ATHENS, Ga. — It was just a day or two after Georgia ended its 2008 season when Joe Cox picked up his phone and called former teammate D.J. Shockley. The Bulldogs’ incumbent quarterback, Matthew Stafford, had yet to announce his decision to leave school early for the NFL, but Cox had a suspicion the starting job soon would be his, and Shockley was an obvious mentor.
Four years earlier, the former Georgia quarterback had navigated a similar path to the one Cox saw ahead of him. A litany of stars had departed for the NFL, and the preseason prognosticators thought little of Georgia’s chances. A talented but inexperienced roster was in search of a leader. A fifth-year senior got his first taste of the starting quarterback job.
Shockley used his final season in Athens to lead the Bulldogs to an SEC title. Cox placed that first phone call — and many more — seeking advice to ensure a similar result this time around.
“I don’t call him and ask him tons of questions, but it’s just good to have someone who’s been through the same thing that you can talk to,” Cox said. “He always asks how things are going, and if I’m struggling with something or something’s been on my mind, I’ll tell him.”
Shockley’s 2005 team didn’t have the fame or experience of the one that preceded it, but there was something about the chemistry of that squad, something about Shockley’s leadership that allowed it to succeed.
Stafford is gone this season, and so too are star tailback Knowshon Moreno, veteran wideout Mohamed Massaquoi and a cast of other well-known veterans. But there’s something about Cox, some intangible ability to galvanize the players around him, that Shockley said is familiar.
“When he first got there, you could definitely see it just pouring out of him that he was a born leader,” Shockley said. “He had it in him to lead the offense, lead the team and lead at a place like the University of Georgia. It’s nothing new. I knew he had it in him way back when.”
The stars from last season are gone, but in their place are talented yet inexperienced players hoping to fill the void.
Wide receiver A.J. Green is Georgia’s lone returning star, but he is just a sophomore. A bevy of freshmen, including tight ends Orson Charles and Arthur Lynch and wide receiver Marlon Brown, figure to play key roles. In place of Moreno, the Bulldogs are likely to feature a committee of tailbacks, none of which has more than a few dozen carries in his career.
It’s a young group, but Cox has taken it upon himself to make sure the players develop quickly.
“He’s not that type of guy that’s going to curse at you, but he’s such a cool guy that you say, ‘I don’t want to disappoint Joe. That’s my guy, so I’m going to do my thing right,’ ” tailback Carlton Thomas said.
Despite the roster turnover, Cox refuses to believe the offense has to be less successful than the one Stafford and Moreno led.
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