Second-year surge: Georgia WR Cole Speer
The summer is here and Kirby Smart’s eighth Georgia football team is putting in a lot of work behind closed doors. The entire 2023 class has arrived on campus and the Bulldogs are marching toward history.
A third consecutive National Championship, in the modern era, is unprecedented. But so was a back-to-back titles in the playoff era. In order for Georgia to stay on top of the mountain, it’ll have to rely on some players heading into their second season.
With that in mind, DawgsHQ is rolling out a series where we look at every scholarship player who is entering year two. Next up is a wideout who played more than most thought he would a season ago.
WR Cole Speer
Size: 5-foot-11 185 pounds
On3 Industry Ranking: No 861 overall, No. 139 wide receiver, No 87 in Georgia
2022 Stats: Speer played in six of Georgia’s 12 games and was a regular on the travel roster. Most of his action was on the punt team and kickoff coverage units. He had one catch for 12 yards in week three against South Carolina.
Speer strengths and weaknesses…
The Calhoun High School product is a compact athlete with really good speed. He earned an offer from Georgia by running really well in front of the staff at camp. As a freshman he showed a willingness to stick his face into the fan. He’s a willing, capable blocker who plays the game wide open. That’s what helps make him an effective special teams player.
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As a receiver he has the twitch and hands to be an asset in the slot. His physicality gives him a chance to get on the field as a blocker. Still, he’s not a refined route runner and Speer hasn’t yet shown that he can win the one-on-one matchups it’ll take to earn a bigger role. The tools, however, seem to be there.
The Buzz…
Consistency hasn’t really been a problem for Speer. It’s more an issue of volume. He gives great effort and does good things on the practice field, but you don’t hear too much about big plays being made. There’s confidence among those close to the team that the speed, quickness, and toughness needed to make those plays is present, though.
In 2023…
This is a pretty big preseason camp for Speer when you think about it. Georgia brought in some good receivers in the 2023 class and Speer will have to fight hard to hold those guys off. The additions of Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas thickens things at the top of the receiver rotation. Speer is going to have a tough time breaking through up there. But he does need to stay ahead of the youngsters if he’s going to be a major factor in 2024.
