As votes of confidence go, this one had to be bittersweet for Georgia cornerback Damian Swann.
New defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt assessed the Bulldogs' defensive backfield this way on Tuesday:
"I feel like right now I've got one guy who's playing the way it's supposed to be played in the secondary. And we've gotta find a lot more than that," Pruitt said, . That one player is Swann, a senior who is now the unit's undisputed leader. But in praising Swann, Pruitt also foreshadowed what could emerge as serious deficiencies against the pass this fall.
Pruitt's biggest task is rebuilding a defensive backfield that lost three offseason transfers to FBS programs: Shaq Wiggins and Josh Harvey-Clemons to Louisville, and Tray Matthews to Auburn.
Bulldogs fans could be watching opposing quarterbacks air it out with one eye closed in Sanford Stadium this fall.
Here's what else you need to know from Tuesday's training camps:
- Preseason camp isn't normally the time of year that NFL scouts frequently pop in on college programs to watch potential prospects, but a couple of them -- from the Bills and Steelers -- reportedly made their way to Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Tuesday.
- It's somewhat rare when a position coach makes a big deal about sophomores early in fall camp, but Virginia Tech secondary coach Torrian Gray doesn't work with two normal sophomore cornerbacks. He admitted to reporters Tuesday that he has made "preemptive strikes" to downplay hype surrounding starters Kendall Fuller and Brandon Facyson, both of whom starred as true freshmen last season. But he also admitted that it's tough to be critical of the pair because they're so advanced. Fuller's older brother, Kyle, showed the way from Virginia Tech cornerback to first-round NFL draft pick in May when the Chicago Bears made him the No. 14 overall pick.
- What do you do when you have the fastest-running scooter in the neighborhood? Tinker with it, of course. That's what FSU coach Jimbo Fisher is doing with his vastly talented defensive front seven, according to ESPN.
- The social media photo of the day around fall camps has to go to Kentucky freshman defensive lineman Matt Elam. He looks more like a senior, for some reason:
In the background is UK offensive line coach John Schlarman. He is saying nothing, but appears somewhat in awe of Elam's reported 6-foot-7, 375-pound frame.
- On the subject of social media, Oklahoma fans got a first glimpse of troubled transfer Dorial Green-Beckham via an Instagram video that made the rounds. In the video, Green-Beckham, who landed at OU after being booted from Missouri, catches two passes, uncovered, in what appears to be less than full-speed drill work. Bring out the Schooner.
- Put a talented five-star quarterback squarely in the middle of a reclamation project the size of Penn State football, and you have Christian Hackenberg. He played brilliantly last year, but the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year wants more.
- USC should have one of the best tight ends in the Pac-12 in senior Randall Telfer, but depth is a huge issue for the Trojans at that position with the announcement that backup Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick is academically ineligible this season. The only other scholarship tight end is touted true freshman Bryce Dixon. USC seemed likely to run a lot of three-receiver sets anyway, and that appears to be a given now.
- How would Alabama's fourth-string running back fare at a smaller school like Colorado State? We're about to find out. The injury-plagued Dee Hart transferred out of UA and officially joined CSU Tuesday under coach Jim McElwain, for whom he played when McElwain was Alabama's offensive coordinator in 2011. Hart is immediately eligible because he had already earned an undergraduate degree at Alabama. Whether Hart will start remains to be seen, but McElwain said UA coach Nick Saban told him he was getting the Crimson Tide's best special-teams performer of 2013.
- Toledo senior Cheatham Norrils (6-0, 195), one of the best cornerbacks in the MAC, isn't practicing with the Rockets as he recovers from symptoms of viral meningitis and pneumonia. Coach Matt Campbell told ToledoNewsNow.com that Norrils' status for the season is up in the air. His absence would be a big blow to a Rockets team that was expected to field one of the best defenses in the league this season.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *@ChaseGoodbread*.