Andrew Paul mentally prepared for return to running back room
Georgia running back Andrew Paul was off to a strong start after arriving in Athens this past fall. A true freshman out of Texas, Paul came in as one of two first-year ball carriers for the Bulldogs in the Class of 2022. He wasn’t the higher rated of the two according to recruiting rankings but it appeared he might be ahead of his classmate on the depth chart.
Things went south shortly after though with the Parish Episcopal School (Dallas, Texas) prospect suffering a torn ACL during the second scrimmage of fall camp.
“It definitely was frustrating,” Paul told DawgsHQ during Georgia’s College Football Playoff run. “No doubt, to put in all that work but I trust in God. We’ll see what he has for me next.”
Paul said he’s feeling better about where his knee is at now with spring practice quickly approaching. Focusing entirely on rehab, he’s trying to get back to where he was before the injury – or even better.
“I feel good. I definitely am 100 percent in rehab to get back to where I was before and even better. Definitely doing that and focused on that right now.”
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Paul enjoyed watching his guys get the job done this season. Behind one of the best offensive lines in the country, Georgia rushed for 3,080 yards and 44 touchdowns, best in the country, on 557 attempts (5.53 yards per attempt). And of the four scholarship running backs on the roster this past season aside from Paul, three will be back. It creates a situation he’s looking forward to being a bigger part of.
“I knew they were dogs when I was working with them during fall camp and over the summer. I expected it and knew exactly what they were going to do and they did,” Paul said. “Definitely looking forward to it. I’m just trying to get out there and show them what I can do.”
“Definitely versatility,” Paul continued, sharing on what he feels like he brings to the table individually. “I feel like I can do a lot of things: catch the ball, run the ball. We have most the backs coming back, and I’m definitely looking forward to that and our whole rotation.”
Georgia is less than a month away from the start of spring practice. The Bulldogs are back out on the practice field March 14 with 15 practices including three scrimmages over the course of a month. The final of those scrimmages is set for April 15 in Sanford Stadium and open for fans to see on G-Day. Paul still probably won’t be full speed quite yet but just being in the room for spring should help in his continued development.
