Jamon Dumas-Johnson aware of 'average' play, expects better of himself
ATHENS, Ga. — By his own admission, Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson has been “average” to start the season.
After finishing second on the team in tackles last season and being named to several All-American squads before this one, Dumas-Johnson has looked lost at times in 2023. He missed an open field tackle on Spencer Rattler against South Carolina. He has been slow to react in pass coverage on multiple occasions. Put simply, Dumas-Johnson hasn’t played his best football. However, he’s aware of that – and that’s a good thing for Georgia.
“I wouldn’t say I have gotten a lot of action the first four games due to them running the ball outside, trying to make us run,” Dumas-Johnson said. “Really just average. Not a lot of action in the hole or going outside. They’re trying to get our corners, make our corners tackle on the perimeter, things like that.”
Dumas-Johnson has also been hard on the defense. Not all too different than last year when he wasn’t pleased at times with the way he and his teammates were playing to the standard set by those before them, Dumas-Johnson said that improvements could be made by everybody, including himself.
That kind of assessment makes for an easy follow-up, asking Dumas-Johnson how he’s hoping to improve his play. For him, it’s not dramatic changes that need to be made; rather, slight adjustments to get his game back in order.
“Really just getting back to myself,” Dumas-Johnson said. “Eyes, locking in, and just be who you are. At the end of the day, you’ve got to be yourself.”
Dumas-Johnson said something similar last time he spoke with reporters prior to the South Carolina game. Then, he said that the adjustments that needed to be made started in practice – not on the field on Saturdays.
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He wanted to see the team “lock in to what coach is saying” and “bring the standard back to what it has been.” On what winning football as an inside linebacker looked like, Dumas-Johnson described it by saying it was all about the assignment and doing what’s asked of the position.
“Be dependable. Doing the little things right. Just being a leader on that field,” Dumas-Johnson said. “Being a Mike inside linebacker, really controlling things. That is what you got to do at inside linebacker. Just doing the right thing. That’s winning football. You can’t win doing the wrong thing, you busting. Just really locking in and controlling things.”
The junior leader of the defense is tied for fourth on the team in tackles for 10 stops so far, leading the way with 3.0 tackles for loss. It’s clear however that he expects better of himself after a sophomore season that saw him total 70 tackles including 9.0 for loss in 2022. His coach is confident he can do just that.
“A good leader. He’s been a little more vocal this year, which I think is important,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of Dumas-Johnson so far this season. “He has the pulse of the team, of when to push somebody and when to back off a young player and help them and pat them on the back. So he’s done a good job in terms of that.”
Dumas-Johnson will have his first opportunity to turn his play up a notch and show improvement on Saturday as Georgia travels to Auburn to take on the Tigers. Kickoff time at Jordan-Hare Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS as the SEC Game of the Week.
