As University of Georgia senior quarterback Hutson Mason embarks on a journey to replace the greatest signal-caller in the history of the program, four-year starter Aaron Murray (with apologies to Buck Belue and David Greene), it brings about memories of two former players who also got the chance to take over in the final season of their respective careers.

Both D.J. Shockley and Joe Tereshinski III watched Greene pile up wins and accomplishments before being afforded to embark on their own brief journey. For Shockley, it was eerily similar to what Mason has gone through.

Shockley could’ve been a star had he possibly transferred and been able to display his vast skill-set to the masses. But in what was undoubtedly a testament to how great a father-figure head coach Mark Richt is, Shockley decided to stick around and accomplish virtually everything in one fell swoop.

By most accounts things worked out well for Shockley. His statline: 24 touchdowns, five interceptions with a 55.8 completion percentage, to go with 322 yards rushing (four TDs) was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Red and Black.

Furthermore, UGA rode his performance to a surprise SEC Championship — with Shockley being named MVP of the game — and an appearance in the Nokia Sugar Bowl. And although Shockley went undrafted, which is still puzzling to this day, his lone season as the primary signal-caller was very successful.

As for Tereshinski, not so much…

Nobody in their right mind ever believed that Tereshinski, or JTIII as he was commonly referred to, was in the class of a Shockley or Greene. But you got the feeling that after having sat behind two players of the ilk, he may have been able to catch lightning in a bottle with a perennially talented Georgia roster.

It didn’t help that JTIII performed admirably in Shockley’s stead when the latter went down the previous year with that aforementioned knee injury. But overall JTIII lacked talent, and not to mention the most heralded QB recruit in Georgia’s history, Matthew Stafford, was breathing down his neck.

Ultimately Tereshinski was supplanted by Stafford and relegated to a position change.

With all that being said, where does Mason stand?

He’s Surrounded By Some Serious Talent

Mason has the benefit of being surrounded by arguably the most talent UGA has had at the skill positions in the Richt era. Running back Todd Gurley is the consensus best back in the country, and he may be the best player at the collegiate level — regardless of position. Behind him is a more-than-capable backup, Keith Marshall.

And when you factor in a couple of 5-star recruits (depending on the recruiting service), Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, you have arguably the best backfield going. And as talented as the players are that Mason will be handing off to, the players out wide are not to be glossed over.

The combination of Chris Conley, Michael Bennett, Malcolm Mitchell (sometimes) and my favorite, Justin Scott-Wesley, provide Mason with a wealth of experience and talent.

To put it simply, Georgia is loaded!

But there is one major caveat: The Bulldogs’ offensive line is as leaky as my mother’s 94 Civic (you’ve gotta get a new car, mom) in pass protection. But it shines when moving forward to run block.

So the task for offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is simple: establish the run, implement a heavy amount of play-action fakes and utilize the stretch-vertical game.

Otherwise, it’s business as usual in Athens.

Skill Set

Mason has a lot going for himself: he’s good at extending plays, he can throw on the run and he’s adept at making the anticipatory throw. He doesn’t quite have the arm of a Stafford — who has an absolute cannon — but he’s capable of making every NFL-style throw.

He’s actually similar to Murray in the fact that he’s very polished at the nuances of the game. And where Murray may be the better athlete, Mason is actually the bigger of the two — checking in at 6’3″, 210 pounds to Murray’s 6’0″, 207.

HMOppHashThrow

Here we see Mason making an opposite hash, out-route pass look rather easy. He initially reads his primary receiver while deciphering the coverage. Once he sees the defense in an underneath zone, he plants his feet and drives off his back leg allowing himself maximum velocity for a difficult throw.

He leads the receiver upfield, away from the sideline, which lets him gain those necessary yards after the catch. This was perfect in every sense of the word; Bobo has done well with Mason’s mechanics.

But one thing Bobo can’t help with is instincts. But luckily for him, and Dawg Nation, he doesn’t have to fret about that with Mason; he has excellent pocket awareness.

HutScramble

Case in point: Mason shows off his overall wherewithal by being able to make quick decisions in the pocket. After dropping back and quickly going through his progressions, Mason bolts the pocket to pick up a first down while getting out of bounds.

This is impressive in itself. But when you take into account that he outran Georgia Tech’s uber-athletic edge-rusher, Jeremiah Attaochu, the awe-factor heightens tremendously.

Verdict

While Mason may not generate the publicity of a Stafford or Murray, UGA couldn’t be in better hands provided the circumstances. Mason is a savvy vet with near-flawless mechanics.

His playing style is very reminiscent of former BCS-title winning QB Matt Flynn (LSU), who sat behind Jamarcus Russell and had only one year to make his mark. And with how loaded Georgia’s roster is, Mason may mimic Flynn’s results when it’s all said and done with.

I fully expect Mason to be remember more like D.J. Shockley — or at the very least Joe Cox (who sat behind Stafford and did decently well with his one shot) — opposed to JTIII.

And so does Coach Richt.

“He wanted to stick it out and have his moment to shine with the Bulldogs,” Richt said at SEC Media Days (h/t to Graham Watson of Yahoo! Sports). “He’s really sacrificed a lot for this team. He’s staying because he loves Georgia and he especially loves his teammates. But he also knew that this season was going to come and he was going to be surrounded by a lot of skill guys, a lot of great backs, receivers, some veteran linemen, a defense that should be matured from a year ago.”

Watch out, SEC. Them Dawgs are coming.