Georgia still may be trying to sort out several positions between now and the fall, including quarterback, center, receiver and the secondary.

But scratch inside linebacker from that list of needs.

Ramik Wilson and Amarlo Herrera combined for 225 tackles at inside linebacker last season. When that duo left, many assumed that the position would be an area of concern for the Bulldogs as the team wraps up spring practice. Instead, it’s looking more like a strength.

The biggest challenge for coordinator Jeremy Pruitt may be trying to find enough snaps for the talented backups.

Reggie Carter and Tim Kimbrough, both juniors, started at inside linebacker for the No. 1 defense during Saturday’s G-Day game and look like the guys to beat. Carter led the Black team with eight tackles.

But the list of challengers who are good enough to at least deserve playing time on defense is long:

  • Chuks Amaechi, who came to Georgia from Arizona Western College as an early enrollee and an unheralded three-star guy. He’s practiced at both inside and outside linebacker, but he’s made a strong impression on his teammates and played outstanding in the second scrimmage.
  • My personal favorite, UAB transfer Jake Ganus. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Ganus made 16.5 tackles for loss for the Blazers last season as a second-team All-Conference USA selection. He led UGA in tackles in the first two scrimmages, working with the second-team defense. He wasn’t prominent during the G-Day game, but the team threw the ball a lot.
  • Four-star freshman Natrez Patrick, who moved from outside to inside linebacker after playing defensive end in high school. His recruiting bio listed him at 6-foot-3 and 259 pounds. He made eight tackles in Saturday’s spring game.
  • Four-star freshman Roquan Smith, he of the National Signing Day drama and he who never signed a Letter of Intent. Georgia expects him in Athens this summer and he could play inside linebacker to begin his career.
  • Juwan Taylor, another incoming freshman and a member of the 2015 class.

Said coach Mark Richt: “We’ve got a long way to go and we know we’ve got a lot of other players coming into the mix before we nail things down.”

It’s true — all five of the above players are new. That’s a lot of adaptation, installation and evaluation. Outside linebacker is a more natural position for some of them, but Georgia’s logjam of talent there has repositioned them. But there’s talent in this group.

Granted, the team still practices once more this spring in an organized fashion, and coaches are able to spend some classroom time with the players through the end of the academic semester. But Georgia fans should look forward to what could be a super competitive fall as the newcomers try to supplant Carter and Kimbrough, or at least wiggle their way into a rotation.

“We love it,” Carter said, according to the Athens Banner-Herald. “It’s bringing out the best of everybody. Everybody is giving it all they got now. … We need everybody, of course. We need everybody rotating. We need our backups, second and third.”

Kimbrough has a reputation as the most physical of the group, though at 6-foot-1 and 231 pounds, Carter is bigger than some of those trying to unseat him. The current starters, both players are familiar with the system and have played fast this spring as a result, reports indicate.

“Those guys are … playing downhill and they’re not afraid to stick their nose in there and hit you,” offensive tackle John Theus said, according to the Banner-Herald.

Ganus may be undersized for an SEC inside ‘backer, but he led UAB in tackles each of the last two seasons and clearly knows how to play football. It will be fun to see how much more of the playbook he’s absorbed by the fall and whether he can play as fast as Kimbrough and Carter.

“Coach (Mike) Ekeler has really transformed the way I play linebacker,” Ganus said. “I’m pretty raw. My technique and the details of different things I do is pretty raw and not very good so that’s something I’ve emphasized this spring. He’s just done a great job working with me and helping me to become the linebacker where I can make plays.”