Georgia football made beefing up the defensive line a priority, and the Bulldogs went a long way to pluck Darren Ikinnagbon from the talent-rich Garden State of New Jersey.
Ikinnagbon brings a sharp edge presence to what’s projected to be the best defensive line signing class in Smart’s nine-year tenure leading Georgia.
Breaking down 4-star edge Darren Ikinnagbon, Georgia edge commitment
• Height/Weight: 6-6, 255
• High school: Hillside, Hillside, N.J.
• Committed on: April 13, 2024
• Early enrollee: Yes
• Going through bowl practices: Yes
• 247Sports rankings: 35 pure, 78 composite
• On3 rankings: 93 pure, 80 consensus
• Rivals ranking: 194
• ESPN300 ranking: 174
• All-American Game: Navy All-American Bowl
• High school stats or honors:
• Sentell’s Intel on Ikinnagbon: “It is not often we see Georgia pull a DE out of New Jersey given so many options in SEC Country, but he’s worth the squeeze for his rare size and length. Ikinnagbon committed to UGA on G-Day and was never associated with any other school. The big reason he chose UGA was that he wants to win a national championship in college.”
RELATED: Early Signing Day primer from Jeff Sentell covers Georgia bases
Darren Ikinnagbon is a bad man in a good way, an athletic edge whose wrestling experience provides him with outstanding leverage.
Ikinnagbon has the sorts of hands and footwork needed to take on elite offensive tackles as well, with his tight end experience adding to his already impressive skillset.
A quick first step and fast motor makes Ikinnagbon stand out, as he has shown the sort of pursuit skills that strike fear into opposing quarterbacks, and drag down ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage.
Production is the name of the game for Ikinnagbon, as he compiled a team-leading 107 tackles this season, making 47 solos and having a hand in 61 assists. This, in addition to his 21 tackles-for-loss, 4 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and fumble recovery.
More Darren Ikinnagbon stories from around DawgNation
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Darren Ikinnagbon highlights
