Georgia spring storylines: New chapter at outside linebacker

Spring practice at Georgia begins in less than a week. The Bulldogs have already begun their 2024 march with winter workouts but the on-field preparations begin on Tuesday, March 12 and there will be a lot to follow.

The Bulldogs have 23 freshmen early enrollees on campus this spring and six more mid-year additions via the transfer portal. There’s no quarterback battle this spring but there are plenty of other competitions at other positions and youngsters coming of age. Below we continue our series by examining an outside linebacker position that looks a lot different than it did a year ago.

Who is involved?

Chaz Chambliss out snapped all other Georgia outside linebackers in 2023 and he’s going to be a factor in 2024. The staff trusts him as a first and second-down run defender and they like the way he takes on blocks and sticks his face into the proverbial fan at the position.

But things will chance in 2024 because Mykel Williams is making the move from defensive end, where he often played inside the tackle and tight end, to JACK linebacker, where he’ll get a chance to play more on the weak side and work outside of the tackle. Georgia has employed Williams at the position situationally in the past and he brings a ton of size, length, and talent to the position. He saw a ton of action at outside linebacker in the Capital One Orange Bowl blowout of Florida State and had one of his best games of the season, tallying four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

Two of the crown jewels of the Bulldogs’ 2023 class are also a year older and more prepared to pitch in. We saw some tremendous flashes from Damon Wilson in 2023. Georgia used him as a designated pass rusher on third down where he proved that he is very tough to block one-on-one. Wilson has his sights set on getting up to 245 pounds where he can be more of an every-down factor at outside linebacker.

Samuel M’Pemba is also in possession of impressive raw talent. He didn’t get to play much in his freshman season but he has the frame and skillset to give Georgia some valuable snaps.

What we’re watching…

We already know what Williams brings to the table. While we haven’t seen Georgia use his body type at outside linebacker a ton during the Kirby Smart era, we know that he has the speed and power to take control of one end of the line of scrimmage.

The G-Day game will probably be our only look at what things look like from a rotational standpoint, but how many snaps will he take from Chambliss? It’s hard to imagine a scenario where that number won’t be significant.

How big is Wilson? DawgsHQ has reported that Wilson has packed on some good weight this winter and that will help him get on the field more. The Georgia sophomore has a power-lifting background, so his ability to strike blockers and hold his ground shouldn’t be a problem as long as he has the mass.

Where does M’Pemba fit in? He has the type of athleticism that would get him on the field at any program in America but that Georgia defensive scheme isn’t easy to master.

Predictions…

While I expect Chambliss to still get significant first and second-down snaps, Williams will be UGA’s primary JACK linebacker by the end of spring, if not sooner. There are some things he’ll have to learn about the position to the point that they become second nature, but it’s also one of those positions where he can use his raw talent to be effective.

Wilson will make some noise and begin earning a bigger piece of the pie as an every-down player. When G-Day rolls around, expect Williams and Chambliss to be with the first-team defense while Wilson and M’Pemba share all of the reps with the twos, something that should help grow a great deal. Georgia is in a much better spot at this position than it was this time a year ago.

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