Georgia Football 2017 Position Battles: Defensive Tackle

Who is going to hold down the nose?

John Atkins is the obvious choice to win this particular battle but there will likely be more than 1 person pushing for his job. DeQuan Hawkins-Muckle played very well before his injury in 2016 and the team felt his absence. Despite being just a junior, he redshirted so is from the same class as ‘Big John’. He’d very capable of taking snaps as well as winning the job if Atkins has a down period.

Tyler Clark is also someone who could end up pushing for time at the Nose. If Devonte Wyatt ends up pushing hard at DT, he has the run stuffing potential to play at the nose. Another young player, he could make like uncomfortable for the two senior statesmen in camp and that would be good for the team.

Of course, Georgia won’t always play a NT every play. Kirby Smart and Mel Tucker like to move their front around and that will continue in 2017. Pass rushers like Johnathan Ledbetter, David Marshall and Chauncey Manac should all end up rotating in and out on the line. It’s always exciting to see players like this rush from the middle on clear passing situations.