3 key questions for Georgia linebackers, including some big shoes to fill
This is part of a series to preview Georgia football’s 2020 season through a closer look at each of the Bulldogs’ positions. Today we’re looking at the linebackers.
Key departures: ILB Tae Crowder
Projected depth chart
ILB: Monty Rice, Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, Channing Tindall
OLB: Azeez Ojulari, Nolan Smith, Jermaine Johnson, Adam Anderson
Will there be more havoc?
Creating havoc was the goal — and catchphrase — of the Georgia defense for most of the 2019 season. However, the creed yielded mixed results.
The Bulldogs totaled 31 sacks and 76 tackles for loss last season. Those were decent totals, but not numbers of a greatly disruptive defense. The emphasis was there, but the stats haven’t quite caught up yet.
Will that change in 2020? A very experienced group of pass rushers should be more adept at getting to the quarterback, and the inside linebackers could have more opportunities to shoot gaps and make plays in the backfield. Those types of plays could turn a good defense into a truly elite unit.
Will Nakobe Dean be able to replace the speed of Tae Crowder?
The main departure from the linebacker corps is a significant one. Crowder departs after finishing second on the team with 62 tackles and being named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker.
Crowder’s signature feature was his speed, allowing him to fly sideline to sideline. His likely replacement, sophomore Nakobe Dean, will need to attempt to make up some of that skillset if the defense is to keep its form.
Dean showed flashes in his freshman season, registering 25 tackles in reserve duty. If he can continue to develop, he and Monty Rice will form a formidable duo in the middle of the Bulldog defense.
Will Nolan Smith continue to blossom?
After joining the Bulldogs as the top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2019, Smith displayed what he could become in his freshman season. He registered 18 total tackles and 2.5 sacks, becoming a regular in the outside linebacker rotation.
Redshirt sophomore Azeez Ojulari and his 5.5 sacks return as a disruptive force on one side. If Smith can develop into a similar gameplan-altering player on the other side, opposing offenses would be put in a nearly impossible situation.