Today we examine the "money" linebacker position and a player who cashed in on his opportunity when it was presented.
CJ Allen more than held his own.
Although he was just a freshman, Allen played like a veteran. Despite the loss of Jamon Dumas-Johnson who transferred to Kentucky, the position appears to be in excellent hands.
ALSO SEE:
When teammates were asked to describe money linebacker CJ Allen, one word was used to describe almost every time they were asked: mature.
"He plays way past his age," former defensive lineman Zion Logue said. "He’s the guy in meetings taking a lot of notes. Every check that our defense has, he called it to a T."
Logue made those comments after Allen stepped in for the injured Jamon Dumas-Johnson, and performed like a veteran.
In his first career start, Allen made nine tackles and recorded his first sack to lead Georgia's effort on defense during its rout of Ole Miss.
That was just the beginning.
With Dumas-Johnson on the shelf, Allen started Georgia's final five games, leading all Bulldog freshmen with 41 tackles, fifth on the team.
Along with the return of fellow freshman Raylen Wilson, versatile junior Jalon Walker (who can also play outside), and redshirt freshman Troy Bowles, Georgia's money position appears to be in excellent hands.
One can assume the breadth of talent was one of the reasons that Dumas-Johnson elected to take his talents to Lexington. Based on how well Allen played, it would be difficult to keep Wilson and Allen off the field.
"Pop (Dumas-Johnson) and Smael (Mondon) could have played as freshmen," Smart said. "They had Quay (Walker) and Nakobe (Dean). They could have played," Smart said after the Ole Miss game. "When they started that first game (against Oregon) when everybody thought we were going to have nobody left, they played pretty good. Well, these kids, they prepare every day and they work really hard. They’re good football players."
With spring practice right around the corner, coaches are counting on both Allen and Wilson to step into more of a leadership role as mentors to early enrollees Justin Williams, Kristopher Jones, and Chris Cole.
We'll delve into the Mac linebacker spot led by Mondon in our next installment, but as you see, there's no shortage of talented players to go around. As a whole, the group is as talented as it is deep.
It will be interesting to see how the snaps are ultimately dispersed.
From Earlier
Nazir Stackhouse return a huge boost at nose
Jordan Hall looks to continue the upward climb
Mykel Williams will be allowed to show his versatility
Hype train has left the station with Carson Beck in tow
Dominic Lovett poised for a big year
Trevor Etienne too good to pass up
New faces could highlight X-receiver spot
Dillon Bell poised to ring even louder
Possible competition at right tackle?
Tate Ratledge back for another year
