No doubt Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have been pulling in major talent from across the country and the Peach State during the past four years. Redshirt freshman Azeez Ojulari from Marietta, GA became the latest Dawg recognized for his talent and hard work as he was named to the FWAA Freshman All-American Team.
The 6’3″, 240-pound Ojulari had a breakout season for Georgia. The outside linebacker recorded 34 QB pressures, 36 tackles and 5.5 sacks this season. He had five tackles in the Sugar Bowl victory including a third-quarter QB sack and forcced fumble. Ojulari started 13 of 14 games for the SEC’s total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense leader.
Ojulari earned the respect of his teammates by becoming the first freshman player in the Kirby Smart era to be named a team captain. He is the 13th Bulldog to be selected for the team in the award’s 19 years.
Following the trend of colleges recruiting nationally, 18 of the 32 freshman honored played high school football out-of-state from their respective college. Georgia State offensive lineman Travis Glover from Vienna, GA, a former non-rated prep, was the only other Peach State prep to make the team. Following is a list of all the award winners:
2019 FWAA Freshman All-American Team
Quarterbacks
Sam Howell – North Carolina, 6-2 225 Indian Trail, NC
Kedon Slovis – USC, 6-2 200 Scottsdale, AZ
Running backs
Javian Hawkins – Louisville, 5-9 182 Titusville, FL
Sincere McCormick – Texas-San Antonio, 5-9 200 Converse, TX
Receivers
David Bell – Purdue, 6-2 210 Indianapolis, IN
C.J. Johnson – East Carolina, 6-2 229 Greenville, NC
Dante Wright – Colorado State, 5-10 165 Navarre, FL
Offensive Linemen
Evan Neal – Alabama, 6-7 360 Okeechobee, FL
O’Cyrus Torrence – Louisiana, 6-5 342 Greensburg, LA
Ikem Ekwonu – NC State, 6-4 308 Charlotte, NC
Sean Rhyan – UCLA, 6-4 323 Ladera Ranch, CA
Nick Rosi – Toledo, 6-4 290 Powell, OH
Travis Glover – Georgia State, 6-6 330 Vienna, GA
Defensive Linemen
Gregory Rousseau – Miami, 6-6 251 Coconut Creek, FL
George Karlaftis – Purdue, 6-4 265 West Lafayette, IN
Solomon Byrd – Wyoming, 6-4 243 Palmdale, CA
Kayvon Thibodeaux – Oregon, 6-5 242 South Central Los Angeles, CA
Linebackers
Devin Richardson – New Mexico State, 6-3 233 Klein, TX
Omar Speights – Oregon State, 6-1 233 Philadelphia, PA
Azeez Ojulari – Georgia, 6-3, 240 Marietta, GA
Shane Lee – Alabama, 6-0 246 Burtonsville, MD
Defensive Backs
Ar’Darius Washington – TCU, 5-8 175 Shreveport, LA
Derek Stingley Jr. – LSU, 6-1 190 Baton Rouge, LA
Kyle Hamilton – Notre Dame, 6-4 210 Atlanta, GA
Verone McKinley III – Oregon, 5-10 192 Carrollton, TX
Ahmad Gardner – Cincinnati, 6-2 185 Detroit, MI
Tykee Smith – West Virginia, 5-10 184 Philadelphia, PA
Punter
Austin McNamara – Texas Tech, 6-4 175 Gilbert, AZ
Kicker
Gabe Brkic – Oklahoma, 6-2 175 Chardon, OH
Kick returner
Joshua Youngblood – Kansas State, 5-10 180 Tampa, FL
Punt returner
Kyle Philips – UCLA, 5-11 181 San Marcos, CA
All-Purpose
Kenneth Gainwell – Memphis, 5-11 183 Yazoo City, MS
Player of the Year
Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis