Dogs’ Alec Ogletree changes positions
ATHENS — There’s an interesting — and significant — position change on Georgia’s football team.
Former five-star recruit Alec Ogletree, who played safety as a freshman last season, will move to inside linebacker when spring practice starts next week, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said Thursday.
“Basically, every year what you do is you evaluate the players you have, and you look at your needs,” Grantham said. “He’s a tall guy; he’s got good size; he can run and hit, and he’s physical. I feel like moving him closer to the ball is going to allow him to make more plays and be more productive for us.
“I’m really excited because I think by moving him there it will allow us to put Jarvis [Jones, who was redshirted last season after transferring from USC] at outside ‘backer.”
The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Ogletree started four games last season.
As a senior at Newnan High School in 2009, he was rated the nation’s No. 2 safety prospect by MaxPreps.com and the No. 3 outside linebacker prospect by Scout.com.
Georgia returns one starter at inside linebacker, Christian Robinson, and also is intrigued about the potential at the position of Richard Samuel, who was redshirted last season after shifting from tailback.
Grantham said returning starter Bacarri Rambo can play either safety position and that returning lettermen Jakar Hamilton and Shawn Williams, as well as redshirt freshman Marc Deas, “are going to get their opportunity in the spring to show us what they can do with the system and how productive they can be.”
Etc.
In moves that had been expected, Richt said Cordy Glenn will move from offensive guard to offensive tackle, and Grantham said DeAngelo Tyson will move from nose guard to defensive end and Justin Anderson from the defensive line back to the offensive line. . . . Richt said new inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti will be in charge of the kickoff coverage unit.
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147 comments Add your comment
merbertmoover
March 3rd, 2011
6:00 pm
first!!!
MarkinRic
March 3rd, 2011
6:00 pm
First, finally
dawgcrzy
March 3rd, 2011
6:00 pm
well well
MarkinRic
March 3rd, 2011
6:00 pm
Dang it
chris
March 3rd, 2011
6:01 pm
first
chris
March 3rd, 2011
6:02 pm
dang it
Stanfield
March 3rd, 2011
6:02 pm
Could very possibly be a great move. Who will play safety?
dawgs dawg
March 3rd, 2011
6:03 pm
first
Stanfield
March 3rd, 2011
6:04 pm
All of you clowns that post “first,second,third’ Get a frigging life.
Paul in RDU
March 3rd, 2011
6:04 pm
Very strange timing on this announcement. UGA’s new LB coach was only hired a week ago.
dawgs dawg
March 3rd, 2011
6:04 pm
dang it
BigGAdawg
March 3rd, 2011
6:04 pm
Bunch of brilliant comments so far.
LOL
Inlet Dawg
March 3rd, 2011
6:04 pm
probably will prove to be a good move,just hope our secondary will not suffer.
Calhoundawg
March 3rd, 2011
6:08 pm
I love it !!! Must mean some of this last recruiting class will fill out the secondary. We’re on our way, boys! UGA UGA UGA UGA UGA Go Dawgs !!
JohnC
March 3rd, 2011
6:09 pm
We have got some studs coming in…………..I’m thinking we will surprise a few folks
TruthSeeker
March 3rd, 2011
6:10 pm
I’m shocked by this. UGA’s safeties were terrible last year, and Ogletree was supposed to be the cure for their woes. Hopefully it’s a sign that Grantham and Lakatos have confidence in some of the other safeties stepping up.
Also, Georgia should have unbelievable linebackers next year.
innocent bystander
March 3rd, 2011
6:10 pm
It’s not very likely that any of us posting on here know 10% of what the coaches know.But our hindsight is pretty good. Brandon Miller was played out of position and underachieved in Athens.Cam Newton was slotted at Tight End and Ronnie Brown as a Fullback when they coming out of high School.I’m probably wrong and hope to be wrong. But this move sounds like one of those.Ogletree’s potential at safety was unlimited.
woebegong
March 3rd, 2011
6:12 pm
Seems like the result of the coaches having a better understanding of the talents of their players. He has good size for an inside linebacker and he is fairly fast, so that should help out in the middle. Hope he can wrap them up on a tackle. That would be an improvement for sure over last year. We had speed enough to get the job done, but it seemed to me that a lot of tackles were not made. With the big fellow in the middle, perhaps there will not be so much second line of defense, being the first ones to the ball carrier.
GOOOOOOO DAWGSSSSSSSS
Bobo, Bobo, a pirate's life for me
March 3rd, 2011
6:26 pm
The coaches know more than we do, but I feel that removing the one hope I had for a “consistently performing” safety may weaken the secondary…any thoughts Tim?
Yuh
March 3rd, 2011
6:35 pm
I’m assuming that Rambo and Hamilton are going to be the safeties
OkieDawg
March 3rd, 2011
6:39 pm
I agree with TruthSeeker. I think this is a strange move. It seems like we were better at LB than Safety considering Samuel and Jarvis Jones are ready to play. Bacarri Rambo missed more tackles than any safety in the SEC. Hamilton came in with a bang but did not seem to pan out. I thought Nick Williams was a good safety. He was a big time hitter and left when UGA wanted to move him to LB. I’m not sure if he has been picked up by another team, maybe he should come back. They may think incoming freshmen Corey Moore or Chris Sanders are going to step up early. Or maybe, it is a sign of how good Quintavious Harrow, aka, “Cootie” really is. Rock ‘em Cootie, gotta love that guy!
