Georgia Football: Julian Rochester has made his decision

Georgia football’s defensive line just got a lot deeper.

In 2020 Georgia football found out what it was like losing both of its nose tackles for a significant time. It was a major hit to their overall defensive production. However, they will not have to worry about that in 20221 as both have returned. According to a report by Anthony Dasher of Rivals.com, Julian Rochester has decided to come back to Georgia for a sixth season.

During his time playing nose tackle for Georgia football, Rochester has totaled 103 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.

The former McEachern Indian only played in five games for Georgia football in 2020. He tore his ACL in Georgia’s game against Kentucky. According to Sec Stat Cat, through the first four games of the season, Georgia’s defense held their opponents to 318.75 total yards per game, 253.00 passing yards per game, and 65.75 rushing yards per game.

Without Rochester, those numbers went up to 327.80 total yards per game, 254.00 passing yards per game, and 73.80 rushing yards per game. The defense’s three and out rate also dropped from 50.00 percent to 38.60 percent, their turnover rate also dropped from 4.10 percent to 1.82 percent, and their opponent scoring rate also jumped from 26.00 percent to 31.58 percent.

Having Rochester back helps Georgia football’s defense immensely. He and Jordan Davis make up the best nose tackle pairing in all of college football. Without them in the middle of Georgia’s defense the unit just isn’t the same. It’s a good thing they both are coming back as Georgia’s defense wouldn’t have a single true nose tackle on the roster without them.

With this news, Georgia’s defense is ready to take care of its unfinished business in 2021. Georgia football’s run defense should be one of the best in the SEC again after holding opposing rushers to just 2.64 yards per rush in 2020. Even though college football has gone more towards offenses that attack through the air it is still a good thing to be able to stuff the run