Dawn of the Dawg
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Georgia Football Awards for the 2017 team

By Alistair Penny

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Head Coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs is presented the trophy after the Bulldogs beat the Oklahoma Sooners 54-48 in double overtime in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Head Coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs is presented the trophy after the Bulldogs beat the Oklahoma Sooners 54-48 in double overtime in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 09: JR Reed
SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 09: JR Reed /

Defensive Surprise of the Year

JR Reed: Sophomore Safety

I’ll be honest, I had never heard of JR Reed when camp started. His cousin DeAngelo Gibbs was one of the highest rated recruits in the 2017 class and a lot of people thought we only took Reed to help get Gibbs. Well, it turns out that every Dawg fan now knows who Reed is and he looks like he could be better than his cousin.

He won the starting spot at safety before the season started and simply never let it go. Despite playing along with a 4th-year starter in Dominick Sanders, Reed looked like the better player throughout the year. That’s not to take anything away from Sanders who again made plays, but Reed was somehow better.

His quickness and burst to get to the line and stop the run is exceptional. The guy also loves to hit and he’s an intimidating presence for receivers going over the middle.The few plays we saw with him and Richard LeCounte play alongside each other got me very excited for next year. Can you say no-fly zone?

While he’s not a turnover machine, Reed still had some. Two interceptions and a forced fumble in his first year as a starter isn’t to be sniffed at. Who would have thought that a redshirted transfer from Tulsa could become one of the top safeties in the SEC? Reed surprised us all and he’s got us very excited for what else is to come during his time between the hedges.

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