There’s good news, but also a little bit of uncertainty in regard to what Georgia will put on the field defensively in 2021.

The good news is up front—where nose tackle Jordan Davis will be back for his senior year, giving the Bulldogs one of the best at his position in the entire SEC.

Davis’ ability to eat up blockers frees linebackers such as Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker to wreak havoc. And with the return of Devonte Wyatt, Travon Walker, and Jalen Carter, Georgia’s defensive front seven sets up to be a definite area of strength.

The secondary—well, that’s another story.

Although the Bulldogs won’t be short of talent, the talent the Dawgs have will be inexperienced. Richard LeCounte, Eric Stokes, Tyson Campbell, Tyrique Stevenson, Mark Webb, and D.J. Daniel each started at different times over their careers, leaving safeties Lewis Cine (10 starts) and Christopher Smith (five starts) as the only returning defensive backs to have started a collegiate game.

Offensive returnees

Take away quarterback JT Daniels, and one can certainly argue that Davis is Georgia’s most important returnee.

What he did to solidify the Bulldogs’ defensive line goes beyond the stats, but it also helps that Davis is integral to UGA's defensive scheme. As long as he stays healthy, he'll be one of the best around.

Getting Wyatt back qualifies as a bit of a surprise.

Instead of going pro, the senior elected to take advantage of the NCAA’s blanket waiver and come back for one more year. Despite starting all 10 games at defensive tackle, Wyatt is one of those players you might not have read a lot about in the media. But his work in the trenches didn't go unnoticed by coaches and teammates. His return gives the Bulldogs one of the more experienced players at his position in the conference.

Combine those two with defensive tackle Carter (13 quarterback pressures) and defensive end Travon Walker (11 quarterback hurries), the Bulldogs’ defensive line will be a carbon copy of last season's, but with more experience.

There’s also depth.

Tramel Walthour, Nazir Stackhouse, and Warren Brinson each saw extensive playing time, while Zion Logue started seeing more reps toward the second half of the year. Bill Norton also started to receive more opportunities.

This experience will allow position coach Tray Scott to take his time breaking in freshmen Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Marlin Dean, and Jonathan Jefferson, three talented newcomers who will be looking to make an impression.

Georgia loses starter Monty Rice and the special teams star Nate McBride, but everyone else returns.

Dean takes over as the face of the position after playing in 76 percent of Georgia’s defensive reps, with 71 total stops and 13 quarterback pressures.

Meanwhile, Walker (43 tackles, fourth on the team) and Channing Tindall (15 tackles, three sacks) will also play huge roles, with Rian Davis hopeful of finally staying healthy for an entire year. If he can do that, Davis should see his opportunities jump dramatically. Trezman Marshall, meanwhile, only played in three games on special teams due to injuries, but will also figure into the mix.

Freshmen Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Chaz Chambliss are also ticketed for inside linebacker. But barring injuries, they may initially see more time on special teams

The Bulldogs lost a ton of production when Azeez Ojulari decided to leave school a year early for the NFL.

He shouldn't be blamed for his decision. Many mock drafts already have the Marietta native listed as a potential late first-round pick after he earned second-team All-SEC honors with 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

The Bulldogs also lost Jermaine Johnson, who transferred to Florida State.

This means all eyes will now be on rising junior Nolan Smith and rising senior Adam Anderson, who will go into the season as the top two on the depth chart at outside linebacker.

Smith found himself caught behind Ojulari at Jack, but now has his chance to shine. So does Anderson, who tied for second on the team in quarterback pressures with 24 and sacks with 6.5.

Depth is somewhat of an issue, as Robert Beal Jr. and MJ Sherman will be the only other scholarship players back at the position. Beal brings a ton of experience, while Sherman battled injuries for much of his freshman campaign.

This leaves incoming freshmen Xavian Sorey and Smael Mondon, who will need to be coached up in a hurry, because the Bulldogs will need them to be part of the rotation.

Here’s where it gets interesting.

When the season kicks off, Cine and Smith will be the only returning members of the secondary to have started more than one game in their college careers.

At least numbers won’t be the problem. Counting the incoming freshmen, Georgia will have 13 scholarship defensive backs on hand come fall. The question for position coach Charlton Warren will be who plays where.

Let’s start by taking a look at cornerback.

Thanks to the NCAA’s blanket waiver, the Bulldogs will not have to count a redshirt for former five-star Kelee Ringo, who missed last year due to a Labrum injury. Ringo, who dressed out for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl but did not play, is expected to be fully cleared before much longer. One would assume he'd be a top candidate to claim one of the spots at cornerback now vacant, with the decisions of Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell to move on to the NFL.

He’s not the only starting candidate. There’s veteran Ameer Speed, along with rising sophomore Jalen Kimber and Daran Branch. Of the incoming freshman, early enrollee Nyland Green will have ample opportunity to make a quick impression.

Freshman Javon Bullard is another early enrollee expected to rep at corner, along with fellow newcomer Kamari Lassiter, who will arrive later.

At safety, go ahead and pencil in Cine and Smith to start—but more help is needed.

Rising sophomore Major Burns gained valuable experience playing in all 10 games. Veteran Latavious Brini has been around for years, it seems, and played extremely well in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Early enrollee David Daniel is also slated to work at safety.

Brini could have a varied role for the Bulldogs next fall. Along with safety, he could figure into the competition at Star, which, of all the secondary vacancies, could be the most intriguing of all.

With the graduation of Mark Webb, and Tyrique Stevenson putting his name into the transfer portal, the Bulldogs are more than a little bit thin at Star. Along with Brini, Georgia does return William Poole at the position, but expect more than a few players to get looks before a final decision is made.