Georgia football is on its way to becoming LBU or linebacker university as that room is always one of the Dawgs’ best. However, what makes those players so good isn’t just their on-field talent but their chemistry.
The Dawgs lost their field-general Nakobe Dean and a handful of its playmakers out of that room to the NFL Draft, so now it’s time for the next group of players to step up and make sure the legacy left gets kept.
There are expectations for playing linebackers at the University of Georgia, and the 2022 squad knows that, so this spring is all about building each other’s trust and making sure they are on the same page.
Georgia football knows it needs chemistry in its linebacker room to maintain that elite level of play.
Dawgs’ linebacker Trezmen Marshall spoke to the media after practice on Thursday, and he discussed how important it is to play together as one.
"“We always give it a tremendous effort,” Marshall said during his Thursday interview. “Right now, we are working on our connection, like being together and everything, learning plays. We have our own group right now, but we fully bought in and getting better every day.”"
He is someone who has been around the program a while and knows what it takes to be a member of this team. Marshall played with Dean and Quay Walker the last couple of years, and while he has battled with injuries, he learned important lessons from them.
They led by example, so he and the rest of the linebackers in that room now know how to handle themselves.
Marshall is still getting 100% healthy from his injuries, but once he does, this year is his time to shine. He has a wide-open lane to playing time and becoming someone the Dawgs can depend on in a full-time role.
Last year, he could only play in four games, but Marshall was able to record seven tackles, with four coming against UAB. However, a mid-season knee injury put him on the sidelines, so he wasn’t able to grow as much.
The 6-1 and 230-pound junior has been around a while, and even though he hasn’t physically played as much, he knows what he has to do this year to make the most of it.
He saw what Dean and company did, so it’s up to him and the other upperclassmen to build that camaraderie.
If they can find the same level of chemistry the last few linebacker groups have had, then this group will be able to meet those expectations.
It will take some work and someone to take on that leadership role to make sure it happens. Marshall could be the man for the job, but that is if he can get and stay healthy.