Georgia Bulldogs 23 for '23: No. 22 Marvin Jones Jr.

We’re less than a month away from the start of fall camp for Georgia, and what better time to take a look at the most important players for the Bulldogs in 2023?

Important can have different definitions. Some players’ importance for this season is based on their past performance and ability to repeat that this fall. For others, it’s about their potential and what living up to it would mean for Georgia and its chances at winning a third straight National Championship.
We continue the countdown from 23 to 1 today with No. 22 on our list, sophomore outside linebacker Marvin Jones Jr.

Marvin Jones Jr.

Position: Outside Linebacker
Class: Sophomore
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 250 pounds

Hometown (High School): Sunrise, Fla. (American Heritage)

Marvin Jones Jr. was a big get for Georgia in the Class of 2022. One of four five-stars that the Bulldogs signed, two – Malaki Starks and Mykel Williams – made major impacts in their first season. The other – Jaheim Singletary – has transferred out of the program. That leaves somewhere in between for the product of American Heritage High School.

As a true freshman, Jones saw action in 13 of 15 games. He was credited with four tackles including one sack that came against Georgia Tech in the regular season finale, spending the majority of his time on the field on special teams. However, late in the season when Georgia was battling injuries at the outside linebacker position, Jones was thrust into action on defense more often, giving him a taste of valuable experience he can fall back on as he heads into his second season.

Georgia got to see what life would be like without Nolan Smith in the second half of the season. Robert Beal was forced to take on a bigger role, as was Chaz Chambliss. Now without both Smith and Beal, it’s Chambliss and company that Chidera Uzo-Diribe has to choose from. Jones is among that group and has a real chance to take a major step forward considering his undeniable natural talent and the need at his position.

Jones missed spring practice this year as he recovered from surgery on a torn labrum – an injury he played through all of last season. That opened the door for the likes of Darris Smith and Damon Wilson among others to get their fair share of reps alongside Chambliss. However, when he’s back on the field, we’d be surprised to see Jones not be right back in the mix. His combination of length, speed and explosiveness for his size isn’t common at all. Add in a healthy shoulder and it could mean big things for Jones this fall as Georgia looks for answers in an inexperienced outside linebacker room. That’s among the most important things for the Bulldogs headed into the season making Jones one of the most important players as a result.

Know the Quote

“You know, he’s starting on special teams now which is huge and gaining a lot of confidence,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of the former five-star last season ahead of the Auburn game in early October. “I was just watching some of the practices from the last couple of days and he’s getting better. He does a really good job. He’s giving great effort when he’s on the scout team and then he goes over with the defense and reps. Does a good job with that as well. We think he’s growing. He’s very intelligent, very conscientious and getting stronger.”

“They didn’t do much. I saw them do a lot of ab work, a lot of ropes, a lot of sit-ups, and a lot of getting yelled at by the microphone because I’m mad they’re not out there,” Smart added after G-Day when asked about Jones and a pair of other injured players – Dan Jackson and Jalon Walker – this spring. “They haven’t been able to do a lot. They all three take every walkthrough rep. They sit in every meeting. They pay attention, they hear your script, they make calls, they coach younger players. That’s the culture that’s created. Like hey man, you’re not in, you better coach the next guy up. They did that.”