Murray Reacts to Depth Chart

Thoughts from Aaron Murray on his spot atop the depth chart...

On the reaction he got from friends and family...
“I’ve heard from family and friends who have said congratulations thus far and continue to work hard and stuff like that. I’ve talked to my family and they have pretty much the same feelings that I do, that it’s just one step and it’s not a done deal. I have to still keep working. I’m No. 1 after the spring, I’m not No. 1 for the season. So there’s still work to do, but they’re excited and happy for me that I’m doing well right now.”

On his poor performance at G-Day...
“I was a little amped up. I talked to Coach Bobo about it, and he felt I was a little too juiced up, a little too excited. A couple of my passes were a little overthrown. You’re not going to have your best day every day, and it wasn’t great that it was on G-Day, that wasn’t my best day. But I think they took the spring as a whole, and my performances through the practices and the scrimmage, they went off that. It’s spring, it’s just the spring game, and I’m just thankful that it’s not the regular season. I can go back and look at the film and work on that in the summer now, and hopefully next year I won’t be making the same mistakes I made in the G-Day game.”

On the reaction around campus...
“It was cool. A couple people said congratulations on the news. It was in the paper. A couple of the guys on the team said congratulations on what happened. It’s pretty cool. It’s exciting, and it’s definitely something to look forward to in taking this job, and I have to just keep working to make sure I solidify my spot for the first game of the year.”

On his meeting with Mike Bobo...
“We really didn’t talk much about it. We talked mostly about things he wanted me to work on this summer, little things he thought I needed to improve on, things he thought I needed to improve on to become a better leader, a better football player, and stuff he was looking for on the offense in general. We really didn’t spend much time on it. It was mostly things he wanted me to do this summer with the team, 7-on-7, film study with the linemen and receivers, and just stuff to get ready for the season.”

(*Note, he said he was told by Bobo about being No. 1 a week ago.)

On what he needs to do to be a leader this offseason...
“Just keep working hard, basically. We have a great core of guys, and we have some great leaders on this team as it is. Being the quarterback, you’re going to be looked on in that leadership role, and I think the more comfortable I get just working with guys over the summer, working with the receivers in 7-on-7 and watching film with the line, the more they can trust me in what I’m doing out there and what I know is the right thing. The more trust I get in them, the more confidence they’ll have in me, and that leadership factor will start to build.”

On the higher standard off the field for being a QB at Georgia…
“If you’re a football player, everyone on campus knows who you are. Everyone around the state pretty much knows who you are just by walking down the street they can pick out some of the guys. That’s just something that comes with the territory. When you’re a football player for the University of Georgia, people are going to be looking at your every move. You always have to be careful whether you’re a starter or a back-up. You want to represent your school well, represent your team well and definitely don’t want to put any shame on the University of Georgia or your family. It’s a tough thing to do. You want to go out there and have fun, you want to be a kid and what not. But in the end, you are an athlete for Georgia, and we have to carry ourselves around campus a lot different than other students. You have to be more careful and mindful of that.”

On his reaction to Mettenberger's dismissal...
“Zach and I were pretty close. We were roommates my first semester and we were together pretty much every day in meetings and practice. When I got the news, I was definitely pretty upset and hurt for him because I know how hard he’s worked and he’s really busted his (butt) all season making sure he’s improved on his fundamentals and things coaches really wanted him to work on. It’s definitely hard, I know it’s hard on him, but he has a bright future, he’s a talented kid, everyone knows on the team he has all the intangibles to be a great quarterback. He just has to find the right place, and I’m sure he will and continue to move on with his career and put this behind him as just one little speed bump.”

On the pressure of the job...
“It’s a lot of pressure. It’s a big-time program, but growing up, this is something you dream about, being the quarterback for a major university. It’s a lot of pressure, when I go on the field that first game and there’s 90,000-plus fans out there screaming, it’s going to be a little hectic, I’ll probably be a little nervous in the huddle, but that’s why you’ve got to prepare all offseason hard. This summer, I need to make sure I know all my fundamentals are down pat, watch a lot of film, I know what I’m doing out there, my reads, hopefully that will take over in the end. Just me being more comfortable will help with that little bit of nerves those first few games.”

On how well he knows the playbook...
“I think I know it pretty well. I feel extremely comfortable with it. I’ve worked hard at making sure I know the playbook inside and out. There’s still some things I need to work on with that, but I want to make it my goal to make it second nature. I want to know the ins and outs and start learning the offensive line terminology. I want to know what they’re doing, what their calls are and what they’re doing up front. The running backs, the receivers, to really know the offense, I think you have to know what all 11 guys are doing on offense, what their jobs are, and I want to know what they’re doing, and be able to be that leader and be that quarterback to make sure everyone’s on the right page in the huddle. So that’s my goal is to learn as much as I can, meet with the offensive line, learn their stuff, what they’re doing, their communication, their calls. With the receivers, learn their routes, make sure I know where they are at all times and making sure they know where I want them to be.”

On his plans for voluntary workouts...
“I’ve talked to the guys a little bit here and there. We’ll probably start throwing when we get back in June about two times a week. We’ll go off that and run some routes, get the defense out there and do some one-on-ones, a little bit of 7-on-7, and come July we’ll bump it up to three or five times a week so we can make sure everything’s installed for camp. We’ll get it down pretty good and get some good work in and making sure the defense is continuing to learn their stuff out there since it’s new for them. I think it’s going to be a great summer.”

On how it feels to be No. 1….
“It’s definitely different. When you take that quarterback role, no matter what you’re looked at as a leader. Even though I’m a young guy, I’ve worked my way up to that leadership role, and all eyes are always on the quarterback. So I’ll have those other guys on the team looking at me, and so I’ve got to work hard and I’ve got to go out there and prove myself to these guys. They’re going to be looking at me, especially with a veteran offensive line and a veteran offense in general, they’re going to be looking at me. I am a redshirt freshman, so I’ve got to prove to those guys I’m willing to go out there and work my butt off each day, go in there and watch the extra film, do the extra drills and prove to them that even though I’m young, I’m willing to work hard and make sure I know everything and I’m not going to let them down when the season comes.”