Marvin Jones Jr, Jalon Walker growing early in Georgia careers
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia has five linebackers in its freshman class. Among those, two have stood out from the rest. Marvin Jones Jr. and Jalon Walker, both of whom were top four players at their respective positions in the Class of 2022 per the On3 Consensus, recently earned the praise of head coach Kirby Smart and just might be able to turn that into greater opportunity down the stretch for the Bulldogs.
In the case of Jones Jr., his path to playing time is obvious. Georgia lost senior outside linebacker Nolan Smith for the season this past Saturday, thus opening the door for a talented player like Jones Jr. to emerge as a replacement option. Smart said that Jones Jr. likely would have played more on Saturday after Smith’s exit from the game had it not been for him battling the flu. This week though, he’s been getting reps and pushing for playing time.
“He has been great. He has really increased his toughness. He is a really good athlete. He has gotten so much better,” Smart said on Tuesday. “I don’t think even he knew what he was getting into as far as contact, physicality and big boy ball. He has been down with the scouts. He has been with us. He closes on counters. He understands football. He has got really good instincts. He probably would have played more last week, but he was a little sick two days before the game and we weren’t able to play him on special team. He has been repping and practicing hard this week.”
Jones has seen action in seven of eight games to date, credited with one solo tackle and a quarterback hurry in Georgia’s win over South Carolina.
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As for Walker, the Salisbury, N.C. native has played in all eight games to date. His biggest moment of the year so far came on a blocked punt against Kent State that resulted in a safety, but he also had four tackles versus Vanderbilt a few weeks later. Most recently, Walker has earned himself a spot on third downs as a pass rusher for Georgia totaling two quarterback hurries last Saturday against Florida.
“He has played a few more snaps recently and earning himself into more of our packages. He has done a good job. He has been playing on special teams. He is really fast. He is tough. He is a good player,” Smart said. “The good players we have signed here have had some role as a freshman because we believe in getting them out there. His has not been a really huge role, but it has been a good role. When you think about the guys we have had leave here in the last couple of years, they have had some impact as a freshman. He is doing that now.”
Both Jones Jr. and Walker could be called on in Saturday’s showdown with Tennessee. The absence of Smith plus the need to pressure the quarterback means that there’s a possibility both are on the field for third downs. Regardless, the steps that the freshman duo is taking in their first season on campus certainly points to them being impact players down the road during their Georgia careers.
