The Georgia Bulldogs' outside linebacker room underwent some major changes following the end of the 2018 campaign.
D’Andre Walker moved on to the NFL as a member of the Tennessee Titans. Dan Lanning became the defensive coordinator following his one year stint as outside linebackers coach. Junior college transfer Jermaine Johnson and freshman Nolan Smith entered an already talented fray at the position. Former five-star linebacker Brenton Cox was dismissed.
And then Walter Grant spent some time at running back.
Grant’s stint running the ball was nothing new to him considering he played on both sides of the line in high school. So when he was asked to return to the position, he took the challenge head-on.
“It’s always fun,” Grant said. “Any way I can help my team. I’m going to always look at it as a way to get myself better and to get somebody else better.”
One major difference in Grant’s time at running back in the spring compared to his time in high school was the competition. No longer was Grant the most athletic player on the field. He was getting tackled by the likes of newcomers Johnson and Smith, who are among the best in the nation.
Johnson was the No. 2 junior college player in the class of 2019 out of Independence Community College. Smith was the No. 2 ranked high school player in the nation out of IMG Academy.
“Nolan and Jermaine are both going to be good players and they show that every day,” Grant said. “They come to work and they’re ready to get after it.”
Alongside Grant, Johnson, and Smith are sophomore Adam Anderson, redshirt freshman Azeez Ojulari, and redshirt sophomore Robert Beal Jr.; all of which garnered praise from senior defensive back J.R. Reed.
“Azeez, Nolan and all those outside linebackers, like Walter, Robert, Jermaine, Adam… they feed off each other and you can tell they have a lot of effort to the ball. They each have their own talents and are doing a really good job,” Reed said.
Having to battle for playing time was nothing new to Grant, and he welcomed the competition with open arms.
“It’s a really good battle,” Grant said. “We’re really going at it every day. Every day is a competition, and if it wasn’t, you really wouldn’t want to be out there. It isn’t fun if it isn’t a competition.”
