Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning spoke highly of several freshmen during his media availability Friday afternoon. Zion Logue, Tymon Mitchell and Bill Norton, a group that Lanning referred to as the “Tennessee crew,” are all entering their second year as redshirt freshmen. Lanning seems to be encouraged by their progress.
“It’s always fun to see year one to year two, and I give coach (Tray) Scott credit; he's done a good job with their development from the standpoint that the technique is a lot cleaner. We actually did a player development piece in our defensive meeting, where we're kind of highlighting where guys have improved. We were able to show some film of Tymon early, right, in practice, something he was doing wrong, something he fixed and adjusted, and then really a perfect rep in a team-run setting. It's fun seeing those guys come along.”
There’s another collection of freshmen on the defensive side of the ball that Lanning is ecstatic to have. That group is headlined by former 4-star recruit MJ Sherman, who is learning behind a very experienced and talented outside linebacker rotation.
“MJ's a tremendous person,” said Lanning. “He's got a great mindset. He's hungry. Comes from a really good family, works really, really hard, and is conscientious. So all those things, ultimately, and he's got strength, power, and agility that we think can be a real asset for him moving forward. So excited about his development and to see what he can do.”
Along the defensive line, Georgia sports a talented rotation of upperclassmen that are leading the way and setting examples for the incoming freshman. Among those freshmen are Warren Brinson and Jalen Carter. Both tackles have impressed with their ability to focus on the little things so far in camp.
On Carter:
“Jalen Carter has plenty to learn, but he's very strong. He's an explosive athlete. We definitely think he can make an impact for us, and it's good to see his technique get better day in and day out. He definitely makes the guys across the ball better."
On Brinson:
“The biggest thing I was looking for early in Warren was effort. He has done a really good job. The other day we were able to point out in practice him finishing twice. The ball is thrown down the field, and he's hauling butt from the line of scrimmage to finish, and getting in position to make a play on the wide receiver down the field. Now, his technique still has some cleaning up to do. We'd love to see him strike with those hands and continue to develop from a target standpoint, but he's working hard to do that.”
Another exciting prospect learning the ropes as a true freshman is defensive back Jalen Kimber. The Arlington, TX native has impressed thus far with his ability to self-correct.
“Jalen's done a really good job from an agility standpoint,” said Lanning. “He's still got to build some bulk, get in the weight room, and work hard. But he is conscientious; he really pays attention to detail. He's on that list of guys of player improvement. He did something wrong early in camp, we identified it, coach Warren worked on it in drills, and the next day he makes a phenomenal play executing the play in a proper technique. So I'm excited to see what he does moving forward.”