Whether it's wearing black jerseys against Auburn, celebrating a touchdown against Florida, or awarding a scholarship to a walk-on, Mark Richt loves surprises.

Richt dumbfounded safety Andrew Williams for the second consecutive year when he gave the sixth-year senior a scholarship at the beginning of preseason drills.

Richt told Williams at a get-to-know your teammates segment.

"We do this thing called the hot seat," Williams said. "Seniors get up there, and they talk about their past experiences and our thoughts on the season and whatnot. I was getting up to come back and sit down, he told me in front of everybody."

Williams has been a backup safety and special-teams stalwart since arriving as a walk-on. Richt also gave him a scholarship as a fifth-year junior last season.

Williams was redshirted his first season because of a severe left-knee injury. He was granted an extra year after he missed almost all of the 2005 season because of a severe injury to his right knee.

CROWDED DEFENSE: Cornerback might be Georgia's deepest position, with five players in serious competition for snaps.

Thorpe Trophy candidate Asher Allen leads the group, along with fellow returning starter Prince Miller . Former starters Ramarcus Brown and Bryan Evans are also back, along with sophomore Vance Cuff .

"We've got a lot of guys who are trying to compete and make each other better," Brown said.

NO MORE catch-up: Cuff started his Georgia career under a cloud of uncertainty. But with a full off-season behind him, Cuff sees a chance to make an impact.

Cuff missed all of the summer workouts before his freshman season last year while Georgia and the NCAA resolved a Clearinghouse issue. Thus, he had to make up ground on established defensive backs who had gone through the voluntary summer workouts.

Although his start was delayed, Cuff played in all 12 games last season and made six tackles, primarily on special teams.