Georgia inside 'backers carry on legacy of success, production
ATLANTA — Put Georgia’s lineage of linebackers up against anybody’s and few can claim to as good. No one can legitimately claim to be better. Glenn Schumann is a big reason why, and two brand-new starters at the position in 2022 are a perfect example of his impact. Replacing the production of three selections from the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft (Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean and Channing Tindall), Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon have stepped in to carry the weight well, tying for the team-high in tackles with 64 stops.
“I think that anybody who comes to play linebacker at the University of Georgia accepts the responsibility of what that entails, and I think there’s a high standard for anybody who comes into that room,” Schumann, the co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, said. “I think those guys have been successful because they’ve held themselves to that standard. They’re their own harshest critics a lot of the time, and they’ve remained humble despite having success, and I think that goes for everybody in that room. They’ve prepared the right way, and preparation is ultimately what leads to success, and those guys have done that the right way.”
“Those guys have had a phenomenal year. Both Smael and Jamon, taking the role that they’ve taken, again, from last year,” Muschamp, Schumann’s fellow co-coordinator, said. “In our defense there’s a lot of communication involved. Obviously Chris can sound board that as well, but a lot is communicated up front based on formation recognition. A lot of this is happening in a tempo setting where it’s very fast, there’s a lot of things going on. And these two young men have done a phenomenal job of getting us in the right spots defensively, because we have a lot of things that we check based on formation and things. And these guys do a great job of communicating those things to our defense along with Chris, and Malaki and some of the other guys.”
Dumas-Johnson and Mondon have spoken about it before too. They learned for the best of them and have done their best to carry on the legacy. The coaches have also done their best to develop the defense around their skillsets.
“I think starting with Coach Smart and Glenn and our defensive staff after spring, we really identified what our guys do best. It’s not just saying, ‘Well, this is what we do defensively at Georgia schematically’ because that may not have been best for what Smael Mondon and Pop can do as opposed to what Nakobe and Quay could do,” Muschamp said. “We have adapted and adjusted some things that we do in order to fit our players and what we do. Philosophically not getting away from anything that we normally do and what the expectation is at Georgia, but schematically there’s been some tweaks and some changes.”
So far, that’s worked well, but the biggest tests still await as Georgia takes on Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Saturday. Kickoff time between the Bulldogs and Buckeyes is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe on the call live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and a spot in the National Championship Game on the line.
