Georgia Defensive Coordinator, Dan Lanning Talks 2020 Defense

Georgia's defensive coordinator, Dan Lanning spoke to the media Friday and opened up about the 2020 defense that is expected to have a big season.

Dan Lanning is fresh off a historic 2019 season for the Georgia defense, a season that came with a fresh new lucrative extension for the young and energetic defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia. 

Heading into the 2020 football season for the Georgia Bulldogs, there are high expectations for what the Dawgs can do on the defensive side of the football. They return 8 of 11 starters from that defense a year ago, and could see a major leap from soon to be stars in their second year in the defense like Nakobe Dean, Travon Walker, Tyrique Stevenson, and Nolan Smith. 

Lanning spoke with the media Friday about the expectations for the 2020 squad. Here are the highlights. 

Lanning on an altered offseason filled with Zoom meetings: 

"The Zoom meetings, they never stopped. It was a lot of fun as a staff to be able to connect with somebody that might be on the other side of the world. Whether it be the San Diego Chargers or a high school coach in Florida, we spent a lot of time. I think the key in all this is when you have more time, you're careful not to do too much because ultimately it still comes down to tackling, block destruction, finishes off plays. So, it was definitely rewarding for our staff to be able to get to meet with some people." 

On starting his third season with Georgia and the roots he has put down in the program and the community...

“Yeah, absolutely, and really excited to be. You are always talking about being in a place—I’ve got three kids, my wife Sophia and I. You talk about being in a place you would love to raise your family, and Athens [has] truly been that place. Three years, for me in college football, this will be the longest I’ve been anywhere. Sometimes it takes that progression to get you there in your career, and I am very fortunate to be in a place where I could see myself for a long time.”

On what areas in particular he is looking to attack in the preseason...

“The biggest thing I think we’ve emphasized so far this offseason is the finish. You know, we’ve talked about havoc plays on here a lot in the past, and that is still definitely a big focus for us, but we want to get the ball out. We want to finish. We want to impact the game by having some game-changing plays that we can create, and our players have really embraced that so far.”

On finishing statistically-well last season and how the defense continues to get better...

“Ultimately for us it’s about wins. That was 2019. This is 2020. It really has no correlation, and we have to start from scratch. By no means are we the ’85 [Chicago] Bears. We got a lot of work to do, but our guys are embracing the challenge of getting better and focusing on that. It starts with the details, right? It starts with today, not tomorrow, not the first game. We got to really focus on today first.”

On what he means by “finish” and if that a part of the havoc-rate...

“Yeah, it’s really a combination of everything. You know, football is such a unique sport and a standpoint in that you can win 90% of the play, and if the last 10% of the play the wide receiver catches the ball—you didn’t do your part. If you don’t get to the quarterback, you might have a great pass-rush move, but if you don’t finish on the quarterback—it doesn’t matter. If you cover somebody perfectly or fit a gap perfectly, but you don’t make the tackle or get the ball out—it doesn’t matter. So, the key to us is we are finishing 100% of the play, and even if we are behind in the first 80%, how we finish that play can be a key to success.”

On where his defense is physically: 

"Our mental prep that we've been able to create through either walkthroughs or Zoom meetings is actually further along than our physical prep as far as the technique that is required to execute something. Getting more of those practice reps is going to be valuable but the mental prep is definitely going to be ahead of the curve."

On the defense from a year ago being known as the no-name defense: 

"We have a bunch of dogs. I think a comment that was made last year several times was the no-name defense and I think it was maybe taken the wrong way. In a lot of terms when I say that, we have a lot of unselfish players. We have a lot of guys that want the ball in their hands at the end of the game, they want to be on the field on fourth down. There's a lot of guys on our defense that I'd go to war with right now, I don't know if I'd pick one alpha dog." 

On Tyrique Stevenson and Eric Stokes…

“I think Eric [Stokes] and Tyrique [Stevenson] have both done a good job. Tyrique is not the only person who gets multiple positions, we work with almost all of our guys when we cross train. There is going to be change, this is where the mental agility is going to come in. We have to be prepared to work in several different spots.”

On Richard LeCounte and his development over his career…

“Richard [LeCounte] is a player that plays with instincts and that shows up. What he has learned over the years is to play with those same instincts within the framework of our defense and our system. I think every single one of our players still needs to be coached, but Richard’s production, a lot of it comes from those instincts. He’s done a good job of honing that in to fit the system where he’s able to make plays. That’s what we’ve focused on with him and he’s done a really good job with that.”

Lanning also went on to say that freshman, Jalen Carter is already making those across from him better in practice. We expected the Apopka, Florida prospect to find his way onto the field this fall in a similar role as Travon Walker from a year ago, and it appears he is on track to do so this fall for Georgia. 

He also spoke about Junior defensive tackle, Jordan Davis stating: 

"I have really high expectations for Jordan Davis. He's really hungry. There aren't a lot of people in the world who look like Jordan Davis." Indeed he is correct there. Davis is one player that we hear has really taken control of his body composition. Something we asked him about following the Sugar Bowl win over Baylor: 

"I think at times it was, but I think it can be better. I just want to get to the point in my life where it's no longer a problem. Running, eating right, and conditioning with football drills, not just straight running. Football is a game, the conditioning levels take a lot. Short burst and you know you're not going to be straight line running for very long."

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