Georgia Football: Dawgs to watch against Austin Peay

Jay Hayes:

There have been a lot of worries about the 2018 UGA defensive line. Trenton Thompson and John Atkins were both important parts of last years team and both will be missed. The Dawgs do have a couple of young players in Devonte Wyatt and Jordan Davis joining, but it is Jay Hayes who should make the biggest impact this year.

He comes into the program with one final year of eligibility left. In other words, this what those in the NFL like to call ‘a contract year’. Hayes has just one year to impress NFL scouts and show them that he can play on Sundays by becoming a solid player on an SEC defense. If he steps up and does that, then he has a good chance to find his way onto a roster on Sundays.

Hayes impressed me last year when the Dawgs played Notre Dame. He was really solid in the run game and made life difficult for the Georgia tailbacks. He’s going to bounce between the 3 and 5 positions in this defense and will likely be a key part of stopping the run this year.

Saturday will be his first appearance for Georgia and it will likely give us a good idea of just how much of an impact he’s going to have on this team in 2018. Keep an eye out for number 7 on the defense this weekend. He might end up being one of the most important players on the defense this season.