Kirby Smart explains need for different types of defensive linemen

Elite play at the interior defensive line spot has been a staple in Georgia‘s defense for the last few seasons. From Jalen Carter to Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, the Bulldogs have always excelled at finding and playing elite defensive tackles.

As Georgia heads into their Week 2 matchup versus Ball State, head coach Kirby Smart was asked if needs an impact player like that on the interior in order for his defense to maintain their recent success.

“Need or want?” Smart asked. “You always want a really disruptive, violent, quick, twitchy players, everybody wants that and you need both. You need someone that can do that, you need somebody that can anchor and handle double teams and strike blocks. We have guys that can be disruptive, I just don’t know if they can consistently do it and stop the run as well without guessing sometimes.”

Zion Logue currently holds things down on the interior of Georgia’s offensive line, towering at 6-foot-5, 310 pounds. But true freshman Jordan Hall also made an impact in the Bulldogs’ first game of the season, putting NFL-level size on display at 6-foot-4, 320 pounds.

“So our defensive lineman are perfectly capable, it’s just there’s not that kind of guy, and even when Jordan [Davis] and Devonte were here now they were not that kind of guy either. They were big, physical guys,” Smart explained. “Devonte was twitchy and quick but he was not what Jordan was. And Jordan was a very unique player in terms of stopping up two gaps and not necessarily being an elite pass rusher.”

Comparing current Bulldogs to former ones that have been a part of historical defenses and gone on to the NFL can get tricky, but Smart is still confident in what he saw from Hall on Saturday and his defensive line at large as they look to continue their dominance.

“But very comfortable with the guys we’ve got and very comfortable with that Jordan’s doing being able to help us. We want to keep bringing those guys along so that we have more of those guys than anybody in the country,” Smart concluded.

The Bulldogs overpowered Tennessee-Martin in their Week 1 game 48-7, and can likely do the same in Week 2 as they face Ball State at home this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET in a matchup airing on SEC Network.