Washington aims to keep the "newbie" behind him

Cornelius Washington is doing his best this spring to put some distance between himself and Ray Drew, the highly-touted recruit who will compete with him at outside linebacker.

Here's the opening excerpt from my story today on the rising junior outside linebacker:

ATHENS - Last year, Cornelius Washington was competing with a fifth-year senior for a starting spot. This spring, he’s competing with a freshman who hasn’t even arrived yet.

When you look at him, however, it seems Washington shouldn’t be competing with anybody.

“Cornelius made a big hit in practice,” defensive end Derrick Lott said last week. “And I talked to him, and I (said), ‘Cornelius if you do this every time, every practice, every day, you’ll be real good.’ ”

So why hasn’t he been yet?

You can read the rest of the story here, including some interesting comments from Washington - who is never afraid to say he's going to stand up for his position:

“I’m not the type of guy that’s gonna let a newbie come in and take anything from me,” Washington said. “The coaches don’t give away any positions. You have to earn everything you get. So I’m just gonna go out and earn it and then let my actions and my playing speak.”