Like many people, Jadon Perlotte expected at least a little bit of a drop-off from Georgia's defense.

He knew how much talent the Bulldogs lost to the NFL off last year's national championship team. Surely, he thought, this year would be a rebuilding year, at least relatively speaking.

Instead, the 2025 linebacker from Buford High School watched from the stands as the new-look Bulldogs stifled Oregon in a 49-3 victory to open the 2022 campaign.

"I was shocked," Perlotte said. "They're even better than last year."