UGASports is counting down the days until the Bulldogs’ 2024 season opener. For each day in our countdown, we will reveal our opinion of the best player in Georgia history to wear that jersey number.

We select Rennie Curran as the best Georgia player to wear jersey number 35.

Position: Linebacker

Hometown (High School): Snellville, Georgia (Brookwood HS)

Height/Weight: 5-11, 225

Lettered: 2007-2009

Stats: 298 tackles (173 solo), 6.5 sacks, 17.5 other tackles for loss, 2 caused fumbles, 1 recovered fumble, 4 pass breakups, and 31 quarterback pressures in 37 games/30 starts in three seasons.

Career: A four-star prospect out of Brookwood High School, Rennie Curran suddenly proved himself as one of Georgia’s top defenders midway through his true freshman season of 2007. In a win over Kentucky, Curran’s 13 tackles were the most for a first-year Georgia linebacker in 15 years. For the season, whereby he totaled nine tackles for loss in the final six games, Curran was recognized as a Freshman All-American. As the Bulldogs’ full-time starting Will linebacker as both a sophomore and junior, Curran led the team in tackles, including 130 in 2009, which led the entire conference. He earned first-team All-SEC honors in both 2008 and 2009. As a junior, Curran was elected as one of Georgia’s two permanent defensive captains and was the recipient of the program’s Vince Dooley MVP Award. He was selected No. 97 overall by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Fifteen years since Curran’s Georgia playing days ended, his 173 solo career tackles still rank as the 11th-most in school history (third-most for those who played less than four seasons).

#35 Honorable Mention: RB/K- Joe Geri (1946-1948); RB- Verron Haynes (2000-2001); FB- Andre “Pulpwood” Smith (1983-1984); DB- Aaron Davis (2014-2017); RB- Brian Herrien (2016-2019)