It’s football season, and today continues a series where I preview the Georgia Bulldogs position by position. Today’s section focuses on the linebackers.
The 3-4 defense is designed for the defensive line to take up double teams and blocks, while leaving the linebackers free to roam and make plays.
With an improved defensive line, and a linebacker group that is very talented, the Bulldog’s have some playmakers in Christian Robinson and Alec Ogletree at ILB and Jarvis Jones and Cornelius Washington at OLB.
2010 Recap:
Heading into the 2011 season, the Bulldogs lose ILB Akeen Dent and OLB Justin Houston, who both started all 13 games last year. Dent led the team with 126 tackles while Houston lead the team with 10 sacks.
Junior Christian Robinson returns following a year where he started 10 games and finished fifth on the team with 46 tackles.
Last year, sophomore Jarvis Jones transferred to Georgia from Southern California, but sat out last year because of NCAA transfer rules.
Also last year, OLB Cornelius Washington started eight games and finished with 24 tackles.
Sophomore Alec Ogletree started the last five games last year at safety, but made the move to inside linebacker before spring practice earlier this year.
2011 Outlook:
This unit has the potential to great, not good, great.
Robinson, at ‘Mike’ linebacker will be the quarterback of the defense, calling all the plays, and making sure players are lined up in the correct spot.
At the other inside linebacker spot, Alec Ogletree is expected to be the ‘Mo’ linebacker, and following the first scrimmage of the fall, head coach Mark Richt said that he stood out.
Ogletree led the defense in the first scrimmage with eight tackles. “The guy that’s making the most plays out there (on defense) is Ogletree,” Richt said.
The players practicing bejind Ogletree and Robinson are junior Michael Gilliard and freshman Amarlo Herrera and Kosta Vavlas.
At the outside linebacker position, Jarvis Jones is expected to start at the ‘Sam’ position, Justin Houston’s old spot.
From what I’ve seen from practice and heard from players, is that Jones has the ability to make it a very smooth transition from Houston, who left early for the NFL, to the new face of the 6-foot-3, 241 pound USC-transfer.
There’s really not other way to put it, other than Jones is a beast and he will be a force to be reckoned with because of his size and athleticism.
Junior Cornelius Washington will start at the other outside linebacker spot, and his experience will help out the linebacker position.
Freshman Ray Drew is taking reps behind Washington, and the 5-star recruit will compete for playing time this fall.
But the main reason why this linebacker group can be very good isn’t because of the talent and experience that they have, it is because of the improved play of the defensive line.
The big guys up front Kwame Geathers and John Jenkins rotating at nose and DeAngelo Tyson and Abry Jones playing end will allow all four of the linebackers to flow freely and make plays.
Last year, when teams would double team DeAngelo Tyson, he would be knocked back, causing problems for the inside linebackers to move. The reason, although Tyson weighed about 300 pounds, he was undersized at nose. This year, Geathers and Jenkins each weigh about 350 pounds.
If Geathers and Jenkins can take on double teams, and maintain ground, then Ogletree and Robinson will be free to make plays.
And in the 3-4 defense, that is exactly what you what to do, and Georgia has the pieces in place for the linebackers to lead a potentially great defense.
