Given that he had to battle the No. 1 defense in the nation every day in practice, Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey knew he could make an impact in games last season.
And he did, finishing third on the team with 447 receiving yards, plus five touchdowns.
“I really think that kind of came in practice and just translated over to the game,” McConkey said Wednesday. “Playing against that defense last year that we had, and even this year, I’m going up against the No. 1 defense in the nation. Being able to play against those guys just gives me the confidence to go out and do it against everybody else. Really, just every day in practice going against them, I think that translates over to the game.”
Tight end Brock Bowers actually led Georgia in receiving yards (882) last season, breaking a school single-season record for a pass-catcher with 13 touchdowns. But, with Jermaine Burton (497 receiving yards, five touchdowns) having transferred to Alabama, McConkey is Georgia’s leading returning receiver.
He and AD Mitchell (fourth on the team last season with 426 receiving yards, four touchdowns), figure to be two mainstays at wideout for the Bulldogs.
This year, as a sophomore, McConkey wants to grow into an even bigger role than he took on last season. He’ll get the chance soon, with Georgia opening the season versus Oregon at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“I’m kind of trying to step into a bigger role this year, just doing what the coaches ask me to do, don’t do anything I’m not comfortable with, just play my game and the rest will take care of itself,” McConkey said. “When you’re a year older in the program, obviously there’s expectations to kind of be a leader, obviously you want to be on the field and make more plays, but not necessarily go out and catch more balls or have more yards, but really just be someone that the younger guys can lean on and kind of look up to and ask for advice.”
The Bulldogs don’t have Burton or George Pickens (now with the Steelers) this season, but McConkey said the receivers are versatile and capable of explosive plays (to be fair, Pickens barely played last season because of a torn ACL, so Georgia already had to find its way without him).
He bragged about Dominick Blaylock, who is healthy after two torn ACLs derailed his past two seasons, and freshmen, including De’Nylon Morrissette, Dillon Bell and Mekhi Mews.
“I think we have a lot of guys that can make explosive plays,” McConkey said. “We’re big. We’re small. We’re fast. It’s a wide variety, and I think all of us have our own skill sets that we can bring to the table. Each one of us has different attributes that we bring to the table. That is kind of our biggest strength, we all know how to use what we are good at.”
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