Evaluation: What Does Linebacker Chris Cole Bring to Georgia?

Georgia's newest linebacker in the 2024 class, Chris Cole, brings a lot of excelling traits to the future of the Bulldogs defense. Here's his evaluation.

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs' 2024 recruiting class continues to grow with an upper echelon of talent, size, and what could be the best recruiting class ever. The number one linebacker from Virginia, Chris Cole, just recently added his name to this stout class, and he brings a lot to the table for Georgia; here's his evaluation. 

Frame: Cole stands at a solid 6' 3" and weighs about 210 pounds, but the weight is clearly added on through muscle. Cole has long arms that he can use to his advantage in coverage and has a broad frame as well, which will help fill gaps in the run game. 

Athleticism: The 4-star linebacker has flashed serious amounts of athleticism. Cole is one of the nation's top track runners off the field. He is listed as the fourth-best runner in the 60-meter hurdle event for the indoor track season and has also been clocked running a 40-meter dash in the 4.6-second range. On the field, you can see Cole's speed in his long strides when breaking to the ball and fluid hips in the passing game, showing his experience playing at cornerback before transitioning to LB his junior year. 

2024 LB Prospect Chris Cole

Instincts: With his prior history playing at CB and still being used as a safety for Salem High School, Cole's instincts are not those of your natural LB. His instincts are to drop back in the passing game, where he is a lethal weapon for Salem's defense. But, as a linebacker, your first step should be a "run reader" step, where you step forward instead of dropping back into coverage immediately. 

Polish: Everything seems to go his way when Cole is dropped back into coverage. That part of his game is extremely polished and already looks on the same level as current LBs at UGA. But, on tape, it looks like Cole tends to keep his eyes in the backfield on pass plays, which isn't a bad thing when playing the run, but it will be used against you when playing SEC-caliber offenses. 

Bottom Line: Cole's presence on the field is noticeable almost immediately. He has a great frame to mix with his speed on the field and shows plenty of potential to be groomed into another monster linebacker from Georgia. Although Cole does not have much experience playing LB, he already shows the potential to be a future NFL prospect.