Spring Needs: Who Steps Up on the Defensive Line?
Spring practice is quickly approaching for the Georgia football program, and it will provide a highly competitive environment for the Bulldogs this year. Most of the attention will be focused on the quarterback room as the team searches for the player that will step into the role that Stetson Bennett left behind, but there are other spots that are worth paying attention to as well.
Over the past couple of years, the Bulldogs have been blessed with three immensely talented interior defensive linemen. Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt carried the load for a couple of seasons with Jalen Carter closely behind who then took over the starting role once Davis and Wyatt transitioned to the NFL. Now with Carter moving on to the next chapter of his career, there is a lot of playing time up for grabs on the defensive line.
Nazir Stackhouse for the time being looks to be the leader of the pack. He is entering his fourth season with the Bulldogs and is coming off a year in which he racked up 33 total tackles and three tackles for loss. Stackhouse has flown under the radar a good bit for the past couple of seasons due to the names that were lined up next to him, but he's certainly a headliner going into Spring this year.
Mykel Williams is another name that is expected to take up a good chunk of playing time this year on the defensive line. He surged onto the scene after a stellar true freshman season as he complied 6.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 28 total tackles. That means the rest of the defensive linemen will be fighting for whatever snaps are left upfront, and Spring will be an important time to see which players really step up and earn their right to be on the field when Fall rolls around.
One name that many people will be keeping tabs on is rising sophomore Bear Alexander. He saw an increase in production as the 2022 season progressed and finished the year with two sacks and three tackles for loss as a true freshman. A full offseason could do a lot of good for a player like Alexander who seems to have the early potential of becoming the next star up front.
There are several upperclassmen who have the opportunity to carve out some playing time for themselves. Zion Logue will be a redshirt senior in 2023 and while he received a pretty significant amount of playing time this past season, there is still room to fight for. The same can be said for Warren Brinson who is entering his fourth year in the program. How Spring practice looks for those two upperclassmen will say a lot about the trajectory of their 2023 season as a Bulldog.
Another name to keep an eye out for is Christen Miller who saw very limited action during his true freshman season. Now going into his second year as a college football player, what does his development look like over the next month? The former four-star prospect still has time before he really needs to start pressing for playing time, but where he resides on the depth chart after G-Day will provide a better idea of what his role will look like for the upcoming season.
This is really the first time in a few years in which Georgia will have to figure out who the big names up front defensively will be. Davis, Wyatt and Carter held down the fort for a while, but now it's time to see who steps up for the Bulldogs this go around. Defensive line coach Tray Scott has loaded down that depth chart with tremendous football players, and it will be a battle to watch this Spring.
Other Georgia News:
- Stetson Bennett Likely to Break a Georgia QB Trend on Draft Night
- Luke Bryan Gets Contestant to say "Go Dawgs" on American Idol
- Several Bulldogs Rise in Latest NFL Mock Draft
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