2nd round NFL pick in 2005
• Danny Verdun-Wheeler: won back starting OLB job during 2006 season
• Des Williams: converted to fullback, career ended by chronic injuries

2004

• Dannell Ellerbe: current starting WLB, suspended first three games of 2006 season
• Josh Johnson: left Georgia for Ga. Military, currently at Marshall
• Brandon Miller: originally signed as DE, moved to OLB and now starts at MLB

2005

• Jamar Chaney: denied admission by UGA, signed with Mississippi State
• Darius Dewberry: did not qualify, resigned in 2006
• Tavarus Kearney: Left for Georgia Southern after alleged cheating incident
• Marcus Washington: reserve MLB, currently recovering from knee injury

2006

• Akeem Dent: reserve SLB, currently recovering from broken foot
• Darius Dewberry: spent a year at Hargrave, current starting SLB
• Darryl Gamble: reserve WLB, recovering from broken foot
• Akeem Hebron: suspended for 2007 season, will spend year at Georgia Military

Worst choice of a name for a mini-feature on UGA athletics?

Congratulations, AJC, on the new "UGA FOOTBALL BUZZ". Was the "UGA FOOTBALL GATOR CHOMP" considered? The "WAR EAGLE UGA FOOTBALL REPORT" would have been a better choice.

Photo: Athens Banner-Herald

Most any UGA alum with a bit of age on them has an Allen’s story. Whether we were a regular for Wednesday night with the Normaltown Flyers or just stopped in for a burger after a football game, many of us enjoyed that unique experience. It was right down the street for much of my college career. The notorious Prince Avenue dive closed at the end of 2003 and was demolished.

UGA alum Mark Hammond is among those trying to bring Allen’s back now at a location near Oglethorpe and Hawthorne (near the Athens "Y"). Their story is covered today in the Banner-Herald.

The new location seems to be a bit questionable. Though the original wasn’t downtown, it was still very much a neighborhood kind of place there in Normaltown – an area of Athens with a very distinct identity and sense of community. I have no doubt that they’ll do what they can to make it seem familiar, but a new location in an out-of-the-way strip mall is a bit of a stretch. It sounds as if they’re banking on nostalgia to draw people back, and that’s a tough thing to recapture.

The relationship Allen’s had with Foxz reminds me of another away-from-downtown pair of Athens restaurants that have fallen on hard times. Steverino’s and Sons of Italy on Lumpkin used to pack them in during the 1990s. Impossible parking and all, everyone spent time there. Now Son’s has moved to the Spot of Death near Milledge and the Athens Perimeter where seemingly dozens of restaurants have failed. Are they even open yet? Then Steverino’s closed and eventually re-opened with new owners. But the two individually are much less than the whole, and seeing that one-time hotspot wither has been as bad as seeing Allen’s go.

I hope the new Allen’s succeeds and is true to the concept. After all, Allen’s is the place where I met my fiancée during its last month, and I hated to see it close. We’ll at least stop by and give the new location a try.

Congratulations to Jeff Keppinger. The star of the 2001 Diamond Dawgs has been called up to the Cincinnati Reds from AAA Louisville where he was batting .411.

Keppinger, originally drafted by Pittsburgh, made his major league debut with the New York Mets. He has since played in the Kansas City Royals organization before heading to the Reds.

Chip Towers of the AJC had a nice rundown yesterday from the Georgia Athletic Association’s board of directors meeting. Some highlights:

• The student football ticket policy will be changed again to address those seniors we all knew who tried to stretch things out one more semester in order to get football tickets. Seniors must have at least 12 hours after drop/add, or they will fall behind incoming freshmen in the priority. I like the change; student tickets are relatively scarce and should go to actual students.
• Athletic administrators Frank Crumley and Carla Green Williams each received well-deserved promotions to become more or less the next-in-command behind Damon Evans. I’ve been around both of them recently, Dr. Williams in particular, and I’ve observed that they are professional, pleasant, and as a result enjoy the respect of those around them. It’s always amusing to see veteran coach Andy Landers refer to Dr. Williams, whom he coached at Georgia in the 1980s, as "his boss", but they seem to have an outstanding relationship. Georgia has some top-notch administrators, and the days of a senior AD position as a place to hide an old coach seem to be fading away.
• Georgia athletics needs that solid administration because it is now a $70 million organization. Though the athletic department remains (very) profitable, second only to Notre Dame this year, expenses are expected to increase 14% this year.
• Money continues to pour into Georgia athletics. They surpassed their "Investing in Champions" fundraising campaign goal of $60 million. Hartman Fund donations were $23 million. Additionally, Towers reports that "all of Georgia’s revenue exceeded projections in the past fiscal year, with more income expected between now and the end of the period at the end of June."

