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Season-long growth bringing success for Georgia outside linebackers

Jake Reuseby:Jake Reuse•11/22/23•

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Marvin Jones
Georgia outside linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. (7) during Georgia’s game against UT Martin on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)

Georgia has taken a by-committee approach to the role of outside linebacker over the course of the 2023 season, with solid contributions from the likes of Chaz Chambliss, Jalon Walker, Marvin Jones Jr., and others.

While there have been struggles for the position group at times, the last several weeks have seen a shift toward more consistent play, and Kirby Smart has taken notice.

“I’ve been pleased with those guys. They’re really hard workers,” Smart said.

While that effort has paid dividends, it’s been a work in progress and has taken time due in part to the nature of the schedule.

“It’s been tough because early in the season we didn’t get a whole lot of opportunities for those guys,” Smart said.

When those opportunities did come, the Bulldog defenders responded in a proper fashion.

“They’ve done a good job of being really physical at the point of attack,” Smart said. “We ask them to do a lot of different things. In the game against Tennessee, we were in a three-down front a lot of the time, and they were dropping in space and rushing some.”

It takes a special kind of player and mindset to handle such diverse responsibilities.

“You’ve got to be a jack of all trades to do that. We stack them back and make them play inside ‘backer some,” Smart said. “They’ve done a lot of things, and I’ve been pleased with those guys.”

With so much being required, consistent development is required. Take Marvin Jones Jr. as an example. The Georgia sophomore has impressed his teammates with the steps he’s taken forward in both his physical maturity and mental acuity.

“You know, I think he’s coming a long way. Mentally, he’s matured greatly over the past couple of weeks, especially, too,” fellow outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss said of Jones on Tuesday. “He’s grown into a bigger role on our defense because he has the size, and now, he has the mental capacity to understand all the concepts and what’s coming at him. And he’s starting to get to the point where he can predict what’s coming before it actually comes, and I think he’s done a good job of developing.”

Smart pointed to the same progression from Jones just a couple of weeks back, ahead of Georgia’s contest against Missouri.

“Marvin’s growing up. He’s playing well. He’s doing some good things. He had a few good plays (against Florida), he had a few bad plays,” Smart said at the time. He had a couple he wished he had back, but he did have some discipline and played a screen well. He had the fumble recovery. He’s becoming more and more confident in his gameplay.”

Look for Jones and company to continue to progress this week against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM on Saturday in Atlanta, with the game being televised on ABC.

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