Georgia football: grading exterior linemen in 2019 recruiting class

Georgia football signed the no. 2 recruiting class in the nation. But how well did they recruit Jack linebackers and defensive ends?

One of the best hauls in the 2019 Georgia recruiting class. Maybe the best haul in the class. Georgia completely replenished the edges of the defensive line with a fantastic class including the no. 1 player overall, Nolan Smith and no. 1 junior college player overall, Jermaine Johnson.

The rest of the edge linemen in the class include Rian Davis, the no. 5 outside linebacker in the nation. Georgia added the monstrous Bill Norton, the no. 9 strongside defensive end; and Zion Logue, no. 25 strongside defensive end. Norton and Logue will likely be mentioned in a separate story about the interior defensive line because of their size.

With D’Andre Walker and Jonathan Ledbetter exhausting their eligibility, and other key defensive ends entering their senior years, Georgia needed a good group of edge rushers in this class. The Bulldogs should be fine at outside linebacker this year with rising sophomore Brenton Cox and rising junior Robert Beal coming off solid seasons in 2018. But don’t expect Nolan Smith to redshirt or stand on the sidelines. He’ll get to play.

Defensive end is where Georgia needs help the most. There’s no widely projected starter as of now. Malik Herring and Tyler Clark are the best returning players there, but they tend to jump between defensive end and tackle depending on the formation, and only Herring is used on the edge. That could change in the spring. Competition will be fierce for defensive end this offseason. But Jermaine Johnson could be the guy starting on opening day.