Netori Johnson is back on offense.
Whether it’s permanent or temporary is unknown at this point, but the former 4-star prospect out of Atlanta’s Cedar Grove was fully involved with Georgia’s offensive line and new position coach Matt Luke during the Bulldogs’ Sugar Bowl practice Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Johnson was a U.S. Army All-American as an offensive lineman when he signed with UGA in 2017. But after a redshirt year and some reserve work on offense in 2018, Johnson was moved to defensive line this past spring. Johnson played in four games as a noseguard and finished with four tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
Neither head coach Kirby Smart nor offensive coordinator James Coley have made any mention of Johnson moving back to offense. He was playing guard before he made the move to defense.
The Bulldogs could use the extra help. They'll be without four front-line players for Wednesday's game against No. 7 Baylor (8:45 p.m., ESPN). Tackles Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson are skipping the bowl to train for the NFL Draft, guard Ben Cleveland is academically ineligible and Justin Shaffer is out for the season with a neck injury.
Other observations from 15 minutes of practice viewing:
• Senior Tyrique McGhee was not spotted with the defensive backs. That's significant because McGhee has played in 50 games in his career with eight starts. Injuries limited him to eight games this season, but he has the ability to play all positions in the secondary, including free safety, where the Bulldogs will be missing senior All-American J.R. Reed (foot) for Wednesday's game.
• It appeared that sophomore Otis Reese was getting some work with the first-team defense alongside Richard LeCounte. With Reed on the field, LeCounte handled more of the strong safety duties for the Bulldogs. But with Reed out, LeCounte is expected to float more and make the secondary play calls. The 6-foot-3, 216-pound Reed played in all 13 games this season but primarily on special teams. He enters the Sugar Bowl with three tackles this season, and 16 in his career.
• Also working with the defensive backs Sunday was graduate Prather Hudson. Hudson has worked with the running backs throughout his career, but his primary contributions come on kick-coverage units. He recorded three tackles in that role this season.
• Redshirt freshman Kearis Jackson appeared to be full-go in Sunday's full-contact practice. He was catching passes full speed with the rest of the receivers in the Superdome. Jackson sprained an ankle early in the SEC Championship game against No. 1 LSU and was unable to finish the game. He has five catches for 79 yards this season.
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