Ever since Coach Smart took over as head coach of Georgia, the defense has always been a strength of the Georgia team. Over the past three seasons, Smart has had a wealth of talented players at the defensive end who could make plays and get the ball back to the offense. Smart has sent many of his defensive stars to careers in the NFL. But the big question for Georgia has been the front seven for Georgia. After the departure of Roquan Smith, Lorenzo Carter, Davin Bellamy, and D'Andre Walker, the Dawgs have lost their star linebackers. Not only have they lost their star linebacker but their star defensive end has left as well, in Jonathan Ledbetter. Just last season Georgia ranked near the bottom of the conference in sacks, and that was because of a rebuilding front seven. Georgia was very reliant on the talent of D'Andre Walker, then senior outside linebacker, who was the two-time sack leader for the Dawgs in his last two seasons in Athens. We saw a very conservative defensive play calling by Mel Tucker last season, as he wasn't known to blitz. Which could be one of the reasons why we didn't get after the quarterback very well. So after the loss of D'Andre Walker, Georgia will be tasked with replacing him with a front seven that can collectively rush the passer and make up for the sacks that he gave us last season. Georgia is returning some talent among the front seven, most notably Tyler Clark, Tae Crowder, and Monty Rice. All of three of them will be expected to step up this season and be the leaders for this young front seven, that brought in some very talented freshman in Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, and Jermaine Johnson. These three freshmen are being touted as the replacements for the 2017 linebacking group that carried the Georgia defense at times to the National Championship game. Defensive Line The defensive line for Georgia has not been known for its ability to pressure the quarterback and provide sacks, but it has been known for its ability to stop the run. Georgia has done very well up front when it comes to meeting the running back before he passes the line of scrimmage. But one of its flaws has been the middle. Georgia has had some depth issues at nose guard. with the breakout of then-freshman Jordan Davis last year, Georgia finally found it's "guy" to plug up the middle and give the opposing offense fits. Davis is the traditional nose tackle, who is a big guy that is hard to move. He clogs up the middle and makes it very hard for teams to run against Georgia. But depth at that position is very slim, as Georgia has not found a suitable backup for Davis just in case he gets injured as he did before the Sugar Bowl. Georgia got pounded at the line of scrimmage like never before in the Sugar Bowl. The Texas offense knew that if they could exploit the middle of the defense, and get stops on defense then they would win the game. With the mobility and strength of Sam Ehlinger, Texas was able to pick apart the middle of the defense and convert on QB draws. Tyler Clark is going into his senior season and really made a breakthrough in his Sophomore season which was back in 2017. Clark has shown the ability to stop the run but also he has shown that he can pressure the quarterback. In 2017 he 41 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 6 for a loss. Then in 2018, his numbers dropped to 31 tackles, 1 sack, and 4 for loss. With Clark now being the veteran up front for Georgia, it is going to be very important that he not only leads by being vocal but he needs to lead by example. If Georgia can unleash the talent of Clark, which we've seen flashes of, Georgia will be strong up front. Finding that second defensive end to start along Clark is going to very important if Georgia wants to create the "havoc" Coach Smart has been talking about in the offseason. I think Malik Herring the junior defensive end would be the smart choice to pair with Clark, as Herring has shown the potential to rush the passer and stop the run. But we have yet to see his full talent unleashed. If Herring can put it all together in his junior season, it would create a leader for next season. Linebackers One of the most skilled and talented positions on the field for Georgia this coming season will be found at linebacker, as Georgia has a lot of depth, which is filled with tremendous talent and potential. Under Coach Smart, Georgia's defense has traditionally lined up in the 3-4 defense. Three defensive linemen up front and 4 linebackers in the middle. Georgia usually starts two inside linebackers for coverage and stopping the run. While using the outside linebackers for creating a pass rush and covering the open man in coverage. Georgia is returning two of their starting linebackers from a year ago in Monty Rice and Tae Crowder. Rice has the experience between the two even though he is a junior. Rice has proven to be a tackling machine in the open field, resembling the role of Roquan Smith. While Crowder has shown his ability in pass coverage, Crowder last season would usually be responsible for covering the tight end and at times, asked to cover the slot. Crowder the senior from Hamilton, Georgia, will finally be getting his opportunity in the spotlight after watching the likes of Roquan Smith and Juwan Taylor for the past three seasons. Outside linebacker is going to be a question going into the season for the Dawgs after losing the sack leader in D'Andre Walker. Georgia has shown the ability to be able to recruit and this past offseason they brought in two outside linebackers that have been talked about for some time in Nolan Smith and Jermaine Johnson. Nolan Smith the number one recruit in the nation, state, and position will be expected to make an early impact for the Dawgs this season off the edge. While Jermaine Johnson the JUCO Junior from Independence, Kansas will be looking to bring experience to a linebacking room full of potential and skill. We also cannot forget about five stars inside linebacker Nakobe Dean as he will likely be getting reps off the bench this season for the Dawgs. Dean showed in high school to be a great tackler and very good cover linebacker. So Dean could be making an impact as well for the Dawgs. Georgia is returning outside linebacker Brenton Cox who is going into his sophomore season who will be battling for a spot in that starting outside linebacker position. Cox needs to show the coaches his ability to get after the quarterback if he wants a chance at winning the job over a freshman. Azeez Ojulari received a redshirt last season after making just four appearances. He played extensively against Texas in the Sugar Bowl and made three tackles, so I think if he can keep developing he could be someone to get a few snaps a game for Georgia. Overall I think we will see a very talented linebacker core that could be rotated from game to game as it is filled with talent and I'm sure we will see a lot of player development from the group. If they can provide a steady pass rush as a group, this could be a very dangerous group of players for years come.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Harrison Reno
Is the founder and author of Top Dawg Blogging. Harrison has been blogging for the past 4 years Archives
April 2020
Categories |