Georgia football: Players who may have breakout performances in bowl games

Georgia football plays Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl next Monday night in the semi-finals of the College Football Playoffs. Winner plays a week later in Atlanta for the National Championship.

One of the more intriguing aspects of bowl season is seeing all the players who have the first signature performance of their careers. It’s always bound to happen especially in the late December and early January bowls.

With weeks off and many young players vying for attention heading into the off-season, you can always count on a few players stepping up and having performances that end up leading to plating time the following season.

Here’s five such players on the Georgia football roster who could have such a performance. These players are in no particular order.

Jonathan Ledbetter

Ledbetter has impressed me for a while now. Early in his career, he was developing a reputation for being a guy who’s always in trouble. But he’s stayed out of trouble this entire season and had a pretty good year.

But he was never a standout guy and didn’t really making big individual plays on defense until the final few weeks of the season. Without Georgia’s amazing linebacker corps, a nose guard like John Atkins, and maybe even Trenton Thompson; Georgia will turn to Ledbetter, a rising senior, for leadership up front.

Personally, I think he’ll deliver. And he’ll start delivering in the Rose Bowl. Against an offense not used to seeing great defenses, the Junkyard Dawgs should have success in penetrating the offensive line. That should lead to several quarterback hurries and a few sacks. I expect Ledbetter to be a part of those hurries and maybe even get a sack or two.

A performance like that will propel Ledbetter into a leadership role going into next season. He could be Georgia’s next great pass rusher. Probably not like Jarvis Jones or David Pollack, but seven or eight sacks is possible.

Elijah Holyfield

When 5-star prospect Zamir White committed to Georgia in the summer, all eyes shifted to him and away from incoming 5-star D’Andre Swift and already-enrolled 4-star Elijah Holyfield. Swift almost immediately regained that attention. He continued that full the season and currently has 743 all-purpose yards (597 rushing, 146 receiving).

Holyfield was not as potent, especially after beginning the year with a suspension. But he soon found a role as the teams closer at running back with a stretch of four games mid-season where he rushed for at least 48 yards. All in the fourth quarter.

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With Nick Chubb and Sony Michel moving on from college, and Zamir White’s ankle injury creating doubt about how useful he’ll be in 2018, a spot is open for Holyfield. He can begin to take that spot in the Rose Bowl and possibly a week later.

Georgia should have success against Oklahoma on the ground. That will create opportunities for Holyfield to shine on a big stage. Jim Cheney can amplify that with featuring him in the multi-back formations he’s used since the Kentucky game.

Charlie Woerner

Woerner’s commitment in 2016 was met with much fanfare. It’s not often that a relative of a former Bulldog great becomes a highly sought-after prospect. It’s even rarer for the prospect to sign with Georgia. But the nephew of Scott Woerner had a big legacy to live up to. And this far, he’s yet to do so.

Now that’s not at all his fault. Because of his size, coaches moved him to tight end. And since he’s been on campus, Georgia hasn’t utilized tight ends all that well. Former no. 3 TE prospect Jeb Blazevich was rarely the target of passes his last three years. Even former 5-star Isaac Nauta struggled to get catches this year.

Each of the tight ends are excellent blockers which is why they all continue to get playing time. But as a wide receiver prospect coming out of high school, you would expect Woerner to excel as a receiving tight end.

Next year, Georgia will probably utilize tight ends more. Fromm should g have the improved vision to target them. And the offensive line will be a little better, leading to more situations where Fromm finds a tight end in his progressions.

As for bowl season, again, Oklahoma doesn’t have a good defense. And they certainly haven’t seen a group of great tight ends like Georgia’s. I expect them to get open, and Woerner in particular can make them pay.

D’Andre Walker, Walter Grant, Monty Rice and Juwan Taylor

Almost every back-up linebacker. We know Lorenzo Carter, Davin Bellamy and Reggie Carter are leaving. Roquan Smith should forgo his senior year. Natrez Patrick will likely do the same because of his history of suspensions. That would leave four starting spots to fill.

Luckily, Georgia has four capable players in Walker, Grant, Rice and Taylor. Walker and Taylor are rising seniors. Grant and Rice are rising sophomores. All four have received substantial playing time as backups in 2017.

Next: A look at 2018 signee Brenton Cox

Competition for all four linebacker positions will be very fierce in the spring and preseason practices. It’s important for Walker, Grant, Rice and Taylor that they take an early lead with their performances in Georgia’s bowl game(s).

They’ve all shown flashes of brilliance this past season that would lead anyone to believe that they will all start in 2017. Great games against Oklahoma and Alabama/Clemson will erase any doubts about their status for 2018.