Georgia football: Five steps needed to improve Bulldogs pass defense

By Eric Taylor | Feb 3, 2020

(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

The Georgia football pass defense needs to improve. They have the pieces in place, but adjustments need to be made. Here are the moves that Kirby Smart needs to make in order for this group to get better.

Georgia football has a lot of talent in their secondary, but they were ranked No. 31 in passing defense this past year. Now, not all of that is the secondary’s fault, but some of the defensive backs to play a large part in the blame. They gave up 201 passing yards a game, according to cfbstats.com. However, they gave up 250 yards passing or more in eight of their 14 games.

One place to start would be upfront with the pass rush. A quarterback can not complete a pass from his back, so the first thing you want to do is make sure to put him there. Getting pressure is great, but sacks are better. Georgia struggled to get quarterbacks to the ground in 2019, ranking just No. 46 nationally.

Another place to make changes would be the depth chart. There are a few spots where competition in the spring and summer could possibly lead to new starters in different positions in the back end of Georgia’s defense.

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Here are five steps that would improve Georgia’s passing defense immensely.

Step 1. Get your best pass rushers on the field.

Last season Azeez Ojulari was Georgia’s best pass rusher, however, Nolan Smith and Jermaine Johnson were the primary pass rushers on third down. This was a major reason that Georgia was No. 46 in the nation in sacks. Why would you take your best pass rusher off the field in the situations best suited for him to get to the quarterback?

Ojulari led the team with 4.5 sacks, imagine how high that could have been had he been in the game on third down. It is absurd that a player of Ojulari’s ability was taken off the field when his team needed him the most.

Kirby Smart should make Ojulari and Smith the pass rushers in the Nickel package this season. There is no reason to have any other two pass rushers on the field in their place. Put your best athletes on the field and let them do what they do. Give the quarterback less time to get the ball out and the receivers less time to get open.

Step 2. Make D.J. Daniel a full-time starter.

D.J. Daniel is further along in his development and should replace Tyson Campbell as the starting cornerback alongside Eric Stokes. Campbell has not lived up to his hype to this point in his college career. The highly recruited five-star still looks lost at times. Maybe year three is when he puts it all together, but he needs to do it from a backup role to start the season.

Over the last two seasons, Campbell has also shown himself to be a bit injury prone. This is another reason I think Campbell should drop down in the depth chart. Your best ability is availability. Campbell missed seven games this past year, half the season.

Now Daniel is not without his lumps too. He likes to get a little grabby with receivers if he feels that he’s been beaten. So he has a few things to work on as well. However, he has earned a full-time starting job.

Step 3. Make Tyrique Stevenson the Star.

Tyrique Stevenson needs to be moved into the Nickel cornerback spot permanently. He should be starting over Mark Webb who struggles in coverage. Webb is great in run support as he is one of the better tacklers in Georgia’s secondary. However, he is much better suited in a safety role in the Bulldog’s base defense than playing the Star position.

Stevenson is a bully in coverage. He makes his man earn every inch he gets on the football field. He is exactly what you look for in a slot corner. He can cover wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends. Stevenson can literally do it all and should be given more playing time.

Step 4. Replace J.R. Reed with Lewis Cine.

J.R. Reed has graduated and headed off to the NFL. The Bulldogs will be without Reed as a starting safety for the first time since 2016. Look for Lewis Cine to get the nod here. He was just a freshman this past season, but he was one of the best safeties in the nation coming out of high school.

Cine was a high four-star (nearly five-star) recruit out of Texas. He was the third overall safety in the nation in the 2019 recruiting class.

Last spring Cine tied for the lead in tackles at G-Day with eight. So we know he is a good tackler. When it comes to coverage, Smart and company gave Cine the assignment to cover Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the SEC Championship. That tells you all you need to know about how this coaching staff feels about Cine’s ability to cover special players.

Cine did a solid job in place of Reed in the Sugar Bowl, totaling six tackles.

Step 5. Work young pups into the rotation.

There were a few young pups that Georgia brought in this past recruiting cycle that could fight for playing time. Led by the nations No. 1 cornerback, Kelee Ringo. Look for him to make a play for a role on defense this year. Ringo looks like the kind of talent that you can’t keep on the sideline for long.

Georgia also added Jalen Kimber and Major Burns. They should be in the mix as well but expect them to be brought about slowly. Kimber has a few technical issues the coaches will have to fix and the safety depth chart will be a tough one for Burns to crack. However, you can never have enough defensive backs.

Overall Georgia brings back their entire secondary, outside of losing Reed. It’s a group that is full of talent and potential. Now it is time for that potential to turn into production. There is no better way to do this than to make the necessary adjustments to the depth chart.

If all of these adjustments are made then Georgia’s opponents should be grounded in 2020. Georgia’s defense has the potential to be a no-fly zone, but the right tweaks have to be made in order to see that potential become reality on the field.

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