Spring practice an 'eye opener' for Georgia DL as it replaces Jalen Carter
Losing great players is a way of life in College Football. When you recruit like Georgia does, it’s a year-after-year type of thing.
The Bulldogs are moving toward the 2023 season without the services of stud defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who is off to the NFL Draft. The remaining group is more than capable of picking up where it left off in 2023 but according to veteran defender Nazir Stackhouse, things are changing a little.
“It’s not too much different, but it is an eye-opener for us guys who are not used to the pass-rush or some of us guys who are more one-dimensional,” Stackhouse told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “Tray Scott is working hard with us to help us work both ways in stopping the run, pass-rushing and being destructive on the field. We all know Jalen Carter was really good at doing that.”
Carter, when healthy, has been a third-down mainstay for Georgia since his freshman year. His ability to beat blocks and rush the passer with power, speed, or finesse is why he’s projected as a top 10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Georgia has the pieces…
It’s never easy to replace a guy that talented but the Bulldogs will attempt to do so from a position of strength. When knee and ankle injuries caused Carter to miss two games and limited him in a few others last season, Bear Alexander stepped into the designated pass rusher role on third down.
Stackhouse and Warren Brinson stepped up and played more defensive tackle (three-technique) in first and second down. Multiple Bulldogs have already stood where Carter stood and taken on the blocks meant for the former five-star prospect.
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Then there are the talented players we haven’t seen much from to this point. Christen Miller was a big-time defensive tackle prospect in the 2022 class. He redshirted last season. Georgia added another five-star interior defensive lineman in the 2023 class in Jordan Hall. The Jacksonville, Fla. native is already on campus and has turned a few heads.
They’re all, as Kirby Smart has said multiple times this spring, eating off the floor — fighting for a crumb. Each interior defensive lineman is trying to carve out a role for themselves. Rushing the passer and helping replace Carter’s production is a good way to do that but it’s not the only way to get on the field.
As important as it is to disrupt the quarterback, it’s not the No. 1 objective for Scott’s defensive front.
“Stopping the run, number one,” Stackhouse said when asked about the d-line’s identity. “That’s Georgia Football. You can’t describe Georgia Football any better than that. Stopping the run, and then our secondary is doing their best at covering great receivers. We have great receivers on our team. And then the pass-rushing is something that we are working on now. I don’t doubt that we are going to get really good at it, and it’s going to be a big impact.”
