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Georgia Bulldogs: Defensive Line To Use Heavy Rotation

By John Buhler

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Georgia Bulldogs Defensive Line Coach Tracy Rocker met with the media to discuss how he plans to use a deep rotation with his players up front.

While he would like to have three guys capable of playing every down in Jeremy Pruitt’s 3-4 Base Defense, that isn’t a likely scenario for the Georgia Bulldogs this season for two reasons.  The first is that UGA will have to replace the likes of Toby Johnson and Mike Thornton up front with guys like Josh Dawson, James DeLoach and true freshman Trent Thompson.

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Both Dawson and DeLoach are former outside linebackers and though Trent Thompson is a 5-Star Recruit out of Albany, GA, the learning curve from high school to college is a steep one for even the most talented of student athletes.

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    • The second reason Tracy Rocker would also want to feature a heavy rotation up front as many teams in the SEC like to go no-huddle.  Auburn and Kentucky immediately come to mind, both annual rivals of the Georgia Bulldogs in conference play.

    Fortunately for the Georgia Bulldogs, Tracy Rocker is a fantastic defensive line coach.  Rocker was a member of Mike Munchak’s staff with the Tennessee Titans before joining Mark Richt‘s UGA program as a key member in DC Jeremy Pruitt’ defensive staff.  Rocker was also a 1988 Consensus All-American Defensive Tackle with the Auburn Tigers, winning both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy his senior season playing down on The Plains.

    You could tell by the press conference that Rocker is really pushing his prized recruit Trent Thompson in camp this fall.  Rocker said that Trent will likely play the nose tackle spot for the Georgia Bulldogs this fall, but did not say that the former Westover Patriot would start for UGA right away.

    Rocker did say that Trent Thompson is getting better every day and that he sees flashes of greatness quite often in practice.  Tracy does understand that college life might take some time for Thompson to get accustomed to.

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    Rocker also mentioned that freshman Jonathan Ledbetter is doing well in his rehabilitation program from injury.  Ledbetter did enroll early so to not miss a beat in the classroom while he gets the best treatment during his recovery from a high school injury.

    We won’t have to wait for very long to see what sticks on the Georgia Bulldogs defensive line as kickoff is only 6 days away.  Next Saturday is Saturday in Athens.  I can’t hardly wait.  Go Dawgs!

    Next: Greyson Lambert: His Starting QB Job To Win Now?

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