Smael Mondon isn’t used to standing on the sideline.

But after offseason surgery to repair a stress fracture, that’s just where he finds himself for the Bulldogs during spring practice.

Fortunately, there’s good news. Per head coach Kirby Smart, Mondon will be good to go once Georgia kicks off fall practice.

“I’m feeling good. I’m getting healthier every week,” Mondon said. “But yeah, it’s tough. You don’t notice it until you see everyone else practicing and you’re standing there off to the side.”

Meanwhile, Mondon’s going to do whatever he can to be a guiding light to a young, talented room of inside linebackers.

“One of the biggest things is trying to pour into the younger guys, help them adjust,” Mondon said. “The two Chris’ (Kris Jones and Chris Cole), CJ (Allen), and Raylen (Wilson), too. They’re going to be stepping up. Everybody in the room, I’m just trying to help and guide them.”

Mondon certainly qualifies for the job.

With 24 career starts, he earned All-SEC Second Team honors in 2023, ranking second on the team with 67 tackles. This came despite a season that saw him battle injuries throughout the campaign before suffering the stress fracture that kept him out of the Orange Bowl.

“I don’t want to make excuses, but there were just nagging injuries throughout the season and ended up breaking it toward the end of the year,” Mondon said. “But everybody is out there hurting, so I’m not going to make any excuses about it.”

He also wasn’t going to leave Athens on that kind of note.

Many speculated that Mondon might leave early for the NFL Draft. But that was never really a consideration.

“I just wanted to finish things up the right way,” Mondon said. “I was kind of dinged up throughout the year, and at the end of the season, we really didn’t finish off like we wanted to. It was a mix of those two.”

Mondon said there’s no denying the talent that currently makes up the inside linebacker room.

Along with Allen and Wilson, there’s Jalon Walker, Troy Bowles, along with the three freshmen – Jones, Cole, and Justin Williams.

“It seems I say the same thing every year – it’s just athletes. That’s the first thing that jumps out to me, personally,” Mondon said. “Coach (Glenn) Schumann has a mold of the guys he brings in here and I feel like they fit right into that.”

He feels Allen – who made five starts last year – is ready for an even bigger season.

“He’s a hard worker. He takes his preparation seriously,” Mondon said. “He’s always taking notes, always asking questions, and always involved.”

As for the player Allen replaced, Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Mondon said there are no hard feelings with his former teammate who entered the transfer portal, ultimately signing with SEC rival Kentucky.

“It’s just like a friend moving on. We still talk on the phone and text. We were playing a game together the other day,” Mondon said. “It’s not like I lost a friend, and he went to space, or something like that. We’ll miss him, but we’ll be fine. Coach Schumann did a really good job recruiting the room.”

Once healthy, Mondon is ready to do his part, although he admits it’s a little funny that he’s the only inside linebacker who was part of the Bulldogs in 2021 still with the team. Along with Dumas-Johnson, former teammate Xavian Sorey left the program, transferring to Arkansas.

“It’s kind of crazy. We all still talk. We’ve got a group chat, but other backers, too. Trezman (Marshall) who was here, Rian Davis, we’ve all got a group chat, we still talk, and we see each other personally whenever we can,” Mondon said. “Everybody has to do what’s best for them. But them being gone, it’s just an opportunity for somebody else to step up.”