Quarterback Hutson Mason graded his performance in the Georgia spring football game as a B-minus or C-plus. He passed for 109 yards, but also threw the game’s lone interception.
Still, he finished the spring as the clear backup to starter Aaron Murray, as true freshman Christian LeMay continues to learn the playbook.
That doesn’t guarantee that Mason won’t redshirt.
“I don’t know man. It’s a sticky situation that I’m in,” Mason said. “The only thing I’ve tried to do is just compete every day. I’ll evaluate myself and my situation when it comes to that time. But you know, they just tell me to go out there and compete every day so that’s what I’m doing.”
Mason elaborated on the “sticky situation” by saying it was just that he and Murray are both sophomores. He couldn’t redshirt last year because the team only had two scholarship quarterbacks. Now the team also has Christian LeMay, but he’s a true freshman.
When head coach Mark Richt was asked Saturday about the backup quarterback battle, he said: “I think Christian LeMay right now is just battling the playbook. Until you really know what you’re doing, you really can’t compete at quarterback.”
But LeMay isn’t being ruled out as a factor. He showed a good arm and athletic ability on G-Day, and led the game-winning drive. (Richt said it was just LeMay’s turn in the rotation.) Richt also said he expects LeMay to be a factor in the competition in the fall, so no decision has been made on who will redshirt, if anybody.
Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, also the quarterbacks coach, summed up the quarterback situation this way:
“I think we’ve got two very good ones in Aaron Murray and Hutson Mason. The other guys are battling it out. (Walk-on) Parker Welch has done a lot of nice things. He’s improved tremendously all spring.
“Christian LeMay I think has a chance to be a very special player. He’s extremely athletic and has a very good arm. He’s just a freshman here and it’s really tough for any freshman to come in and really know what to do. But he’s shown us the ability … that we think he could do a good job.”
Mason was asked Saturday if, ideally, he would like to redshirt in order to be a year behind Murray – and potentially be in line to be the starter down the road.
“I haven’t thought about it much because I don’t want to make an impulsive decision right here and say I wish I did (redshirt),” Mason said. “It would probably be something I would have to sit down and think about what’s best for my future. I don’t want to say yea or nay right now.”
Mason added: “I’ll worry about it when I cross that bridge.”
Sunday, April 17, 2011
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18 comments:
Doesn't want to waste his redshirt year because he knows he may have to transfer soon enough.
Mason is going to be a career back up QB. He isn't as talented as Murray or Lemay.
He could transfer and start, but it would be at a lesser program.
Why wouldn't you stay at UGA and enjoy the ride?
I think Mason is a very good QB but I also know how this coaching staff is...meaning, Murray is their guy until an injury takes him out. Mason will have to accept he's the backup/cleanup guy or else transfer. Logan Gray can tell him how it feels to be in these shoes.
It's too early to evaluate LeMay IMHO. But right now, this very minute, he ain't gonna be getting serious play time this Fall.
Definitely sounds like he is a transfer candidate. I really like Mason; seems to be a hard worker and a great kid. However, I don't get his logic right now at all. Throughout his senior year of high school, he waited and waited on a scholarship from Georgia and when he finally got on, he sprung at the opportunity to be a Dawg. My question is this: if he wanted to be a Bulldog so bad then, why does he want to transfer now? I understand that kids want to play, but Mason had to at least recognize from the way he was recruited in high school (first option for mid-majors, second or even third option for SEC/ACC teams) that he might not ever be "the guy" at a big time program.
I understand that he wants to redshirt so he can have a shot to compete when Aaron graduates, and that makes sense. Still, I just don't get why he would chose Georgia knowing what the QB depth chart would look like(we had Mett AND Murray when he picked the dawgs; one of which he had to figure would be a long time starter) and all of the sudden want to transfer. I just don't get it.
