Austin Blaske, Earnest Greene battle one to watch during G-Day

ATHENS, Ga. — Flashy positions like quarterback and cornerback are going to dominate headlines when it comes to competitions for starting spots, but that’s no reason to overlook the offensive line. Georgia has to replace it’s left tackle for a second straight season, and after Broderick Jones did so with ease in 2022, Kirby Smart and company are hopeful that either Austin Blaske or Earnest Greene can follow in his footsteps this fall.

“They are both doing a good job competing hard,” Smart said. “They are rotating in there. They both are exceptional kids. They are great kids to be around. They both practice really hard. They are both extremely physical. They both have had dinged up injuries, and neither one has flinched. They won’t come out. Earnest waves somebody off because he wants to go out there and get his reps when his ankle is dinged up one time. Blaske is the same thing, whether it is his shoulder or his knee. I see the guy limping, and he wants his reps.”

“I respect, more than anything, a guy’s mental and physical toughness. They both have that, and they both have done a great job,” he continued. “We have not made it through a season in I think four years that we did not have a starting tackle miss a game. That tells me that you better have three tackles. We are trying really hard to develop three to four tackles.”

Three tackles. Georgia absolutely had three this past season with a rotation of Jones, Warren McClendon and Amarius Mims. While the Bulldogs almost made it through the entire year starting just two – McClendon was replaced in the starting group by Mims for the final two due to injury – all three played throughout the season. In fact, Georgia had seven offensive linemen take more than 30% of the offensive snaps. So, it’s understandable why Smart and offensive line coach Stacy Searels would be looking not only to establish a starting five, but also some depth.

As for the competitors for the starting spot at offensive tackle, each brings something a little bit different to the table. Blaske has more experience under his belt having spent three seasons in Athens and appeared in 15 career games. Greene on the other hand was a much more highly touted prospect coming out of high school and might have more talent, but he hasn’t seen the field at all, missing the entirety of 2022 due to injuries.

“We have a pretty high bar for what the standard is at offensive tackle at Georgia and those two guys last year played really well. We’ll have good competition this year,” Smart said early on in the spring when assessing what we wanted to see from the battle at offensive tackle. “Earnest is in a good spot. Thank goodness Ron (Courson) had the foresight to have the surgery, I think it was October 10 maybe, sometime in October he had the surgery in the thought that we would get him back for spring. His conditioning level may not be exactly where we need it to be but he’s been working out with the team. He’s been doing offseason workouts with the team. He’s been able to do all the stuff he’s required to do. He’ll go out there and compete. Amarius Mims will go out there. (Austin) Blaske will be out there. Monroe Freeling will be out there, Chad Lindberg. We’ll have a lot of guys competing at tackle.”

“He’s a competitor,” Smart added later in the spring about Blaske. “I don’t know if there is anybody on the offensive line that practices as hard and as physical as he does day in and day out. He doubles as a center too. He goes in and plays center as well, so he’s really intelligent. He works really hard. He’s really good on our loose plays. He can cover down. He’s athletic. He does a good job. Earnest is doing a really phenomenal job as well,” Smart continued. “Earnest gives us something we didn’t have in the last couple of years. In the run game he is really physical. He moves people. Those two guys are battling it out there.”

Smart has gotten to see Blaske and Greene compete 14 times this spring, twice already in scrimmages. Saturday will offer another opportunity for him to see what each contender is made of when Georgia takes the field for the annual G-Day spring game.

Kickoff time from Sanford Stadium is set for 4:00 p.m. ET with gates opening at 1:00, the alumni flag football game starting shortly after and the team making its way through the Dawg Walk at 2:45. Remaining tickets can be bought at georgiadogs.com, and for those unable to make it out, the game can be seen on ESPN2.