Bulldog Breakdown: Three questions about the defensive line
In today’s edition of our Bulldog Breakdown, let’s slide over to the defense, specifically the defensive line.
There’s a lot to cover.
Zion Logue and Tramel Walthour are the only players lost to graduation from last year, but of the returnees, several are going to need to step up.
Let’s take a look:
What will be the key to the defensive line?
Georgia still does not appear to have the sort of disrupter up front that the Bulldogs had two years ago with Jalen Carter.
That does not mean there aren’t some capable performers.
It starts with graduate Nazir Stackhouse, who decided to take advantage of a Covid year for one more go-round.
Stackhouse will not have to man the nose guard position alone, but his performance will be key to the success of the line.
But he won’t be the only one.
The Bulldogs need a big year from Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, along with Super Senior Warren Brinson.
Mykel Williams looks to solidify his stock as a potential first-round pick doubling as a defensive end/outside linebacker.
Newcomer Xzavier McLeod, along with three sophomores – Christen Miller, Jordan Hall, and Jamaal Jarrett – hope to take another positive step in their development.
Sophomore Gabe Harris is also expected to work primarily at defensive end as he did as a true freshman, despite being listed as an outside linebacker.
After that, it’s a talented group of true freshmen – a group that includes defensive tackle Jordan Thomas, noseguard Nasir Johnson, defensive tackle Nnamdi Ogboko, and defensive end Joseph Jonah-Ajonye.
Who takes the next step in their development?
My answer is based on a hunch more than anything.
Something tells me that both Christen Miller and Jordan Hall are going to have huge impacts.
Miller flirted with the transfer portal before he decided to stay in Athens, and before the season is over, that could qualify as one of the bigger offseason stories.
To me, the 6-foot-4, 305-pounder is THAT GOOD. Now in his third year, of Miller’s 14 tackles, four went for losses.
Georgia needs an inside pass rush, and Miller could be just the player to create the kind of havoc that Smart is looking for.
Hall may be the Bulldogs’ most explosive inside pass rusher, with the ability to play both tackle and end.
We saw him flash as early as two years ago in the G-Day game, and with a full year under his belt, Hall is ready for more responsibility.
Who are newcomers to keep an eye on?
All five newcomers listed earlier can, but in an attempt to answer this question, we’ll stick with three.
McLeod transferred from South Carolina and made a nice impact during G-Day with four tackles.
Smart wants him to be more consistent, but as we saw, the talent is certainly there.
The same is true for freshman defensive tackle Jordan Thomas and defensive end Joseph Jonah-Ajonye.
Thomas showed he could handle himself in the game, with Jonah-Ajonye doing the same, even recording a sack.