‘Young buck’ Manac playing versatile role on Georgia’s defense

Isaiah Wynn doesn’t get beat too often when he’s lined up left tackle.

That’s a main reason why he was asked which Georgia edge rushers have given him the toughest time through the early portion of preseason practice.

Initially, Wynn gave two familiar names in veteran outside linebackers Davin Bellamy and Lorenzo Carter.

The next name, unprompted, came as a bit of a surprise.

"Even the young buck, Chauncey, he’s been getting off the ball pretty fast," Wynn said.

Wynn was referring to freshman outside linebacker Chauncey Manac, a four-star pass-rusher from Clinch County. Manac has gotten off to a good start in this preseason and looks every bit as filled out as the listed 6-foot-3, 243-pound frame would indicate.

Wynn had good reason to say that about Manac, too. In Aug. 6's open practice, Manac was lined up against Wynn in a one-on-one drill. Off the edge, Manac lowered his inside shoulder and dipped under Wynn before turning the corner on him. Manac rushed right past the veteran lineman and knocked the dummy bag in the backfield, acting as a quarterback.

Wynn seemed a bit surprised and angry that a freshman just beat him, with Manac running to outside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer for a fist bump.

"Of course, you don’t like to lose anything," Wynn said, laughing about it after the fact. "But it’s good. It creates camaraderie. I’ll just get him next time."

Bellamy and Carter will look to carry on the pass-rushing tradition at Georgia this season as the top two outside linebackers. But they certainly need help behind them. Manac could earn some early game action if plays like the one he had against Wynn become commonplace in practice.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said Manac will fit in as a versatile cog in the defense and that he has an opportunity to earn some playing time as a freshman.

"He’s a tough, competitive guy," Smart said. "His head is swimming a little bit right now from the defensive aspect. We’ve got a lot of multiples with that kid because he’s a d-end sometimes and an outside backer sometimes. He’s got good toughness and plays hard, so he’ll have a chance."

This story was originally published August 12, 2016 at 4:48 PM with the headline "‘Young buck’ Manac playing versatile role on Georgia’s defense."