There’s a reason the Georgia football program has earned the nickname ‘LBU’. But it Roquan Smith or Quay Walker, time and time again, the Bulldogs have shown they can produce elite linebackers.

And while Georgia doesn’t have any linebackers present at the NFL combine this year, it does return plenty of talent in the room for the 2024 season.

So much so that ESPN labeled the linebacker position as Georgia’s biggest strength entering the 2024 season.

“Coach Kirby Smart has stacked up four- and five-star linebackers like cord wood over the past few seasons,” ESPN’s Mark Schlabach wrote. “Senior Smael Mondon Jr., the No. 1 athlete in the Class of 2021 according to ESPN Recruiting, has grown into a dominant inside linebacker. Sophomores C.J. Allen and Raylen Wilson were the No. 2 recruits at inside linebacker and outside linebacker in the Class of 2023, respectively.

“While Georgia might no longer have a dominant superstar on its defensive front like Jalen Carter or Jordan Davis, it has plenty of star power behind it.”

Georgia isn’t bringing everyone from its linebacker room back in 2024, as it saw starter Jamon Dumas-Johnson transfer to Kentucky, a team Georgia plays during the third week of the regular season.

Dumas-Johnson’s transfer was lessened when Mondon announced he would be returning to Georgia for another season.

Dumas-Johnson and Mondon both battled injury during the 2023 season, limiting their effectiveness. But that created an opportunity for Allen and Wilson to earn a ton of valuable playing time. Both players earned various freshman honors and Georgia started both in its 63-3 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

The Bulldogs have so much talent at inside linebacker that it has actually played Jalon Walker at outside linebacker so he can get on the field. Even as the team’s top pass rusher, the Bulldogs still view his long-term home at inside linebacker.

“He decided to take on the challenge and play more off the ball in college because he knew it’d be more beneficial to him in the long run because, the more you can do, the more value you add to your career,” defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann said. “He’s helped us a ton on third down. He’s helped us more on first and second down moving forward. I’m excited about where he’s going.”

Schumann isn’t content to rely on what he has already accumulated at inside linebacker, as he signed another elite haul of prospects in the 2024 recruiting cycle. Georgia welcomed 5-star linebackers Justin Williams and Chris Cole to the program, along with 4-star prospect Kris Jones.

Inside linebacker was expected to be a strength for Georgia in 2023 but injuries prevented that from really being the case. Those injuries created a deeper linebacker room for the 2024 season.

Georgia’s best teams have always been led by strong inside linebacker play. Every year that the Bulldogs have played in a national championship game under Smart, the program has produced a finalist for the Butkus Award. Smith won the award in 2017, while Nakobe Dean did so in 2021. Dumas-Johnson was a finalist in 2022.

That Georgia has multiple players at inside linebacker who could realistically compete for the award speaks to why it is such an obvious strength for the program.