Today we continue our pre-spring position preview by sliding over to Jack linebacker where Chaz Chambliss continues to be the main man at the position for head coach Kirby Smart.
Depending on what Bulldog fans you talk to, Chambliss may not be the "sexy choice" to play the position, but his consistency, effort, and knowledge of the defense is what's earned him favor with Smart, and that's not expected to change.
For more on Chambliss and the rest of the outside linebacker room:
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When Brock Bowers was asked during the last SEC Media Days who the toughest teammate for him to block, his answer may surprise you.
“That’s Chaz Chambliss,” Bowers said.
Defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann sees Bowers’ point.
“I think when you talk about somebody being hard to block, a lot of that is relative to strain,” Schumann said. “Chaz strains both in terms of his competitive nature and his physical willingness to battle with people. So that makes him a hard guy to block by nature.”
With spring practice set to begin in less than a month, Chambliss is back for another go to lead what appears to be a deep group.
Marvin Jones Jr. (Florida State) and Darris Smith (Missouri) are no longer a part of the program, but the return of Damon Wilson, Sam M’Pemba, and Gabe Harris, who also doubled for the Bulldogs at defense end, are back for their sophomore campaigns.
“All year the young guys have done a good job of coming along, learning the scheme of the defense, Sam, Damon, Gabe, all those guys have done a great job adapting to what we want to do,” said Chambliss before the Orange Bowl against Florida State.
Wilson could be one of the three to watch after playing in 12 of Georgia’s 13 games as a true freshman.
When asked about his strength, Chambliss was quick to respond.
“Speed. He’s got great speed off the edge,” Chambliss said. “I’ve seen him grow mentally from high school where he was mainly just a pass rusher to a guy who can play in coverage if needs to.”
At Georgia, Jack linebackers have to do a lot more than that.
“We’re asked to go against people who are bigger than us and cover people who are smaller than us,” Chambliss said. “We don’t just sit on the end of the line when we’re in coverage, we respond to our reads, we’re stopping the run, along with pass rushing. We’re asked to be a Jack of all trades.”
Early enrollee Quintavius Johnson is another name scheduled to rep at the position.
Keep an eye on Mykel Williams, too.
As we talked about last week and during Georgia’s prep for the Orange Bowl, Williams is also receiving work at Jack linebacker, along with defensive end.
“We can call certain packages where we’re big on the field, because of how we think something will be run, or we might want somebody big on the field because they’re trying a sneak or a short yardage,” Chambliss said. “He’s a great asset, and we’ve also got calls where he utilizes his abilities. He can be on the edge with his length, his weight; he’s great.”
From Earlier
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
