SEC’s Most Underrated: Carlton Thomas
Posted by secsportsline on August 28, 2009
UGA’s running game is expected to be led by sophomores Caleb King and Richard Samuel. But all indications are that there will be many carries to go around. King has suffered a hamstring injury in camp, after an early season-ending injury last fall. Georgia’s quarterback position is a questionmark, leading many to believe that they will lean heavily upon their stable of talent at RB. Why shouldn’t they, with all five starters on the OL returning to open up bigger holes than Knowshon Moreno enjoyed in the 2008 campaign.
That is where Carlton Thomas enters the picture:
Carlton Thomas is not only known for his footspeed, but for his pass catching ability. A threat in open space, Thomas is a great compliment to the bruising style of starter Richard Samuel.
This runningback by committee approach is not new to UGA, nor to the SEC. In 2005, UGA won the SEC title with three tailbacks (Brown, Ware, and Lumpkin) splitting carries.
When Caleb King returns, expect Thomas to retain his spot as change-of-pace back and to be worked into passing situations. This was the mentality before King was injured, as the AJC reports.
In UGA’s second scrimmage, Thomas iced his position as a member of the tailback rotation with a 6 carry, 90 yard effort. Coach Mark Richt heaped the praise on his 5’8″, 178 pound freshman:
“He’s an every down back… We don’t look at him as only a third down guy. He can play first, second, third down. We wouldn’t pigeon hole him into a situational back. People said that about Warrick Dunn when we were at Florida State.”
If Richt is right, and Thomas grows into UGA’s Warrick Dunn this season, he could prove to be the most underrated tailback in the SEC.
