Breaking down Georgia's new depth chart - Special Teams

In my final installment of Georgia's Post-Spring Depth Chart, which has been going on for entirely too long now, I'll be taking a look at the 2010 special teams.

Yep, those guys. The ones you've never heard or give any love to. But, in fact, the Bulldogs had one of the more successful special teams in the SEC, which featured the rise of one of the top punters in the country, as well as arguably the greatest kick and punt returner in Georgia history.

So let's take a look:



Kicker - Starter: Blair Walsh. Backup: Brandon Bogotay, Jamie Lindley. Walsh has become one of the more efficient kickers in the SEC the past two seasons, earning more praise last year when he was named to the All-SEC second team. His 90.5 field goal percentage was second among starters in the conference last year, and he was a perfect 37-for-37 in Points After Touchdowns. He also maxed out at 53 yards, meaning that Walsh has a career in the NFL waiting for him. But he still has two years left, and Georgia is in no hurry to move him on.

Punter - Starter: Drew Butler. Backup: Blair Walsh, Jamie Lindley. It's hard to argue with a guy whose punting average would rank him second-highest in the NFL, let alone in college. But the stats don't lie; Butler's 48.8 yards per punt was the very best in college, which won him All-SEC first-team and a ton of national accolades, including the Ray Guy award for best punter. And it's only his junior year, so he's going to be even better by the time he graduates, where a long-term NFL job is waiting for him. Believe it or not, but the best punter in football, at any level, is right here in Athens.

Punt/kick Returns - Starter: Brandon Boykin (unofficial). Backup: Branden Smith. While Mark Richt didn't officially announce the starters for kick and punt returns, there's a solid chance it's going to be Boykin. The junior set school records in 2009 with 38 kickoff returns, 988 return yards and three touchdowns, two of which were for 100 yards. And those numbers were collected while sharing time with now-Baltimore Raven Prince Miller. Boykin should see every kick return this year, with Smith helping out on punts. Back-up quarterback Logan Gray also assisted with punt returns (or just fair catches) and will likely do so again in 2010.

Also, just as a side-note, Butler is the team's starting holder, and Ty Frix, a redshirt sophomore, is the long snapper.

Now that I've gone through the whole depth chart, check out the David Hale's prediction from March 18, and see how accurate it was.