Georgia football continues to add talented depth to its roster each recruiting cycle, and the 2022 class was one of the best groups head coach Kirby Smart, and his staff has put together.
A class doesn’t have to rank No.1 to be one of the best. This group is one of the better ones because it signed who Georgia needed.
Fifteen guys could get drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Georgia had to get a group of players to help replace them. Some are irreplaceable, but that is what college football does — recruit, develop, graduate and repeat.
One of the best pickups and probably one of the best surprises of the 2022 class has to be 5-star edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr.
Georgia football found someone that will fill the edge-rushing needs.
He was a late addition and the only Early Signing Day surprise, but Georgia got him, which matters. The staff made a good enough impression that he chose the Dawgs, and now it’s time to see him go to work.
According to 247Sports Composite rankings, Jones was the No. 24 overall, the No. 3 edge rusher, and No. 4 player out of Florida.
Jones amassed 101 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and 18 sacks — 13 of which came in his junior year in his high school career.
He has the length at 6-5 and 245-pounds to make him great off the edge. Jones is athletic and quick off the snap. He already has some solid pass-rushing moves but is developing a few more.
Jones has long arms that allow him to get to quarterbacks, which makes it harder for them to get away from him. He is fluid, though, and has so much potential.
He is so explosive and fast that getting around blockers looks easy. Jones already looks the part but could still use some development which he will get from Tray Scott. The height of his ceiling is unknown because there is no telling how good this guy can be.
How Marvin Jones fits in with Georgia football
Georgia needs more edge rushers on its team, and they were able to convince Jones to pick them over Alabama and Florida State. Getting this young man is a massive addition for the depth at this position, but the scarier part is he could see some playing time as a freshman.
Football runs deep in his blood. His dad was an All-American linebacker at FSU in the 1990s, and his half-brother plays for West Virginia. Jones’ dad gave him the genes, and he signed with one of the best programs. He began as a wide receiver but flipped to an edge rusher adding on a lot of weight during high school. Now it’s up to him to leave his mark.
He may get redshirted to secure the depth at the position, but with Travon Walker gone, it’s more likely Jones gets playing time early on in his career. Georgia has Marlen Dean and a few other young guys he can compete with, but Jones is too good to sit.
With Jones’ size, Will Muschamp and Glenn Schumann could find ways to implement him into certain schemes and stuff to see how he does. If he impresses, expect that rep count to increase.
Jones wasn’t one of the 18 early enrollees, which means he will arrive in Athens this summer, but that is okay because he seems like a player who will hit the ground running.
Georgia needs a mean edge rusher to bully quarterbacks, and Jones could be that guy. He has some growing to do, but with his skill set, it’ll be interesting to see how long it takes for him to get on the field.