m built the foundation for a new defense under first-year defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

The construction is now nearing completion at this year’s spring practice, and Bulldog defenders are already seeing the benefits of not having to learn a new system this time around.

“Everybody is playing faster,” junior cornerback Brandon Boykin said. “We’ve already been through that year of learning. I feel like as a defense we need to know everybody is supposed to be — just everybody knowing every position. I think that when we get that down we’ll have a complete defense.”

BRANDON BOYKIN

When Grantham arrived last January, he brought with him a 3-4 defense, replacing the traditional 4-3 formation the Bulldogs used under former defensive coordinator Willie Martinez.

The new system meant the defense would be spending the majority of last year’s spring practice simply learning how to play in a 3-4 formation, which resulted in position changes and shake-ups in the depth chart.

This year, Georgia can start growing from it.

“Last year there was a whole lot of time spent learning what to do,” Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt said. “Now that they have a better idea of what to do they’re learning how to do it better, so techniques are improving. They’re playing faster and with more certainty of what they’re doing.”

The results are already noticeable — even in just the third practice of the year.

Thursday’s practice — the first in pads — saw the defense

defeat the offense in the majority of team drills, including one-on-one competition.

“As a defense overall we’re competing really good and everybody is working on their technique,” Boykin said. “[Thursday] we killed them — so we have bragging rights until at least Saturday.”

No position may have been affected more by defensive changes than the linebackers, who added a fourth player to their standard formation and have expanded roles as pass rushers in the 3-4 system. The outside linebackers, many of whom lined up at defensive end in the 4-3, suddenly find their hands on the ground only half the time — in Georgia’s nickel-and-dime packages — and often are forced to stand up and help in pass coverage.

But a year into the system has kept Bulldog linebackers feeling confident entering spring practice, even with the departures of several key players, most notably first-team All-SEC defensive selection Justin Houston.

“It makes it so much easier to go out each day and be on the same page,” junior inside linebacker Christian Robinson said. “I think our defense as a whole right now is so much farther ahead that it makes it easier to go out and not have to worry about a mental load that we had last season.”

Cornerback Brandon Boykin and the rest of the defense have picked Todd Grantham’s 3-4 defense up much quicker this spring than last. Photo by Frances Micklow

The added knowledge in this year’s spring practice has allowed Richt to “turn the defense loose” and allow defenders more freedom in their plays — a rarity during the 2010 season.

“I don’t know if we ever turned it loose as a group,” Richt said. “There were probably certain moments in time when we looked like we were getting it. But as an entire unit I don’t know if we ever played as fast as we hope to do this year.”

Georgia will play in full pads Saturday, splitting the practice between fundamental drills and scrimmages.