Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy said Georgia players at the Senior Bowl all share one common denominator.

They compete.

“I was talking to Kirby at practice, not to shamelessly namedrop Kirby, but I hadn’t seen him in a while. We were just talking about some of their guys, and when they get here, they really compete. They compete their tails off,” Nagy said. “They’ve got such a competitive program. I love what they bring. They’re all made of the right stuff. If you can survive in that program, as intense as it is, this is the right environment.”

Nagy has been duly impressed by what he’s seen.

Along with wide receivers Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Ladd McConkey, other former Bulldogs at the game have also caught his eye.

“Daijun Edwards has shown up, and I thought Tykee and Bullard showed up in the last team period today, too,” he said. “You know Georgia’s DBs are going to be smart, you’re going to be able to move them around. All those guys are making impressions.”

Former Southern Cal receiver Brendan Rice is a huge fan of Michael Jackson.

No, not the late pop icon. He’s talking about one of Georgia’s newest receivers, who recently transferred from Southern Cal to Georgia.

“They got a Dawg. Michael Jackson was in that weight room with me every single day,” Rice said. “He was in the sprints, leading the sprints, out there competing with other guys. I wish him the best, because I know he’s going to go out there and give it all he’s got.”

Although Georgia State linebacker Jontrey Hunter is focused on making a good impression at the Senior Bowl, he also doesn’t mind a little reminiscing about his career with the Panthers.

His favorite memory? Georgia State’s 38-30 win at Tennessee.

“We silenced 100,000. It was crazy,” Hunter said. “Especially since there was so much hype about it, we were supposed to get blown out. It was definitely something they weren’t expecting.”

A member of the All-Sunbelt Team, Hunter made 234 tackles, including 21 for loss, during his career with the Panthers.

When Dan Lanning took over as the head coach at Oregon two years ago, former Duck defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus said the impact was almost instantaneous.

“He trusted his players. He made it a player-led team,” Dorlus said. “He brings the energy every day. The staff he brought in, I appreciate them. You make a mistake; they coach you on it. They want you to get better.”

That wasn’t all.

During Lanning’s first team meeting, something else became very apparent.

“We saw that he was a defensive guru. All the defensive players were happy,” he said. “The previous staff was more of an offensive-minded staff, so having a defensive coach in the facility, I was very happy.”