Dawgs want Ogletree to be closer to the ball

When a player changes a position during spring practice, usually it isn’t that newsworthy as the player was likely struggling at his old spot or not getting enough reps and the staff though to utilize him in a different spot. The Alec Ogletree move from safety to linebacker is a not one of those cases. As a true freshman in 2010, Ogletree appeared in twelve games, starting five, and made enough of an impact that he was crowned Newcomer of the Year on defense by Georgia and the SEC placed him on the All-SEC Freshman team.

Suddenly Ogletree’s move makes you scratch your head considering now the safety position loses perhaps its fiercest hitter and its best player down the stretch. If you really want the reason for the switch though, maybe it is best to open up the Georgia history books and read about one Thomas Davis. Like Ogletree, Davis was a huge-hitting safety during his time in Athens. However Davis was a liability on coverage, with no better example being the 2004 Tennessee game where Davis was exploited early in a Volunteer upset. With Ogletree’s size, 6’3, 225, he has the height and speed of a safety but the size of a linebacker. With that rare combination, as good as he is a safety, speed kills at linebacker and in the 3-4 he can help out in coverage and well as jump up to stop the run. In the “let’s get faster on defense” era of defense, moving a safety with Ogletree’s size to LB will only help the Bulldogs adapt quicker to the 3-4.

Even in high school, you could tell that Ogletree would likely end up at linebacker. He usually walked up from the safety spot to help stop the run. Now he can certain cover a tight end or a slot receiver if need be for Todd Grantham’s defense. Ogletree didn’t do anything wrong. The coaches simply saw a player with a unique blend of size and speed and decided to move him closer to the ball to take advantage of his abilities. The gaping hole at safety? Worry about that later.

Ogletree will certainly surpass the tackles he racked up last year, likely in the first four games of the year. Thomas Davis was moved from safety to linebacker in the NFL after being selected in the first round of the draft. The Georgia coaches are just speeding up the eventual move for Ogletree. If history repeats itself, that just means Ogletree will crush heads for another few years in Athens before becoming a first round draft pick. I think the coaches will take that.