Early enrollee linebacker C.J. Allen, today’s subject in our What We Learned series, could not take part in Georgia’s national championship victory over Texas Christian.
But he did have a role.
During his post-game press conference following the national championship, head coach Kirby Smart took a moment to single out Allen, and others, who played such a big part as members of the defensive scout teams:
"When we got TCU, I called them all in. I had the coaches meet with them. We made them meet and become this defense,” Smart said. “We said we're going to do it better than they do it; you're going to watch tape, sit in here, learn how to do it.”
Allen was apparently up to the challenge.
Despite just being a few weeks out of high school, Allen was among those on Georgia’s scout team defense that gave Bulldog coaches as clear a look as possible at the players on the defensive side for the Horned Frogs. Considering the final 65-7 score in SoFi Stadium, the group did their jobs well.
“We did it as well as they did it. We had guys be their guys and do their defense exactly right,” Smart said. “Until the last day, we were walking in there, they were giving an unbelievable look. That set our offense up for success. Scout team makes a difference, and we had a hell of a scout team to give these guys a look."
Allen’s good work did not end there. Throughout winter workouts and into spring, Allen flashed the talent that made him the nation’s 82nd overall player for the Class of 2023.
For more on Allen:
What we learned: C.J. Allen
Inside linebacker was a focus for the Bulldogs in regard to the 2023 class, and Georgia certainly came away with three good ones in Allen, Raylen Wilson, and Troy Bowles.
At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Allen showed he has a nose for the football in Georgia’s G-Day game after making five tackles for the Red Team, second behind the six made by cornerback AJ Harris.
Allen also flashed the explosiveness that he became known for at Lamar County High while showing excellent technique and tackling form for a player so young.
There wasn’t a lot of looking around, as Allen played with confidence and seemed to be in the right position throughout the course of the contest.
It was easy to see why coaches feel so highly about him and why he could see his share of playing time with the other inside linebackers this fall.
Where he fits in
Allen doubled as a running back at Lamar County, rushing for over 1,000 yards. He's versatile enough to play either the Money position as Juman Dumas-Johnson or Mac like Smael Mondon.
We’ll see where position coach Glenn Schumann prefers to have him once fall camp begins. But his presence, along with Xavian Sorey and the aforementioned Wilson and Bowles, on paper gives the Bulldogs as talented of a young core of inside linebackers as they’ve had in a few years.
Also, expect Allen to play on some special teams.
What to expect
While there is still much to learn, Allen has a reputation for being a player who processes information quickly.
That’s a major point of emphasis for his position and could give him an edge over others at his position.
Allen has excellent vision and is a downhill tackler. He’s already added 10 pounds to his frame since arriving on campus in late December.
Considering his trajectory in the spring, don’t be surprised if Allen and fellow newcomers Wilson and Bowles see the field rather consistently as freshmen.
From earlier
What we learned about Marcus Rosemu-Jacksaint
What we learned about Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
What we learned about Damon Wilson
What we learned about Nazir Stackhouse
What we learned about A.J. Harris
What we learned about Jordan Hall
What we learned about Dillon Bell
What we learned about Mekhi Mews
What we learned about Roderick Robinson
What we learned about Earnest Greene III
What we learned about Austin Blaske
What we learned about Xavian Sorey
What we learned about Dominic Lovett
What we learned about Christen Miller
