UGA football roster: Mark Webb defending his starting nickel job

One of the most underrated players in the SEC is UGA nickel defender Mark Webb. The rising senior has appeared in 41 games since his freshman season.

Who would have thought that one of the top wide receivers signees on the UGA football class of 2017 would become one of the team’s best defensive players just three years later? But that’s exactly what Mark Webb has done going into his senior season.

Webb switched to defense early during his freshman season but played mostly on special teams throughout the year. Since then, Webb has shown noticeable improvements from year-to-year. He was a serviceable backup to Tyrique McGhee in 2018, even making six tackles in the lopsided win over Auburn.

Webb then started nine games in 2019 and played extensively in the other five. He finished his junior year with 46 tackles, three for a loss and one forced fumble. At the post-season awards gala, the team honored Webb as co-winner of the Charley Trippi Award for versatility.

Webb is solid when it comes to locking down the middle of the field. He clogs passing lanes to prevent teams from being able to pick Georgia apart with crossing routes. He accomplishes this through positioning and physicality. He closes passing windows by breaking towards receivers and slams them shut with a hard hit on them.

However, Webb lacks in tight coverage skills. He’s not going to lock any receiver down in man coverage and he’s not the best at trailing receivers towards the sidelines. Those are skills other nickel defenders on the roster excel at.

Georgia’s elite recruiting at cornerback has placed Webb’s starting job in jeopardy. Tyrique Stevenson, the almost-five-star cornerback Georgia signed in 2019 was playing very well at the end of the season and is much better at man-coverage than Webb. Georgia signed five-star Kelee Ringo in the 2020 class and he’ll certainly get a ton of looks at nickel. Is Webb’s senior experience enough to maintain his role as a full-time starter?