Chris Cole will be one of Georgia's veteran leaders on defense this season. He has already put together a great career in Athens, but expectations are continuing to grow as he was just named to the Butkus Award Watchlist. This award goes to the nation's top linebacker, and if he wins he would be Kirby Smart's fourth winner in his 11-year career.
With the Georgia Bulldogs season opener now less than a month away, it is time to start looking at the roster Kirby Smart has compiled. While this team has the highest returning production in the SEC and top five in the country on defense, things are bound to be special on that end. However, Cole in particular has seemed to stand out above the rest this offseason and the Butkus Award agrees.
Chris Cole could be Georgia's next Butkus Award winner
Since taking over a decade ago, Smart has turned Georgia into a powerhouse for linebacker production with three guys having won the Butkus Award. Georgia has had three winners during Smart's tenure with Jalon Walker being the most recent in 2024.
Notable players that did not win the award but were still All-SEC include names like CJ Allen, Quay Walker, and Channing Tindall. Cole is the next guy up for the Bulldogs who has a great chance to win the award, and he is hoping to be Smart's fourth winner in 11 years.
What makes Cole such a scary linebacker is how fast and athletic he is for his size. CJ Allen was a Butkus Award top ten finalist last season despite having a smaller frame. Cole is 6'3", 235 on paper, but according to Jeremy Johnson of On3 today, the linebacker "looks like he's from another planet sometimes. He's gotten even taller and heavier" and that his twitch and quickness is still there. With defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann's aggressive style and disguising linebacker blitzes, this guy could be in for something special.
Cole's frame can be closest related to Roquan Smith at Georgia, Kirby's first Butkus Award winner in Athens. Even then, Smith is only 6'1", making Cole a serious threat and a freak of nature athlete. What impressed all of us the most is the weight put on by Cole while keeping that athleticism. While we all knew he could cover the field with ease, the concern, if any, could have been his ability to shed blocks and make tackles. With this added weight, he's destined to not only securely tackle, but hopefully force some fumbles too.
Everyone is looking at Cole's teammate, Raylen Wilson, and rightfully so. Wilson made the preseason All-SEC first team for the linebacker position in July. Wilson will also have a phenomenal season and could likely be a finalist for the award himself. However, Cole is a player that is not as high on the radar as Wilson is. This could be a surprise for many, but not for Georgia fans.
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