Georgia football defense stand outs ESPN

Georgia football is less than two weeks from the start of spring practice. It will be the first chance for the Bulldogs to get on the practice field as they begin to prepare for their national title defense.

The Bulldogs will have a number of key faces to replace, as the program sent 14 players to the NFL combine while seeing another eight enter the transfer portal. The biggest of those departures come on the defensive side of the ball, as Travon Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis are all possible first-round draft picks.

How Georgia goes about replacing some of those massive names will have the attention of many in the college football world. ESPN discussed the biggest storyline for every preseason top-25 team this spring. For Georgia, it will be how the Bulldogs replace some of the key defensive figures from the 2021 National Championship team.

“It‘s fair to expect some sort of a drop-off from a historically great defense that lost many of its faces and its leader,” ESPN’s Harry Lyles Jr. wrote. “But watching this still incredibly talented group mesh and seeing who will stand out in it (like a Jalen Carter) will be key as Georgia looks to defend its title.”

In addition to replacing many of the top players, Georgia will have a new defensive coordinator after Dan Lanning became the new head coach at Oregon. Glenn Schumann and Will Muschamp will have the titles of co-defensive coordinators.

Georgia must replace key players at every level of the defense but the cupboard is not exactly bare. In addition to Carter, linebackers Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon and cornerback Kamari Lassiter are expected to really emerge for the Georgia defense.

Georgia also rotates heavily on defense, so defensive linemen such as Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse and Tramel Walthour have already seen significant snaps.

The Bulldogs also signed one of the best defensive classes in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Many of the top players from Georgia’s No. 3 ranked recruiting class are already on campus, such as Mykel Williams, Malaki Starks and Daylen Everette. Marvin Jones Jr. and Jaheim Singletary will arrive this summer as 5-star signees as well.

Offensively, Georgia did not suffer nearly the same amount of attrition. In some spots, such as the offensive line, Georgia could possibly be even better in 2022 if some young players make their expected gains. Wide receiver will be a position worth watching, as George Pickens and Jermaine Burton are both no longer with the program. The Bulldogs won’t have Brock Bowers this spring following shoulder surgery.

The Bulldogs will get 15 practices this spring to iron out any issues, with the first coming on March 15. The final practice will take place on April 16, as the Bulldogs will hold their annual spring scrimmage. A start time for the event has not yet been set.

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