Georgia's All-Kirby Smart Era Team: Defensive Line
We’re entering year eight of the Kirby Smart era in Athens. The Georgia football coach has more than established himself as one of the best, if not THE best, in College Football by turning around a program that had gone stagnant and is now at the top of the sport with the Bulldogs having won back-to-back titles.
Seven full seasons at the helm means a lot of things. Smart’s first full class has come and gone. While the “COVID-year” delayed it a bit, that happened this past season with the departure of Robert Beal – and of course walk-on Stetson Bennett. So, it’s time that we start discussing the All-Smart Era Team.
Our rules are simple. They only require the player to have spent one season playing for Smart so seniors on the 2016 team are eligible. Other than that, they must have finished their career at Georgia or be suiting up for the Bulldogs this fall.
Last week we covered the entirety of the offense. Those stories are linked for you below. This week, it’s time for defense, starting at the line of scrimmage with the defensive line.
Jalen Carter (2020-2022)
Jalen Carter is considered by many to have been the best player on a Georgia defensive line that saw three players get drafted that next spring, leading the Bulldogs to their first National Championship in 41 years. The next year, he helped Georgia do it again – going back to back on top of the College Football world.
A five-star coming out of Apopka, Fla., Carter played in all 10 games as a freshman. He started two of those games and finished with 14 total stops including three for lost yardage with 13 quarterback pressures. Then, as a sophomore, Carter earned a spot on the Coaches’ All-SEC Second-Team playing in all 15 games while finishing with 37 tackles and 33 pressures, second-best on the team. Carter’s 8.5 tackles for loss were third on the team. He also was one of just a handful of players across the country to block multiple kicks including one in the National Championship Game. That helped spark Georgia to win the title as the Bulldogs scored the go-ahead touchdown just plays later.
Just a sophomore that season, Carter was forced to come back for 2022. He was thought to be a potential No. 1 overall pick throughout much of the year, and ended up being picked in the top 10 by the Philadelphia Eagles. Carter was a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation’s top lineman finishing with 32 tackles and 31 hurries. Despite battling injuries, Carter was able to make a major impact. He was named Bednarik Player of the Week for his showing against Tennessee with two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. He following that up with a career-best seven stops at Mississippi State, all a part of a five-game stretch that saw him record 7.0 tackles for loss.
Carter, like the next guy, earned unanimous All-American honors – one of two Georgia players to do so this season.
Jordan Davis (2018-2021)
From five-star to three-star, Georgia’s had them all. Jordan Davis was a find of Tray Scott during the recruiting process and somebody that took time to develop. He played some as a freshman, starting four games even, and earned a spot on the Freshman All-SEC and All-American teams. He had seven tackles midseason against LSU before taking on a bigger role and making his first collegiate start versus Florida.
Davis kept up his strong play as a sophomore. While he did take a step back statistically, he started eight of the 14 games. Then, as a junior, he earned All-American honors. He started seven of 10 games before deciding to return for his senior season in 2021.
As a senior, Davis once again earned All-American honors, this time unanimously – one of just 13 players in program history to do so. He won the Outland Trophy and the Bednarik Award, leading Georgia to a National Championship Game victory as one of the four permanent team captains. Davis started 14 of 15 games and played in all 15, finishing with 32 tackles including a career-best 5.5 tackles for loss as he plugged up the middle of the line of scrimmage and required a pair of players to block him almost every play.
Travon Walker (2019-2021)
You could make the case that Jonathan Ledbetter had a better college career than Travon Walker, and I would listen. However, I’m going with Walker for the defensive end position here based on the junior season he had, the freak he was and the potential he still has – as demonstrated by the Jacksonville Jaguars’ selection of him No. 1 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Walker, a five-star recruit coming out of high school, played in 12 of 14 games as a freshman in 2019. He earned a spot on the Freshman All-SEC Team as voted on by the league’s 14 coaches and was a co-winner of the Defensive Newcomer of the Year award given out by Georgia for the team. That season had its highlights, most notably a sack against Auburn on the Tigers’ final drive of the game that gave Georgia possession and the win. He also had a strong showing versus Florida and in the Sugar Bowl win over Baylor.
Walker returned as a sophomore to play in nine of 10 games for Georgia in 2020. He tied his career-best total of tackles (three) twice and once again played well against Auburn with two tackles, a forced fumble and a pair of quarterback pressures. He also had two hurries in wins over Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri. However, it was his junior season when the full potential of the five-star was met, or at least flashed. Walker started all 15 games, finished with 37 tackles – second among defensive linemen – including six sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. Walker, who had a team-high 36 quarterback hurries, finished with seven in the National Championship Game against Alabama while logging more snaps than any other defensive lineman while playing all over the line of scrimmage.
Second Team: Devonte Wyatt (2018-2021), Tyler Clark (2016-2019), Jonathan Ledbetter (2015-2018)
