Georgia football: 4 players who overcome adversity to shine

Georgia football linebacker duo MJ Sherman and Trezmen Marshall

MJ Sherman and Trezmen Marshall were on everyone’s radar out of high school, but neither has done much since getting to Athens.

Sherman tore his ACL in high school, so he came to Georgia hurt, and Marshall just hasn’t made his move up the depth chart yet.

Both got playing time in 2021, but it was mostly as reserves than significant reps. Marshall appeared in four games, recording seven tackles. Sherman played in all 15 games recorded eight tackles, .5 tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries.

While it’s understandable that the players ahead of them are potential first-round NFL Draft picks, the expectations surrounding them were a little higher.

Sherman especially had high expectations coming to Georgia. He was a 4-star and the No. 2 outside linebacker in the country out of high school. There were high hopes surrounding him, and while knee injuries take time to heal, this upcoming season could finally be the moment we see him burst onto the scene.

It’s just time to see something from him because if not, there are guys in this 2021 and 2022 class that could pass him.

Marshall is another who came out of high school in the same class as Nakobe Dean and company.

Those guys are heading to the NFL Draft while Marshall barely gets playing time. He is someone who played in three games during the 2020 season, and then due to a knee injury, he only saw action in four games.

In his first year at Georgia, he played in all 14 games, so why did the playing time get significantly less? This past season could be due to the injury, but can he do enough this spring to hold off the youngsters to earn a starting job or significant role?

Maybe 2022 will be the year for him as it’s time for him to step up, or he could be someone that transfers out of the program. However, now that Dean and the other inside linebackers have moved on, he has a wide-open lane, so he should take advantage of it.

These linebackers need to step up this spring and take on a more prominent role. It’s past time with these two, but they can channel the adversity they’ve had to overcome and use it.

The physical talent is there, so now it’s time to see them take advantage of the opportunity.