Jamon Dumas-Johnson feeling comfortable rising into leadership role at linebacker

With three players picked in the first three rounds of this spring’s NFL Draft, Georgia absolutely has a lot questions at inside linebacker in 2022. Sophomore Jamon Dumas-Johnson seems to be one of the answers.

The Hyattsville, Md. native and St. Frances Academy product played in 14 of 15 games last season for the Bulldogs as a reserve linebacker and special teams ace. Finishing with 22 tackles, including 2.0 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, Dumas-Johnson made his impact known when he did get an opportunity to step foot on the field. In fact, in his first drive of action last fall against UAB, the 6-foot-1, 245-pound linebacker intercepted a pass and took it to the house. How ’bout that for an introduction to College Football?

But that’s all in the past now, and Dumas-Johnson is focused on the impact he can make on this year’s team, stepping up as a leader and a linebacker.

“I feel great, I think the guys that left last year did a great job of helping me. Leading me to fulfill those roles,” Dumas-Johnson told media members in Athens on Thursday night. “My goal this year is to be the best that we can be the whole season. Not just me but the whole team. Keep the same Georgia standard as if they never left.”

“They.” Sometimes it wouldn’t be so clear who the player is talking about. But in the case of the inside linebackers, it’s obvious. Nakobe Dean. Quay Walker. Channing Tindall. Dean won the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker last season, finishing second on the team in tackles and earning nearly unanimous First-Team All-American status. He was a captain of the team and one of the biggest leaders on defense. Just ask Channing Tindall in that National Championship Game. And speaking of Tindall, he and Walker both finished tied for third on the team in tackles.

While there might not have been many that played outside of the ‘Big Three,’ that doesn’t mean that there weren’t others in the room. And while they were playing, those others were watching their every move, learning along the way.

“IQ. Nakobe is a smart guy,” Dumas-Johnson said about the biggest thing he learned from the linebackers last year. “I didn’t just learn from Nakobe. I learned from Quay, I learned from all of them. I took pieces from each of their game and molded it into my own.”

Now it’s Dumas-Johnson’s turn to be a leader. There are other leaders on the defense, and they’re pushing him. But Dumas-Johnson is taking on that challenge of being a leader head-on.

“I think he’s challenged himself,” Georgia co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann said about Dumas-Johnson during fall camp. “He knows in the summer you attack strength and conditioning to be able to say, ‘Hey I might have an increased role this year. What do I have to do in terms of my strength and conditioning to do whatever role is asked of me?’ He loves football. He practices really hard. He’s an instinctive, physical player, but (we) need to continue to see him grow. Everybody needs to grow.”

“My mentality was to play fast, physical, step up and take on a leadership role that they left behind,” Dumas-Johnson added. “A lot of guys were pushing me. There’s great leadership still around the team pushing me. I push them to be the best we can be at the end of the day.”

With everything coming so quickly, it’d be ease to understand feeling rushed onto the scene. After all, everybody is pointing to Dumas-Johnson to be the next best thing at inside linebacker at Georgia – a tradition that’s been built here recently by the likes of Roquan Smith, Tae Crowder, Monty Rice and the trio of draftees this spring. Does Dumas-Johnson feel that way though?

“I don’t really know what they’re saying,” he said.

“No, I don’t feel rushed. I think those guys did a perfect job of preparing me and the other guys to step up and take on leadership on the team as inside backers. Once you get that one year under your belt, you should be good. As long as you’re locked in your first year, learn the concepts and learn what you need to learn, you should be good for your second year.”