Top 5 Georgia football players returning to lead the Dawgs’ excellent defense in 2022

As crazy as it may seem that Georgia football isn’t losing their sack-leader to the NFL Draft, it is true as Robert Beal Jr. also chose to come back for his super senior year.

He filled in for the departed Adam Anderson and never missed a beat. Like Christopher Smith, Beal sacrificed a potential NFL Draft selection to bring it back one more year and do something great.

Beal was incredible in those seven games that he got most of the reps, so thinking about what he could do with at least 12 games of significant playing time should make your mouth water.

He finished 2021 with 23 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and 19 quarterback hurries. So of his 23 tackles, half of them happened behind the line of scrimmage.

That stat is why having him return in 2022 is so important. Beal finally blossomed and proved that he is an elite linebacker who can do some damage.

Beal will be the leader of the linebackers, and he waited his turn for this moment. If anyone could shock some people in 2022, it could be him.

With that confidence, he can channel it in 2022 and produce even more impressive numbers, which the Bulldogs will need. His statistics put him at No. 4 on this list because it’s only up from here for Beal. It’s the year he proves to be the next linebacker to impress.