One of the stalwarts of Georgia's defense is out for the immediate future.

Junior linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson left the Bulldogs' win over Missouri with an injury. After the game, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart revealed that he believed Dumas-Johnson had fractured his forearm.

"Still not sure how long it'll be, how long his absence will be," Smart said Monday. "He's going to try to find some innovative ways to get back and be able to play, but we won't know the extent of that for a couple more days."

Dumas-Johnson has played in every game for Georgia since the start of the 2022 season. This year Dumas-Johnson ranks third on the team with 34 total tackles, along with 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. The sack number leads the Bulldog defense.

Fellow inside linebacker Smael Mondon will continue to see a large role. Smart said he shares play-calling duties with Dumas-Johnson when both are in the game, and takes over fully when he isn't.

But Dumas-Johnson's injury now thrusts younger players like Jalon Walker, CJ Allen, and Raylen Wilson more into the spotlight.

The rotation throughout the year helps, as all of those players have received game reps this season. Smart expressed confidence in Allen and Wilson in their first year in the program.

"They both were here midyear. We do so many walk-throughs and so many practices and so many in between," Smart said. "They're both very intelligent kids, they pick up on things really well. They're both very conscientious. They've both played more and more. Raylen more recently, CJ throughout the whole year. Very pleased with where they are. They're in a room where they're asked to learn a lot of information and be able to command the defense, and they do a good job of that."

For the first time since the 2021 national championship game, Georgia's defense will not feature Dumas-Johnson patrolling the middle. But the Bulldogs believe their leader will still have a big role as Mondon, Walker, Allen, Wilson, and others shoulder the load.

"Right now we just need him to coach up the next guy, kind of telling him what he sees out there," defensive back Tykee Smith said. "I think he’s still going to help this team from the sidelines."