Georgia Football: Coaches getting creative with Defensive Line

The Georgia Football team lost a couple of important defensive linemen after the 2017 season so it’s coaches are getting creative with the unit this season.

There has been a lot of talk over the past few months about the what Georgia Football is going to do on the defensive line. The unit is missing two players that started last season in John Atkins and Trenton Thompson. while Thompson battled injuries and ended up missing a great deal of time, Atkins was a warrior for the Bulldogs. Now, they have to move on to a much younger group.

What adds concern is that is there is one position group where Kirby Smart and company have not recruited at a ‘lights out’ level, its the DL. Tracy Rocker was let go after missing on two must-get defensive tackles in Derrick Brown and Aubrey Solomon. Both of those big 5-stars were local kids that UGA desperately needed.

With no big-time player arriving in the 2018 class, the Dawgs instead will have to rely on something different this year. That’s going to start with the starters that the Dawgs have in place. While there might be some depth concerns, UGA does at least have three starters that should install fear in offenses this fall.

Strong Leadership:

The Dawgs should start three players that almost all fans recognize in 2018. Jonathan Ledbetter, Tyler Clark, and Julian Rochester all have the ability to make a big impact this season. Clark and Rochester will be going into their junior seasons. They know that if they are able to put together big years, the NFL could come calling early. Ledbetter turned down the league after his junior season. He’s got the potential to be a day one or two pick if he puts together another strong season.

Those three bring a good deal of experience and leadership to the unit. Ledbetter, in particular, seems to be emerging as one of the biggest leaders in the entire team. He’ll be a key fact off the field as well as on it. Tyler Clark is another player who could be a big factor from a leadership perspective. In the final few weeks of the season, he looked like one of the best players on the entire team. The Dawgs will need that to continue.

Rochester is the closest thing to a wildcard of the three. He was a highly ranked player coming into UGA and has been solid since arriving. However, he’s yet to fully reach his potential and this season is going to be huge for him. He’ll be a starter for the first time in his career and a lot is expected of him as he takes over from John Atkins. If he plays with consistency, the Dawgs could be even better up front than they were last year.

Finally, the addition of Jay Hayes cannot be underestimated from a leadership perspective. Hayes is a graduate transfer coming in from Notre Dame. He played really well against the Dawgs in their matchup last year and put together a solid season. 2018 is his final shot in college football and he really wants to put together a good year. That sort of determination should not be overlooked.