Alec Ogletree discusses move to ILB, Trey Thompkins on his injury, and more

A long day of covering the first round of the SEC tournament, and then the first day of spring football practice, is finally over. Well, I didn't cover the whole first round, just Georgia's game, but you get the point.

Here's my story from football practice, leading with Alec Ogletree talking about how his move from safety to inside linebacker came about.

ATHENS - Early last week, Alec Ogletree was called into the office of Todd Grantham, the Georgia football team’s defensive coordinator. Ogletree was asked (not told, he says) if he wanted to move from safety to linebacker.

Ogletree, who started the final few games at safety for Georgia last year, hadn’t played linebacker since Pop Warner. But Grantham went to the board and showed the freshman what the Bulldogs planned to do with him at inside linebacker. Then he told Ogletree to mull it over.

...

“That’s my goal, just to be a playmaker, whether it’s inside, safety or whatever,” Ogletree said. “I’m just trying to help the team. Coach just felt like I could be a much better player at inside linebacker, make more plays. So I’m just willing to try it out.”

There are other notes in that story, including on Aaron Murray, Washaun Ealey and Justin Anderson.

Meanwhile, why did Georgia have much less trouble with Auburn on a neutral court than it did in Athens? It may have had something to do with the health of Trey Thompkins. The star forward hasn't talked much about his health this season, but he said in the locker room on Thursday that this was the first game he'd been "100 percent" this year.

ATLANTA - Trey Thompkins sat on a small chair in the Georgia locker room, a roll of ankle tape on the floor next to his bare feet. In quick-hitting answers, he pointed to where the injuries had been.

The right foot was where the high-ankle sprain had been. Above that had been the shin injury. The latest malady, an ingrown toenail, had been on his left foot.

...

“I feel like I’m more fluid on the court, rebounding and running,” Thompkins said. “I feel like I’m myself again.”

We'll see whether that's enough to push Georgia past Alabama on Friday. Talk to you then.