With the departures of wide receivers Mecole Hardman, Terry Godwin and Riley Ridley to the 2019 NFL Draft the Georgia Bulldogs desperately need some upperclassmen leadership at the position. Losing star receiver Jeremiah Holloman on top of the NFL departures wasn’t ideal either, but there are two guys that should be ready to fill that role immediately.

Senior Tyler Simmons (87) and graduate transfer Lawrence Cager (15) both seem ready to fill that void. Smart said during this past Saturday’s press conference that Simmons had already locked down a starting position, but mentioned that Cager has made some explosive plays during fall camp.

Cager spent the past four years at Miami, redshirting his freshman year. He decided to enter the transfer portal for his last season and ended up in coming up to Athens. He has only been for a couple of months but it seems that he is ready to see what this untested receiving core can do.

“Really for the receiving room aspect, me, Tyler (Simmons), all the receivers, especially me and Tyler being seniors came in the mindset of ‘it’s on us,” said Cager. “Whether it’s blocking for the running backs, making plays on the perimeter, special teams. It’s on us. We come with that mindset and we’re coming to attack every day like it’s a game.”

Without a doubt Cager thinks that this group is ready to accomplish big things. It turns out that even with the lack of experience at the position it wasn’t one of the reasons he chose UGA. Cager had a relationship with offensive coordinator James Coley while at Miami, and Kirby Smart had recruited Cager when he was the defensive coordinator at Alabama. He admitted that he never took a visit to Athens, but UGA had recruited him hard.

It seemed to be an easy choice for him because he already had a relationship with two of the coaches and knew with his ability and talent, he could come in and compete to earn playing time.

“Honestly, I didn’t even look at the receiver situation, Coach [James] Coley and Coach Smart called me as soon as I put my name in the portal. I put my trust in those guys 10 times out of 10,” said Cager. “Coach Coley when he coached me at Miami and Coach Smart recruiting me heavy when I was being recruited by Alabama, so I just trusted them and we’ll see how it goes.”

Cager said that the first player that he really bonded with at Georgia was quarterback Jake Fromm (11). The two seemed to have become good friends, and he said that they have spent a lot of time in the film room together. Cager describes Fromm as a leader on the team. He also mentioned that his teammates already make him feel right at home and that he is apart of a brotherhood.

 “I feel like I’ve got some brothers here now. I’m not an alien anymore. I’ve got guys I can relate to. No those are great guys. We’re competing our butts off every day for coach,” said Cager. “And for Jake and for the O-line and the running backs. We’re just happy to be in the position that we are.”

At 6-foot-5 and 220-pounds, Cager is a wideout that could have a tremendous year for Georgia. He seems humble and ready for the season to start. Cager may give the Bulldog Nation something else to cheer about in 2019.

Here is the video of Lawrence Cager’s post-practice interview: