"Next man up" has long been the mantra for head coach Kirby Smart when it comes to replacing players on his Bulldog football team.
Be it the result of injury or losses due to graduation, the fact certain players may be missing has never been used as an excuse.
That’s certainly the case as it pertains to outside linebacker, where replacing the likes of Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy have been a part of the Bulldogs’ spring focus.
Senior D’Andre Walker and sophomore Walter Grant get most of the attention, with redshirt freshman Robert Beal Jr. and true freshman Brenton Cox also gaining positive early reviews.
However, if you’re fortunate enough to watch practice and focus on what’s going on during the outside linebacker drills, there’s another name that’s injected himself into the conversation – Keyon Brown.
A senior, Brown’s career has been pretty much an afterthought after seeing limited playing time, but thanks to recent attrition, he is getting an opportunity. And, so far, Smart said he’s making the most of it.
“He’s in the first two groups because two of the guys are really freshmen,” Smart said. “He knows what to do now so he understands the defense. He’s helping on special teams. He’s a specialty player who can set the edge or rush the passer. He’s been working hard for three or four years to get his turn and this is his turn.”
Similar to Walker his first two years with the program, Brown’s most significant contributions came on special teams.
“D’Andre Walker, for three years, before I got here, has been a dominant kickoff coverage guy,” Smart said. “Keyon hasn’t been dominant but he has been a very integral role. If you have big, fast people with your outside backers, I’m volunteering for those guys. Nobody wants to block them. Punt return, they hold people up better than anyone else. So, I’m all about special team snaps.”
Smart’s a big fan of giving his pass rushers opportunities to do what they do best, too, and the hope is that Brown will augment the talent in place along with the rest of the freshman class arriving later next month.
“Third down is the most critical down on defense there is. If you can get people in third-and-6, 7 or more, and put some really fast pass rushers on the field, I’m all for that,” Smart said. “I’ll play six outside backers if we have to. I just want to recruit really good football players who can rush the passer and play special teams. Now, that’s not to say we don’t need d-linemen. We need that too, bad. But those guys are anchor guys who probably don’t play as many snaps. That’s the other guys.”
