Georgia Bulldogs: 5 defensive standouts for 2016
By John Buhler
On the defensive side of the football, no player is going to have a bigger rise in play from freshman to sophomore than the crown jewel of the 2015 recruiting class defensive tackle Trenton Thompson. Thompson was a five-star recruit out of Westover High School in Albany, Georgia and could stand as the best defensive lineman to play for coach Tracy Rocker at UGA.
Thompson’s relationship and admiration for Coach Rocker was a huge reason that he Committed to the G. Rocker was an unbelievable defensive lineman for the Auburn Tigers in the late 1980s, winning both the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award his senior season down on The Plains.
Trenton Thompson’s talent was strong enough as a true freshman to give him ample playing time with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2015. While Rocker opted to go with a by-committee approach to his defensive line for the second straight year in Athens, it is time for the Dawgs to become ferocious up front and Thompson will have a huge say in that.
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Defensive tackle is the position in Georgia’s 3-4 defense that seems to act as a spark plug in the defensive front seven. When the nose is playing well for the Dawgs, then the whole defense is largely elevated. Expect for Trenton Thompson to emerge as a star in the SEC midway through the 2016 NCAA season for the Georgia Bulldogs.