Towers also addresses another current issue: the sudden resignation of women’s golf coach Todd McCorkle. Chip writes on his AJC beat blog,

I’m wondering, too (why he resigned). And, frankly, I’m pretty confident I know what happened. The problem is, nobody at Georgia or anybody who is involved will go on record to confirm it. So, we’re left to let it run through UGA’s legal channels before our Freedom of Information requests are honored and we can report it. That’s how it goes in this business sometimes. But stay tuned. We’re on it and it’s just a matter of time before the truth is revealed.

Well, count me among those who will sleep better knowing that someone is on this hot story. I wonder if all the FOI requests and the investigative work into a freaking collegiate women’s golf program will be worth it.

This year’s Georgia baseball seniors will have many memories. They have been at the top of the SEC. They have won several dramatic postseason series. They have made two trips to Omaha and the College World Series. Senior Matt Olson points out another accomplishment achieved last night.

"Our seniors this year have never lost a series to Tech, and that is big for them."

The seniors have Olson to thank in large part for that feat. The junior has 11 RBI and a career .500 (10-20) average against Tech. Nine of those RBI have come in the past two games. He added three more last night, including two in a key eighth-inning hit to break open a close game and lead Georgia to a 9-4 win over the Jackets.

It hasn’t been a great year for the Dawgs, and it will take nothing short of a miracle for their season to continue past next weekend. Still, they are able to take away these two wins over Tech, and so the season isn’t a complete washout. It was fitting that a senior, Adam McDaniel, received credit for the "turning point" of the game in the top of the eighth. Georgia retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh, but Tech had always been able to answer up to that point. McDaniel gave Georgia its first 1-2-3 inning on defense since the first, and for the first time in a while had momentum and confidence in both halves of the inning.

Georgia responded by putting the game away in the next frame. Tech coach Danny Hall’s strategy melted down in the bottom of the eighth. He started the inning by moving his centerfielder to pitcher, changing his mind, moving players all over the field, and even confusing the guys he had out there. Very cute strategy. He then got burned on an intentional walk later in the inning, and Georgia had added four golden insurance runs by the time the damage was done.

As a reminder, let’s update everyone on where things stand between these programs since 2001. Georgia is 15-9 against Tech and 5-1-1 in season series over that time with the only blemish coming in 2002. Lest you think Georgia’s success is just because they might place more emphasis on "meaningless" mid-week games, that record includes a 3-2 advantage against Tech in the postseason over the same time period. They have eliminated Tech from the postseason twice, and the Jackets have finished off the Dawgs once.

It was an unusual year for this rivalry in that Tech could be said to have had the better (or higher-ranked) team in football, baseball, and men’s basketball. Yet the Dawgs were able to hold their own and get the better of the Jackets in football and baseball. Next year, we’ll add basketball back to the list; Tech hasn’t beaten Georgia in Athens since the basketball series went home-and-home in 1995.

Coverage:

• ABH
• AJC

One of my favorite features over at the Grapevine recruiting site was the "Recruiter’s Roster". It showed at a glance how the team broke down by class so that needs and depth issues would show up right away. I’m doing a little variation on that here by taking the post-spring depth chart and exploding it by class. 1st-teamers are in solid red, 2nd-teamers are in the lighter red, other scholarship players are in gray, and walkons are unshaded. I’m going by the information from that depth chart as the positions are now. The chart doesn’t tell the whole story (Haverkamp is a junior but is still a rookie for example), but I think it’s close enough.

As you’d expect and hope, many of the starters are juniors and seniors. Still, it stands out how many potential contributors are sophomores or younger particularly on the lines. That shouldn’t surprise any of us, but it was strange to see Howard and Velasco as the only senior linemen on either side of the ball. The junior class isn’t much deeper until you add in the JUCO transfers. You can also get a sense for the infusion of young defensive speed on the team. Linebackers like Dent and Gamble as well as a slew of defensive backs will be counted upon heavily this season.

Anyway, even if it just looks like a giant pixelated game of Tetris, enjoy.

Chad Simmons of UGASports.com is reporting that 2006 offensive line signee Ben Harden has made a qualifying test score and will be eligible to join the program for the 2007 season. He spent this past year at Hargrave Military Academy while he worked on his academics.

Want to see a bunch of tough-talking advocates of personal responsibility turn into the biggest bleeding-heart mass of equivocating relativist excuse-makers? Watch a typical football fan learn that one of his team’s players can’t get out of a punishment.

In the past day, the suspension of Akeem Hebron for the fall semester has blown up on the message boards. I’m having trouble understanding why people are surprised by the news. We knew as soon as the second arrest came that he would be facing this suspension. I guess much of the shock comes from the news that a football player couldn’t somehow get around the University policy.

Most are focusing on the harshness of the punishment. Does it fit the crime, etc.

That’s completely irrelevant. Whether the policy is too strong or is fitting (I think it’s a bit reactionary myself), it’s spelled out right up front (HT: Ching) and applies to every UGA student. Not many made a noise about this policy until it took down a football player. If the policy sucks, work to change it, but you have to live by it in the meantime.

We learn today that Hebron will take the path I mentioned yesterday and enroll at Georgia Military College for the fall semester. He’ll be eligible to return for the spring semester, and the AJC reports that "Hebron said Georgia coach Mark Richt would welcome him back in January 2008 if he followed the necessary steps."

Oh, the drama I’ve read in the past day. The excuses and enabling would make an addict proud. "He’s being crucified for such a small mistake." "He just was unlucky and got caught doing what we all did in college." "His career is ruined because of a knee-jerk zero-tolerance policy." "The police are out to get football players." Some, apparently unable in their hysteria to comprehend that getting arrested often presents certain other problems, have even asked why Stafford doesn’t face the same kind of suspension. Won’t someone think of the children?!?!

Of course none of that exaggeration is true. While most are no stranger to underage drinking, few use the bad judgment to become belligerent with a downtown bouncer months after a MIP citation. Even fewer would be likely to do it once Richt lays down the law after the first offense. You can be certain that Hebron knew what was at stake if he were arrested again. His career is far from over or ruined. The escape route to GMC is the best possible outcome in this situation. If (if, if, if) things go well at GMC, he will pick back up at UGA for the spring 2008 semester, get back on track in terms of academic progress, and lose only his freshman season. It could have been a lot worse.

I don’t want to sound overly hard on the guy. It’s a tough situation, and the start of his football career has been delayed, but it’s the result of his decisions. He knows that. "I’m disappointed in myself. The whole thing has been difficult, " he told the AJC. He’s getting what so many don’t: a legitimate third chance. The support structure at Georgia to help him will be there. I can’t imagine a better guide in that spot than Richt and Van Halenger. It’s also a positive sign of commitment by Hebron to take this route. He’s not playing D-1 ball next year regardless, so he could have used the year to transfer and get a clean start somewhere else. He’s chosen to accept the fact that he’ll have to face the probation and academic pressure when he gets back to Athens as well as face the work he’ll have to do to get back in the good graces of the football program.

Ching follows up on his depth chart post by asking what Georgia needs "most of all" this year. I agree with his conclusion, though a dominant defensive lineman isn’t far behind. After seeing guys like Reggie Bush, Darren McFadden, and even Percy Harvin – players who bend and redefine traditional positional roles – everyone wants one of those. Call him the playmaker. Georgia just hasn’t had many. The best receivers recently have been third-round picks at best, and the tailbacks since Robert Edwards (well, Garrison Hearst really) have been only steady or had brief moments of brilliance. They’re not awful or even average; they’ve often been really good but just not at that next level.

Ching starts his list with Henderson and Bailey. Anyone who saw a punt return last year realizes Henderson’s explosive potential. Yet he had just seven receptions and a carry last year on offense. Has he improved that much to get 5-10 touches within the offense per game? Sean Bailey’s another guy with a great pedigree and a few highlight plays in his past. But in his last complete season, he went from the second game until the SEC Championship game without a touchdown reception. That’s not a trait of a game-changing playmaker. You can go down the list of receivers from Bryant to Goodman and the response is the same…"yeah, he could be a playmaker, but…." It’s tough for a receiver. Even the best won’t get many touches during a game, but the best can consistently turn those few touches into significant plays. Having a guy like Stafford distributing the ball won’t hurt.

Does a tailback have a better chance? People have a false perception that Richt won’t let a tailback have that opportunity. Once Verron Haynes proved himself, he got the ball exclusively. Richt had no problem featuring Musa Smith. So I don’t buy that it’s an offensive philosophy keeping the tailbacks down. Will Lumpkin or Brown become that guy in their senior seasons? We know that both are capable of being quality backs. The inexperience of the line has me concerned that a back can be a consistent weapon this year. Is Moreno the answer? Yes, I watched the same G-Day you did. Let’s see it in the fall. Caleb King drew comparisons to Reggie Bush, so who knows…he might be the answer eventually.

There’s another component to this question, and it’s coaching. The staff has to be creative and innovative enough to make the most of such a playmaker when he shows up. No one would confuse Tyson Browning with Ronnie Brown, but was a screen pass the only way to get the ball to Browning? If Henderson is the real deal, how will they use him? AJ Bryant would like to listen in on that conversation too. If Moreno or Lumpkin or Brown is capable of a special season, can we identify that before November? Does such a drought of impact skill players at Georgia indicate a problem on the sideline or in the playbook? Will things change much with Bobo? It’s not as if Georgia has been completely talentless on offense.

So I agree with Ching when he identifies the playmaker as a need for this team, but I’m not as optimistic as he is that the answer lies among the upperclassmen he names. I say that because the kind of player he’s talking about often makes himself obvious early on. I’m not without hope that someone like Bailey or Lumpkin can have a great season as an impact player. I do have my eye to the future when looking for a really special playmaker whether it’s Moreno, King, or a receiver down the road like A.J. Green.

David Ching along with several others report today about the latest preseason depth chart changes. Of course a depth chart at this stage always needs these three disclaimers:

1. True freshmen aren’t on the chart. It’s likely that a few will work their way into the lineup by September. Players "coming off injuries" are listed separately from their positions.
2. Depth charts will change before the season. We’ve seen the chart used as motivation before, and there are positions like the Battle/Dobbs/Tripp "tie" that have to be sorted out. "It’s certainly how we feel at the moment, but there’s an awful lot that can change, as we all know," explained Coach Richt.
3. Someone has to start, but several positions frequently rotate players. Players far down the receiver and defensive line charts will see plenty of time.

With that out of the way, let’s overanalyze a few places that stand out:

• Is it me, or does the WR depth chart look a little unbalanced? I realize that the flanker and split end positions are not identical and interchangable. I also grant that we’ll be using multiple receiver sets and rotate guys in and out all of the time. Still, at one position you have the veterans Bailey and Massaquoi and then the sure-handed Durham. Massaquoi is the leading returning receiver and won’t be starting. Then we move over to flanker and see Henderson starting at 5’10", 150 lb. with Bryant backing him up.
• Not much has changed on the offensive line. Only one of the top four on the key left side (protecting Stafford’s back) has been at Georgia longer than a spring practice. It’s going to be dicey.
• As I mentioned above, there are three guys tied for one of the starting DE jobs. Touted JUCO transfer Jarius Wynn is not among them. A tie for a starting position is not a positive thing for me. No one was neck-and-neck with David Pollack.
• The defensive tackles are also a jumble. Tripp Taylor, a converted walkon fullback, is listed on the second team. No offense to the guy who did a fine job last year as the wham fullback, but Corvey Irvin was recruited from junior college to be that depth. This will be a position to watch in August.
• If there’s a chance for a newcomer to make an impact, it seems to be linebacker. Akeem Hebron is the most recent bit of attrition there. Brandon Miller is still a question mark in the middle, and Marcus Washington is more or less the second-string MLB by default. The loss of Hebron for the year puts a lot of pressure on Gamble and Dent to be ready to play. Ellerbe has reclaimed the starting WLB spot, and I bet he holds on to it this time.
• The secondary is looking really solid. When you have a former starter like Ramarcus Brown fighting for a second-string position at corner and prototypes like Reshad Jones and Antavious Coates as your depth at safety, you should be in fine shape. Having Asher Allen, Prince Miller, and Brown behind the starting corners makes me sleep well at night.
• Brian Mimbs, he of the spectacular onside kick in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, is the punter, but we expect Drew Butler to get a look in August.
• I wonder if there will be competition for the punt return job. Henderson seems like the obvious choice, but it’s a lot closer than we think. Mikey got nearly half his punt return yardage last year on three returns, two against Western Kentucky and one against Tennessee. After the Tennessee game, Henderson didn’t have a return over 20 yards. Thomas Flowers isn’t to be ignored in this conversation, but the Dawgs do have two good proven options at this key special teams position.