Georgia outside linebacker room sees overhaul in spring with influx of youth
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s outside linebackers room is seeing a bit of an overhaul this offseason. With Nolan Smith and Robert Beal off to the NFL plus injuries to Marvin Jones Jr. and Jalon Walker this spring, opportunities exist for the likes of Chaz Chambliss, Darris Smith and a trio of early enrollees to take the next step forward in their development.
“Man, the Wolfpack will always be great. Don’t ever ask me any questions about the Wolfpack,” Nolan Smith told reporters after his workout at Georgia’s Pro Day. “When one wolf eats, we all eat. I think the outside linebacker room is going to be amazing. Chaz, I tell Chaz that he’s the old man in the room now, and he’s got to get the boys fishing, getting them doing the right thing on the weekend, being the old man that we are and making sure that we’re good as team.”
“Old man” is a strong term for a player who just completed his second year on campus. But, in a position group that has half a dozen guys in their first spring, it’s a term that fits for Chambliss. Last year he stepped up in place of the injured Nolan Smith, totaling 15 tackles including three for loss with 2.0 sacks after the veteran’s exit from the lineup. This year he’ll be looking to serve as a leader for a youngster like Darris Smith, along with the three freshmen Damon Wilson, Sam M’Pemba and Gabe Harris.
Wilson was Georgia’s highest rated signee in the past class. M’Pemba and Harris were both top-10 EDGE players according to the On3 Industry Ranking in 2023 while the younger Smith came in as the No. 81 overall player according to On3 in 2022.
“It’s probably the youngest position on the roster. I think we have five players in their first spring or their first year. So the three midyears, CJ (Madden). I guess I’m counting — I’m counting those five guys, and that isn’t even counting Marvin (Jones Jr.). So there are six guys within that one-year span. That’s a really young position,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said on Tuesday as the Bulldogs began spring practice. “Chaz (Chambliss) is kind of like the old vet there now. We’ll see how it goes. Those young guys have looked good in workouts. When you talk about how our guys run around and how they move, there’s a really good group of guys, but we’ll need a lot of reps and work there to replace the Nolans and the Beals who have been there forever.”
“Darris, he reminds me so much of Adam Anderson when I first came in. I saw him running, and he’s running all day. He never gets tired. He’s always the first one in conditioning,” Nolan Smith added. “I told him when he first came to conditioning, ‘Hey man, little brother you need to slow down. You know how long we condition? We’re going to have a lot.’ He was like, ‘No, I’m good.’ Okay, and then he really was good and he’s been great ever since. I told him keep running and keep doing you.”
Georgia holds its second of 15 practice sessions this spring on Thursday. Spring practice culminates April 15th at Sanford Stadium with the G-Day spring scrimmage.
