{"id":724636,"date":"2026-06-25T06:43:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T06:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/724636\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T06:43:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T06:43:17","slug":"espn-analyst-on-georgia-defense-theres-no-unit-in-this-conference-im-more-confident-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/724636\/","title":{"rendered":"ESPN analyst on Georgia defense: \u2018There\u2019s no unit in this conference I\u2019m more confident in.\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a lot to like about Georgia\u2019s team entering the 2026 season. <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs are once again led by head coach Kirby Smart. Quarterback Gunner Stockton returns for his second full season <\/a>as the team\u2019s starting quarterback. Georgia should have a potent rushing attack and one of the best tight end rooms in the country. <\/p>\n

Yet per ESPN\u2019s Bill Connelly, the biggest reason for excitement this coming season is what the Bulldogs bring back on the defensive side of the ball. <\/p>\n

\u201cThirteen of the 18 defenders with 200-plus snaps return,\u201d ESPN\u2019s Bill Connelly wrote in previewing the SEC. \u201cThe Dawgs have the deepest set of tackles in the country, the linebacking corps is loaded with experience, and safety transfer Khalil Barnes (Clemson) should help to make up for a couple of departures in the back. Georgia allowed 14 or fewer points eight times despite playing lots of freshmen and sophomores, and experience levels have doubled this time around. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no unit in this conference I\u2019m more confident in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whereas Georgia was very young on the defensive line in 2025, it figures to be a much more seasoned unit this fall. Christen Miller is the lone contributor the Bulldogs have to replace, as he was taken in the second round by the New Orleans Saints. <\/p>\n

Griffin could very well develop into one of the stars of college football this fall<\/a>. He was excellent as a freshman last season, showcasing why he was the No. 1-ranked defensive recruit in the 2025 recruiting cycle. <\/p>\n

Connelly didn\u2019t really touch on Georgia\u2019s inside linebacker room, but that could very well be the most talented position group on the roster.<\/a> Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole have played significant snaps at Georgia, while Justin Williams and Zayden Walker seem primed for a breakout this coming season. <\/p>\n

If there is one concern with the team\u2019s defense, it is the pass rush. Georgia had just 20 sacks last season, which ranked last among SEC teams. <\/p>\n

Georgia did dip into the transfer portal and add Auburn outside linebacker Amaris Williams, but he suffered an ACL injury during spring practice that could keep him out for the entire 2026 season. <\/p>\n

Gabe Harris and Quintavius Johnson return at outside linebacker, but redshirt freshman Chase Linton really seemed to turn a corner for the Bulldogs this spring. He could provide some much-needed punch to Georgia\u2019s pressure packages. <\/p>\n

The Bulldogs brought in the No. 6-ranked recruiting class in the country last season, with safety Tyriq Green, defensive lineman Valdin Sone and outside linebacker Khamari Brooks all turning heads during spring practice. <\/p>\n

Between the depth and talent, there\u2019s a lot to love about Georgia\u2019s defense. As Connelly points out, it was already a very good group in 2025. <\/p>\n

It has the potential to be elite this coming fall, something it admittedly hasn\u2019t been in some time. <\/p>\n

Georgia\u2019s defense will get the first to show what it can do when it opens the season against Tennessee State on Sept. 5. The game is set for a 3 p.m. ET start on ESPN+. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a lot to like about Georgia\u2019s team entering the 2026 season. The Bulldogs are once again led…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":724637,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[5183,2234,1976,399,681,105290,398,396,397,7702,99],"class_list":["post-724636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-alabama","tag-championship","tag-college","tag-football","tag-georgia","tag-mercedes-benz-stadium","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-sec","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=724636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/724637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=724636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=724636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=724636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}