The Georgia Bulldogs’ pass rush was a problem in 2025, and it does not appear to be fixed just yet.
Head coach Kirby Smart was asked about how his team looked rushing the passer in their latest scrimmage last weekend, and he was extremely candid.
“We didn't have a ‘sackfest’ out there,” he said. “That was not the way it was at all. We aren't where we need to be in terms of pass rush, because we're missing some guys in terms of dealing with Amaris not being out there and some talent there.”
Georgia's pass rush still has a lot of work to do
The torn ACL to Amaris Williams this spring was a crushing blow to the Bulldogs. Georgia identified a need at edge rusher this offseason and got the former 5-star recruit out of the transfer portal from Auburn. He was expected to provide an experienced pass rusher with elite athleticism who can win one-on-ones and generate havoc, instead he’s a long shot to play at all this season. It’s left Georgia searching for other answers.
“We're having to do it in other ways,” Smart said. “And we'll have to do that probably all year, in terms of where we create pressure and how we go about it.”
“To say that we’re where we need to be pass rush-wise, I don't know that we are.”
The Bulldogs had the fewest sacks in both the SEC and College Football Playoff field last season with 20. It was a far cry from the disruptive units up front that they’d enjoyed for nearly Smart’s entire tenure at the school.
To get any sort of pressure, Georgia often relied on blitzes as 10.5 of their 20 sacks came from off-ball linebackers. The defense’s inability to win with four rushers on non-blitzes made things hard for Smart and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann.
Smart didn’t make it sound like the defense has exactly made a 180 in that regard yet.
“I’m not ready to say that the defensive line is ready to rush with four and get there every time,” he said. “I certainly hope they can, but I didn’t see any indication that that was the case from what I saw Saturday.”
There’s a hint of Smart’s trademark dryness in that response. The keyword there is “every time," no defense on earth is going to get there “every time” with four rushers, and Smart knows that. If fans were to read the tea leaves it could still be a concerning development, but Smart isn’t all the way out on how his defense looked in the scrimmage. He actually said he was "very pleased".
“There were some good turnovers in there, some sacks, and it created some havoc, which is important,” he said.
Georgia has the talent needed to succeed on their defensive front
There are plenty of talented players along Georgia’s defensive front. And this pass rush, in all likelihood, truly has nowhere to go but up.
Linebacker Quintavius Johnson said the Georgia linebacking corps is settling in much better in terms of rushing the passer.
“As a room, we're so much [more] comfortable in our defense pass rushing,” Johnson said. “Pass rushing out of six [rushers], pass rushing out of five, just being so detail oriented up front and knowing that winning first and second down will give us the leverage to pass rush the quarterback.”
A couple of key breakouts from young players like Chase Linton, Zayden Walker or Isaiah Gibson off the edge would be pivotal for this team.
As would more interior pressure, which the Bulldogs could receive from the likes of Elijah Griffin and Jordan Hall at defensive tackle. Both players have earned strong reviews for their performance this fall.
A productive and disruptive pass rush group could be what determines Georgia’s fate this year. With how talented their secondary and off-ball linebackers are, that’s looking like the missing piece to make them arguably the nation’s best defense.
But if they’re ranking towards the bottom of their conference in sacks again, the Bulldogs might be in for another early postseason exit.
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