The Georgia Bulldogs will open spring football practice Tuesday. Each day between now and then, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution will break down the various position groups, analyze the personnel and examine their spring-practice objectives. G-Day, the annual spring intrasquad scrimmage, is scheduled for April 17 at Sanford Stadium.
SPRING FOOTBALL PREVIEW
TODAY: INSIDE LINEBACKERS
ATHENS — Just how good of a middle linebacker was Monty Rice? Georgia is about to find out.
The Bulldogs’ defensive captain the past two seasons, Rice battled injuries throughout his career. But he rarely missed time on the field, toughing it out and playing through chronic foot and shoulder injuries for four years and producing all the while. He passed up an opportunity to test the NFL draft before last season, then turned in his usual solid performance, finishing third on the team with 49 tackles and a fumble-return touchdown. That was enough for Rice to earn notice as one of five finalists for the Butkus Award.
Rice skipped the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to heal for draft preparation. He will be among more than a dozen UGA players working out for NFL scouts at Georgia’s Pro Day on March 17. That means a proverbial block of granite in the middle of the Bulldogs’ defense will have to be replaced.
Georgia’s immediate future is in the obviously good hands of rising junior Nakobe Dean, who is returning at the “Mac” linebacker. But whether the toughness and consistency Rice brought to the “Mike” position can be replicated this season will be up to rising seniors Quay Walker and Channing Tindall, initially, and then a group of talented young players trying to earn a spot in the rotation.
After the season, then, we should truly know Rice’s worth.
Credit: Tony Walsh
Credit: Tony Walsh
RETURNING STARTERS (1): Junior Nakobe Dean
OTHERS: Senior Quay Walker, senior Channing Tindall, junior Trezman Marshall, sophomore Rian Davis, freshman Smael Mondon, freshman Jamon Dumas-Johnson
ALL EYES ON: Walker
OUTLOOK: The potential is good. That’s primarily because of Georgia’s talent and depth in the defensive line, which should give the Bulldogs’ inside ‘backers room to operate. But that’s also because of the proven worth of Dean, who will enter his third season as a starter and appears ready to take off toward all-star status. As it was, Dean led the Bulldogs’ in tackles last year with 71 and the inside linebackers with 12 QB hurries. The 6-foot, 220-pound former 5-star recruit has the speed of a running back and is proficient in pass coverage as well as run support. … Walker emerged at middle linebacker last season while playing increasingly more downs with Rice battling injuries and his potential appears extremely high. At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, he’s considerably bigger than the rest of Georgia’s inside linebackers and is a real force stuffing the run. But spread offenses are putting more pressure on the coverage skills of linebackers, and Walker needs to improve in that area. Likewise, for the 6-2, 218-pound Tindall, who might be the fastest of the inside guys and has a real knack for getting to the quarterback (3 sacks, 10 hurries) … Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have prioritized linebackers in recruiting lately, so there will be several young players trying to get noticed in spring practice and preseason camp. Everybody’s eager to get a look at coveted 5-star signee Smael (pronounced like smile) Mondon. And Georgia is prepared to experiment with outside guys like M.J. Sherman and Nolan Smith getting some looks inside. Strong potential here.
UP NEXT: Outside linebackers
PREVIOUSLY: Offensive line, quarterback, running backs, tight ends, wide receivers, special teams, defensive line.
