Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. returning for 2024 season

Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon will return for the 2024 season, multiple sources tell On3.

An All-SEC second-team selection in 2023, he made 11 starts this season and tallied 68 total tackles, five tackles for loss and two quarterback hits in 13 games.

The former five-star recruit dealt with a foot injury this past spring, causing him to miss all of fall camp and limiting him in the season-opener. An elite athlete for his position, many expected him to enter the 2024 NFL draft. Mel Kiper Jr. had him ranked as a top-five linebacker in his class earlier this week.

Mondon will instead return next season, working to get the Dawgs back to the College Football Playoff. A part of two national title campaigns, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker has excelled in coverage thanks to his speed.

“Really smart, man. He’s a really good leader,” Kirby Smart said about Mondon in September.

It’s a big win for Smart to have Mondon returning for another year. Georgia has lost a handful of defenders to the transfer portal in recent days, including Marvin Jones Jr. and Xavian Sorey. Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson also reportedly plans to enter the transfer portal.

The nation’s top-ranked linebacker in the 2021 recruiting class, he was a top-30 prospect and the No. 3 recruit out of the Peach State. Despite playing in just 13 of 15 games in 2022, the Dallas, Georgia, native was the Bulldogs leading tackler with 76 total stops (49 solo).

Smael Mondon and Georgia open up the season in Atlanta against Clemson on Aug. 31. The Dawgs will have Sept. 28 on their radar, with a trip to Bryant-Denny Stadium scheduled.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated