A.J. Green’s goal? ‘Just to be an All-American.’ Then what?

(Updated 11 p.m. Saturday and 9 p.m. Sunday. A roundup of the weekend in UGA sports events has been added below.)

ATHENS — Let’s start with three morsels from a chat with A.J. Green:

– On his personal goal for the 2010 season, Georgia’s star receiver said: “I was just talking to Coach Richt, and it’d be nice to be an All-American. I believe if I would have stayed healthy [last] year, I’d have gotten that. So that’s my goal -– just to be an All-American.”

– As for Georgia’s quarterback competition, Green said: “I’m just going to work with whoever the quarterback is and try to make them better, try to make them look good and try to do everything I can do to help the offense out.” He did sort of marvel about the fact that in his third season at Georgia, he’ll be playing with his third starting quarterback.  “I never thought I would have three different quarterbacks,” he said. “All through high school, I had the same quarterback.”

– So, a reporter asked facetiously, does that mean Green will stick around for a fourth season in 2011 just to have a chance to play with the same QB two years in a row?  “I don’t know, man, I don’t know,” answered Green, eligible to enter the 2011 NFL draft. “Just whatever happens.”

———————————-

Grantham

Talking about the hectic pace of his new job, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said the coaches  basically are working half of each day on recruiting and the other three-quarters of the day on football.

“So that’s really more than a day, right?” he said. “Basically, we’re working a day and a half in a day.”

The math is fuzzy, but you get the idea.

————————————

Wide receiver Kris Durham, an education major, is doing his student teaching this semester at Oconee County Middle School.

Yes, the kids there quickly recognized him as a Georgia Bulldog.

“They figured that out after about the first 20 minutes,” Durham said.

He’s teaching Georgia history, will graduate from UGA in May, will be working on his Masters during his final season with the Dogs in the fall and plans a career as a coach and teacher.

“I’ve been blessed by having so many good teachers and coaches,” he said.

Durham sat out last season after shoulder surgery and looks forward to being back on the field for spring practice.  “I’m just hoping I’m not as rusty as I think I’m going to be,” he said.

—————————————

The competition for the starting quarterback job officially opens Thursday with the first session of spring practice. How long the competition will last is very much up in the air.

“We [coaches] talked about that today,” Mark Richt said late Friday, “and I said, ‘If we think we have an outright No. 1 [by the end of spring], we’re going to say it. If we don’t think so, we won’t.’ I don’t feel a need to do it; I don’t think it’s a must. But if someone separates himself and deserves to be considered the starter by the end of that time, we’ll do it.

“But I think it’s going to be hard to make that decision after spring, I really do. We might be able to say who’s No. 1, who’s No. 2, who’s No. 3, but even if a guy is No. 1 at the end of spring, I don’t know if I could just sit there and say he’s going to be the starter.”

—————————————

FRIDAY UGA SPORTS ROUNDUP: The No. 5-ranked gymnastics team defeated No. 10 LSU 196.575-196.050 at Stegeman Coliseum. The GymDogs remained unbeaten at home (4-0). Check out an AJC photo gallery here.  . . . The baseball team routed Stetson 12-2 in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Foley Field. Winning pitcher Justin Grimm allowed two hits in 5 2/3 innings, leaving with an 11-0 lead. . . . . . The softball team won twice, beating Iowa State 8-0 and Charleston Southern 6-2 in the first day of the Georgia Softball Classic. Sophomore pitcher Erin Arevalo got the win in both games.

SATURDAY UGA SPORTS ROUNDUP: The men’s basketball team held on for a big win over Florida at Stegeman Coliseum. See full story here.  . . . The baseball team scored two runs in the eighth inning to beat Stetson 9-8 at Foley Field. The Dogs won despite a huge day by Stetson second baseman Robert Crews, who hit three home runs. Georgia scored its first seven runs with two outs. . . . The softball team won two more games in the Georgia Softball Classic at the UGA Softball Stadium, beating Iowa State 11-3 and St. John’s 6-2. Georgia will play South Alabama for the tournament championship Sunday afternoon. . . . . The men’s tennis team opened its outdoor season with a 7-0 win over East Tennessee State at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. . . . In track and field,  Tommy Barrineau won UGA’s first heptathlon title at the SEC Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Georgia is in second place in the men’s team competition and in ninth place on the women’s side heading into the meet’s final day Sunday. . . .  The No. 1-ranked equestrian team defeated South Carolina 13-6.

SUNDAY UGA SPORTS ROUNDUP: In track and field, sophomore Torrin Lawrence won the 400-meter dash at the SEC Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., with a meet-record time of 45.10. Lawrence, who already owned the third-fastest collegiate indoor time in history, now has the fourth fastest too. Georgia finished fifth in the team competition on both the men’s and women’s sides. . . .  The softball team defeated South Alabama 4-1 to win the championship of the seventh annual Georgia Softball Classic at the UGA Softball Stadium, with sophomore pitcher Erin Arevalo once again getting the win. For the tournament, Arevalo made three starts and two relief appearances, went 5-0 with a 0.00 earned run average, and struck out 31 batters. She has a 43 1/3-inning streak without allowing an earned run, dating back to Feb. 19. . . .  The women’s basketball team defeated Arkansas 69-48 on Senior Day in Stegeman Coliseum. Senior guard Ashley Houts had 15 points. . . . The baseball team completed a three-game sweep of Stetson at Foley Field, winning the series finale 7-5. Right fielder Peter Verdin had three RBI, including a two-run homer. . . . The equestrian team defeated Baylor 13-6 at the UGA Equestrian Center.

————————————

Wondering who’s playing where in the football team’s new 3-4 defense? Click here.