Georgia football: Experts confident in 2020 Bulldogs despite players leaving

The defense is still elite

The loss of Clark, Crowder and Reed will not affect this year’s defense. There’s just too much talent and too much depth to force the unit to regress, regardless of who is leaving. Looking at all three positions, they all have backups that played a lot in 2019 and were really impressive.

Devonte Wyatt and Travon Walker will compete for Clark’s starting defensive tackle spot, though both will have plenty of playing time. Quay Walker looked really good backing up Crowder, as did Lewis Cine backing up Reed.

But Clark, Crowder and Reed weren’t just great players, they were great leaders as well. Does Georgia have anyone in those position groups the rest of the defense can look up to? Actually, there are probably more leaders on the 2020 defense.

Jordan Davis and Malik Herring are two of the best defensive linemen in the SEC and most sites will probably list them on preseason All-SEC teams. They’ve played huge roles in Georgia’s defense since 2018 and by the end of 2019, had grown from run stoppers to true threats in the passing game.

Monty Rice is a force in the middle of the defense, capable of making plays anywhere on the field, which is evident by his 89 total tackles in 2019. Rice is another player who’s contributed since 2018. Azeez Ojulari might only be a redshirt sophomore, but he is Georgia’s best pass rusher and has a year of starting experience under his belt.

In the defensive backfield, Richard LeCounte III became a different player as 2019 progressed. He was always a solid safety, but he started becoming a leader in November. He clearly learned a lot from Reed, and other defensive backs realize that. At the corners, Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell, have experience as starters and junior college transfer D.J. Daniel adds even more maturity.