ATHENS, Ga. – Corey Moore has taken on the role of teacher this week.

The junior safety's pupil? Redshirting freshman Tramel Terry, who up until bowl practice had been a receiver at Georgia.

“I'm trying to do the best that I can. I know we've got some new faces back there, so I think I'm just going to take their hand like [Bacarri] Rambo and Shawn [Williams] did to me,” Moore said, referring to the pair of longtime Bulldogs starting safeties and current NFL rookies. “So it should be an exciting process.”

Because of his explosive playmaking skills, Terry was among Georgia's highest-rated 2013 signees. ESPN listed him as the nation's No. 89 overall prospect and No. 9 athlete, and coaches raved about his potential as a future offensive weapon.

Needless to say, it seemed like a surprise move when Terry practiced with the safeties this week, but Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said it had been a long time coming. While Terry practiced at receiver along with the other scout team members, the defensive coaches started to take notice of what looked like an excellent defensive back in the making.

“I just think that the defensive coaches were kind of keeping an eye on him and kind of coveting him and kind of playfully recruiting him a little bit,” Richt said. “Sometimes if a guy's on your scout team, they hang around the defensive coaches more than the offensive coaches when it comes to practice time. And they liked what they saw and thought it might be a good move for the defense.”

At 6-foot, Terry certainly has a body type that fits the average NFL safety instead of the rangier pro receiver. That was one of the arguments defensive coordinator Todd Grantham could make in proposing a change to Terry and the offensive coaches.

“I think Coach Grantham's background in the NFL and just how he sees prospects and things of that nature, he really sees him as a great-looking safety prospect,” Richt said. “It was something that the defensive staff was all for, and actually kind of started it off, started the whole conversation.”

The transition is obviously in its extremely early stages, however. Before almost every practice rep in the periods of practice that are open to the media, Terry receives plenty of instruction from defensive graduate assistant Mike Macdonald and veterans like Moore and Connor Norman.

Terry played some defensive back in high school, but has a long way to go to be a proficient college defensive back. But he has already flashed a willingness to tackle – an attribute the big-hitting Moore appreciates.

“I was telling him, 'If you get confused, just do what [Macdonald] says: 'Kick [butt].' Just go out there and just play,” Moore said. “But I told him, 'If you ever run across something that you do not know, you ask a coach first. And if you can't get to him, you can always come to me. Just try to pick up on some of the knowledge that Connor has because this is his last year.' That's where I basically learned the ins and outs of this defense.”

Moore's new role as Terry's teacher is not valuable only for the former freshman receiver. It's also valuable for Moore, who will be one of two seniors in the 2014 secondary along with cornerback Damian Swann. Those are the players who will likely help organize their young position mates for summer position workouts and passing sessions.

Moore just enjoyed his first steady playing time this season after Rambo and Williams' departure, so he was in the pupil's role for most of his career. Now Moore – and the talented young players he will try to lead -- can help Georgia's secondary recover from an erratic 2013, starting with this week's on-campus bowl practices.

“I'm just getting into it now, as you guys know,” Moore said. “I'm pretty much the vet at the safety spot. But it's pretty fun. I know what I have in store for those young guys. We can be a great defensive back corps if we want to. It's just the fact of us going out there and wanting to be great.”