No. 32 in our Roster Review is arguably the face of the Georgia defense.

Senior Monty Rice has certainly earned the respect of his teammates over the past three years, including last season when the middle linebacker finished as the Bulldogs’ leading tackler with 89 total stops, playing a key role for a Georgia defense that allowed just two rushing touchdowns all year.

One of the toughest-minded players on the entire team, Rice is a no-nonsense performer, who not only is responsible for calling the plays on defense, but sets the tone every time it takes the field.

A former three-star performer, Rice was originally committed to LSU before changing his mind to sign with the Bulldogs.

With one more season to go, there’s every reason to expect another strong showing from the Alabama native.

For more on Rice:

Rice has gotten better every year he’s been with the Bulldogs.

After making 22 stops in 14 games as a freshman, Rice upped that number to 59 in 2018 before leading the team with 89 tackles last fall.

He also finished with 14 quarterback pressures.

The SEC Defensive Player of the Week after his team-high 10 stops at Auburn, Rice was a second-team member of the Associated Press All-SEC Team.

Rice will head up a deep group of inside linebackers. Barring injury, look for another season similar to last year’s excellent junior campaign.

With the presence of sophomore Nakobe Dean, Rice is expected to slide over from Will to Mike, a position he can play equally well.

It’s a deep group that Rice will lead.

Juniors Quay Walker and Channing Tindall are equally interchangeable, meaning Rice could ultimately rotate back and forth between the two positions.

Either way, Rice won’t be coming off the field a lot, and will spearhead a Georgia defense that will look to build off last year’s success.

Musa Smith, Lars Tate

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