UGA football roster: Where does Trezmen Marshall fit in among Georgia’s linebackers?

UGA football is really deep at inside linebacker, so much that talented players like Trezmen Marshall seem lost in the shuffle.

Let’s not beat around the bush, Trezmen Marshall faces an uphill battle for significant playing time this season. UGA football is very deep at inside linebacker with players like Monty Rice, Nakobe Dean and Channing Tindall ahead of him.

But there is no doubting Marshall’s ability and talent. The Homerville product was a star player on special teams last year and appeared in all 14 games. 247Sports Composite ranked him as the No. 7 ranked inside linebacker in the 2019 class, and at 6-1 and 235 lbs. coming out of Clinch County High School, he was already at “SEC size.”

The question is, does Marshall have what it takes to earn substantial playing time this season despite the layers of depth ahead of him? Georgia’s coaches wouldn’t mind having another inside linebacker to put on the field. head coach Kirby Smart and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning love being able to go beyond two-deep at each position. A big step up by Marshall would allow Georgia to do that at inside linebacker in 2020.

What Marshall really has going for him is ball skills. That separates him from other inside linebackers on the roster. In high school, Marshall was really good in pass coverage and pass deflections were common. Plus, Marshall quickly goes from coverage to pursuit either against receivers or scrambling quarterbacks. He’s an explosive runner and uses every bit of his impressive frame to make solid tackles.

If those skills translate to SEC football, Marshall can carve out a niche as a third-down linebacker. His ball skills in the open field would prove useful in situations where Georgia desperately needs a stop. He can really help shutdown over-the-middle passes and keep scrambling quarterbacks from picking up first downs.