Georgia true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason has flashed his passing abilities through the first half of the season.

Now, coach Kirby Smart wants to see him progress on the mental side. Smart said Wednesday during the SEC coaches teleconference that he has “a list of four or five things” he wants Eason to improve on.

“It starts with communication, reading defenses,” Smart said. “He has been better about talking to us and telling us what he’s been seeing out there. We’ve been mixing things up on him in practice and he’s been improving there. It’s not about his arm talent, it’s about what he sees and his decision-making out there.”

The true freshman has completed 54.3 percent of his passes for 1,366 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. But Eason will face perhaps his toughest test of the season after being off this week, facing Florida’s swarming defense on Oct. 29.

“It’s a great challenge, the biggest challenge thus far,” Smart said. “We’ve seen firsthand how fast they are, very physical. They have an elite rusher, and the secondary is full of good players. We are excited about the opportunity but we are working on improving ourselves this week. We need to prevent giving away free yards before we move to them.”