Georgia pass rush improvement important to UGA success in 2024
SEC Media Days are behind us, and College Football is creeping up on us. Georgia should get camp started in just over a week, and kickoff on August 31st will be here before you know it. For now though, it’s still talking season.
Late last week, ESPN took a look at the biggest question mark for each team it has in its post-spring top-25. The Bulldogs, who come in at No. 1, have “pass rush” listed as the necessary area of improvement by the worldwide leader in sports, and coming from somebody who watched the team last fall, it’s a fair assessment.
“Georgia lost only one game last season and led the SEC in scoring defense (15.6 points) and total defense (289.1 yards). But the Bulldogs struggled to consistently produce a pass rush, and coach Kirby Smart has emphasized finding ways to disrupt opposing quarterbacks during the offseason,” ESPN’s Mark Schlabach wrote.
Georgia totaled just 30 sacks last season, good for ninth in the SEC and 47th nationally. It was UGA’s lowest total since 2018 – yes, even lower than the 32 racked up in 10 games of the 2020 season.
Linebacker Jalon Walker led the way with five, followed closely behind by Mykel Williams (4.5). Williams had a team-high 4.5 in 2022, and both are back to try and help boost those numbers for the Bulldogs.
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“Junior Mykel Williams is considered a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft after producing 7½ sacks in his first two seasons. He’ll play more at outside linebacker in 2024, a move the coaching staff hopes will free him up to rush the passer more consistently,” Schlabach added to his assessment of Georgia.
While ESPN is correct in the fact that Georgia aims to play Williams more at outside linebacker, we’ll still see him plenty with a hand in the dirt at defensive end. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder isn’t done there and told reporters this spring he still considers defensive line his home. However, the move to play more stand-up linebacker certainly should help.
That’s not all though for the Dawgs. The return of interior presences like Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson should help, as should the development of Christen Miller and Jordan Hall – each in their second year as contributors for Georgia’s defense. A healthy Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is important. Former five-star Damon Wilson, UGA’s highest rated signee in the Class of 2023, has the capability to provide a pass rush off the edge too while Smael Mondon brings to the table an up-the-middle blitzing ability few linebackers in the country can match.
Overall, there are options. So yes, Schlabach is right – Georgia needs to improve its pass rush in 2024. An apparent fear of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and his ability to make plays with his legs was a contributing factor in the loss to the Crimson Tide in last year’s SEC Championship Game. A rematch against him comes early in the season (September 28th in Tuscaloosa). However, as ESPN’s short writeup would seem to indicate, its not only on Williams to provide that improvement. The Bulldogs have plenty of pass rushing options to throw at opponents. It’s important that they do so better this fall than they did the last one.