Mason probably realizes that he is just an injury away from taking over the team..not a great situation but one he realistically can live with. He's a Div I QB at a great school..no, it's not self-fulfilling to be a "sometime" player but he has the "team" to carry him along until, maybe, he gets his big chance. Is it the best of situations? No. But it beats being the starter at Millsaps or Lagrange or,even, Furman. Nothing beats wearing the silver britches and being a Dawg!!
Mason will definitely make a decision next year when Richt is fired and the new coach comes in.
Ouch.... 14 - 7 FIRE DAVE PERNO!
I love the pessimism of the Anon crowd... "when Richt gets fired"
HAHAHAHAHA... seriously, did y'all not watch the video tour of the new facilities? Pictures of Mark Richt were all over the place-- it's going to take more than two or three 'down' years for him to get fired, because McGarrity has a brain in his head, and realizes that viable replacements for a coach that averaged 10 wins a season for 10 years are few and far between!
Thank God your ilk have no voice in running the program.
Mason is a decent QB, and to compare him to Logan Gray is laughable. Logan is a trooper, but he was never going to be a D-I QB, nor an NFL QB. He should've pushed for a move to WR sooner, so he could become a Wes Welker-type. I think he ultimately decided to transfer because he knew he'd only ever be the fourth or fifth option on an SEC team, whereas he could be a playmaker in the PAC-10 or the (inaccurately named) Big-12.
Good for him, but don't compare him to Mason. Mason will back up Murray this year, and unless he gets an injury opportunity, he'll likely transfer next year and burn his redshirt then. (this is especially the case considering that UGA is in the hunt for a top QB recruit for 2012, which would mean that Murray, Lemay, and the new kid would get 2 years a piece at the helm.)
Mason is very talented. I think he has a tough decision, if he thinks he can start at Georgia, he'll stay, if not, I agree, he'll transfer.
Mason is capable of being a starting QB at Georgia, or anywhere else in the League.
I think they should hold him out, and redshirt him if they can. The risk is, of course, if Murray goes down, the redshirt has to come off.
If that happens this year, then you try it again the next year. It's not that tough to figure.
But like he's been told, he has to just work as if he's gonna play. There's no contradiction there.
~~~
If all goes according to plan it should be that Murray is the starter, Mason gets to play some in mop up duty, and LeMay redshirts.
Mason is by now capable of handling the offense should something unforeseen happen to Murray. He is a capable back up QB.
But LeMay will eventually overtake him at the number 2 spot, most likely by the 2012 season.
Murray is the present. LeMay is the future. Mason is the safety valve in between them. Like Doug said, Mason will be a career backup; might as well enjoy the ride!
After watching the spring game on TV, this team is no different from the last two years. If Richt is not gone after the end of this year, bobo will be. Regardless, Mason should consider transferring if he wants to play as a quarterback. If he wants to fish, he should follow in the footsteps of other players and stay.
Give Mason the redshirt. Lemay will be as prepared for the mopup role as Mason was last season come fall.
Give Mason an opportunity to play when Murray leaves. Lemay can take the redshirt in the 2012 season (he needs to see the field now since he was out all last fall).
I like the idea of using the freshmen as backups and taking the redhsirt as sophomores. They're in mopup (so the games aren't super important at that stage). It gives them live-action gamefilm to go into the offseason. It gives the coaches an idea of their strengths and weaknesses when compiling a playbook in the offseason.
And it shows new recruits that they can be out there as 18 year olds (that's all the recruits are really looking at anyway... getting on the field first).
Play the freshmen, redshirt the sophomores.
I watched the game and wasnt too overly impressed with our offense. Defense had some nice plays but then again our offense still sucks. I also think this will be Richts last year at UGA unless something big happens.
Hey Patient advocate... yeah you stop putting up fake photos of yourself on this blog and acting intelligent.
Lots of chatter on the blogs about Mason potentially transferring. Lots of ACC teams need him. Going to be hard for him to get in between Murray & Lemay. Had a great Spring though.
I wouldn't redshirt Mason unless LeMay was equally ready come August.
Play the best players and only use redshirts on guys that wouldn't have contributed anyway.
Mason should start over Murray! We would way more games.
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