Fall Camp Position Battle: Who Asserts Themselves at Defensive End?

Will Georgia's past precedence of starting veteran players continue this year at defensive end?

Everyone knows what Georgia potentially has in Jalen Carter. The Apopka, Fla., native has drawn hype since the day he committed to the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive tackle made the Coaches' All-SEC second team without recording a start in 2021. 

NFL Draft experts' admiration for Carter throughout the last few months has been well documented. He is coming off his sophomore season, where he showed flashes of being an absolute game-wrecker for the opposition while playing behind NFL first-round talents Jordan Davis and DeVonte Wyatt at defensive tackle. 

Without Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, and DeVonte Wyatt, the baton is being passed to Carter to lead a Georgia defensive line with plenty of questions heading into fall camp. 

Since the conclusion of the spring, one of those questions that keeps popping up is at defensive end. Defensive line coach Tray Scott must find someone to fill the void left behind by the No. 1 overall draft pick Travon Walker. 

Going off of past precedence regarding position battles in the Kirby Smart era, veteran players will typically get the nod as the starter even if the player(s) behind them are just as good if not better. For example, Julian Rochester took snaps at defensive tackle over Jalen Carter as a freshman at the beginning of the year before Carter played his way into getting those snaps. Ameer Speed started the season at corner before handing things over to Kelee Ringo in 2021. Smart has a history of favoring the veteran. 

In this case, if seniority still plays a role in determining who will get the nod at defensive end come the season opener against Oregon, senior Tramel Walthour certainly holds an advantage. 

The Hinesville, Ga., native played in all 15 games a season ago, totaling 14 tackles and two pass deflections, yet did not record a sack or a tackle for a loss. As a reserve, Walthour showed upside as a run defender, continually finding ways to set the edge; he'll need work in the pass rushing department. Georgia is big on making "havoc" plays, which are plays that result in negative yards or forces a turnover by the offense, which may ultimately see the two players behind Walthour take the job. 

First, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is one of the biggest winners of the spring. With the absence of Tramel Walthour due to injury during the G-Day Scrimmage, Ingram-Dawkins got reps with the first team defense and recorded a sack, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and a pass deflection. 

Ingram-Dawkins was a four-star prospect coming out of high school in Gaffney, South Carolina, where he played as a three-tech defensive tackle. After losing weight in his first year in Athens, he is coming off the edge as a defensive end. Putting stats aside, Dawkins showed off his active hands and ability to convert his speed to power, helping him get into the backfield on multiple occasions. 

Then comes highly-touted freshman Mykel Williams. Williams, a five-star prospect out of Columbus, Ga., was rated the fourth-best prospect in the nation; according to the 247Sports Composite, he was an early enrollee with plenty of hype as many look at his 6-foot-5, 280-plus pound frame and compared him to Travon Walker. 

Williams terrorized offensive linemen in high school with his freaky athleticism. On tape, Williams showed he has what it takes to make an impact in year one for Georgia. Of course, it always helps he is a pupil of "Dr. Rush" Chuck Smith, who, as his nickname implies, is a doctor in pass rush, working with NFL talent like Aaron Donald, Von Miller, Azeez Ojulari, and Stephon Tuitt.

Knowing how Georgia has dealt with position battles in the past, precedence would say Tramel Walthour will be the starter come week one, but that does not mean Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Mykel Williams won't get run, as Georgia is known for its rotation of its personnel, especially up front. 

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