Maybe it is the result of Robinson, Baker and Dowtin being kicked off the team. I guess I’ll just trust CMR and CTG to do a good job and make good decisions. Go Dawgs!
jack
March 3rd, 2011
6:43 pm
baad move! dawgs stink. maybe, just maybe outside lb but inside at his size doesn’t make sense. if the coaches know so much how come the dawgs are losing and on the way down? georgia’s defense has been a joke for 4 years now. they give up more points in 3 games nowadays than they used to give up in a season!
RomeDawg
March 3rd, 2011
6:43 pm
That is going to be a FAST linebacker corp!
Worm
March 3rd, 2011
6:48 pm
That’s the way it works folks..Corners grow into safeties,Safeties grow into Lbers,Lbers grow into DE’s.DE’s grow into tackles..Thomas Davis ring a bell.
jack
March 3rd, 2011
6:49 pm
fast running for their lives from 300 pound sec linemen. when was the last time georgia manned up to an sec team? hell we can’t even beat south carolina anymore!
Dawg Gone
March 3rd, 2011
6:51 pm
jack go troll go
jack
March 3rd, 2011
6:55 pm
hey dawg gone. i’m sick of getting physically abused on the field. we can do touchdown showoff penalty dances but we can’t stop 4th and 3. teams do not respect georgia anymore. auburn beat us like a red headed step child. fairly had his way so bad even the refs were afraid. we’re fasr becoming the SEC’s other bullpups.
woebegong
March 3rd, 2011
6:59 pm
I think I will go with the DC on this one. Who knows what he has seen and maybe he is making these changes because he has people he thinks will do better this year. I do believe that the defense will be much improved this year, and not only because of Jenkins. I think the S and C coach will have them in better shape and stronger.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Dawg Gone
March 3rd, 2011
7:01 pm
jack your sick of your pathetic Bug life..and you should be now get help somewhere..and moron AU had to come from behind to beat us , not like we weren’t in the game…oh yeah and we are 4-1 in the last five vs the War chicks…
BirdDog
March 3rd, 2011
7:01 pm
He was just too big for safety. Can’t wait to see him hit some folks in the middle!
perk
March 3rd, 2011
7:05 pm
great move – sounds like he has beefed up under the new S&C program. He will be a sunday player – congrats Alec
RabidDawgFan
March 3rd, 2011
7:10 pm
Our linebackers are going to be too fast for their own damn good. Samuel and Ogletree at ILB- Ray Drew/Cornelius Washington and Jarvis Jones at OLB. Speed on top of speed. Not to mention our big boys up front causing trouble for the O-line allowing our LBs to run free and make plays. My goodness this defense could be rockin this season. I’m ready for practice!
Michael
March 3rd, 2011
7:10 pm
good move. it gets our athletes on the field. i dont think anyone really believes Richard Samuel is the best option at middle linebacker.
plus, this gets Jakar Hamilton and Bacarri Rambo on the field at the same time as well.
jack
March 3rd, 2011
7:10 pm
we’re in every game dawg gone turd. until the final score!
Michael
March 3rd, 2011
7:11 pm
@rabidDawgFan…ehh…it will be Ogletree and Robinson at middle.
Delta Flight Attendent
March 3rd, 2011
7:15 pm
Suprising
Swarles Barkley
March 3rd, 2011
7:16 pm
Michael, have you seen Samuel play inside linebacker yet? Then you don’t know who will start. It’s a long time between now and September ( unfortunately ). Samuel may just prove to be an amazing linebacker.
Swarles Barkley
March 3rd, 2011
7:18 pm
I think the move is surprising. But I don’t think it should surprise anyone that they are making changes. Something radical must be done this off season. They’re going ‘all-in’ and moving players to wherever they might be able to make big things happen.
Dawg Whisperer
March 3rd, 2011
7:19 pm
37
Delta Flight Attendent
March 3rd, 2011
7:20 pm
Is this the next latest greatest version of Wait Til Next Year? Well, it could be worse. The Dawgs could still Willie M and a winning record, but Todd G and 6-7 is the best battle cry ever.
Dawg Whisperer
March 3rd, 2011
7:20 pm
40, if no one slips ahead of me!
bitter larry munson (9") size does matter
March 3rd, 2011
7:21 pm
tree will be a “live” oak—not a dying oak tree like in tumors corner—-dumb bamma billies
Dawg Whisperer
March 3rd, 2011
7:21 pm
I knew it…. 42
Dawg Whisperer
March 3rd, 2011
7:21 pm
Forget it!!!!!!!
Rick Saban
March 3rd, 2011
7:31 pm
aubun fans, sorry i pee peed on your oak tree and killed it dead.
Zoli
March 3rd, 2011
7:56 pm
How many safeties are that size in the NFL? Not any in the Pro Bowl. he is a prototypical LB in the 3-4. I don’t know what y’all saw in games, but he was getting beat deep most of the time….and that is what they teach you not to do in practice.
SAtlantan24
March 3rd, 2011
8:03 pm
Alec is going to grow out of the safety position. Inside LB is a suprise though i thought outside
Valdosta Cat
March 3rd, 2011
8:04 pm
C’mon Zoli……Alec played as a frosh in the SEC. Cut him some slack. He will improve.
u first fags
March 3rd, 2011
8:29 pm
are so lame…got nothin better to do?.
david
March 3rd, 2011
8:34 pm
how long before rambo gets burnt again