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ESPN recently ranked the top 80 college football defenders of the 2000s and, no surprise here, Georgia football is represented well with three selections.
Former Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith (2015-2017) is the first Dawg on the list at No. 36. Before Smith was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the eighth overall pick, he was lightning in a bottle for a Georgia defense that helped the Bulldogs make a title run in 2017. He was named as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and first team All-American and earned the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly writes:
“Smith was the omnipresent superstar on a 2017 UGA team that came within one play of a national title. He recorded 14 TFLs and 6.5 sacks, and the fact that he was credited with only 137 tackles that year seems surprising; it felt like he made every single one.”
Coming in at No. 27 is former linebacker Jarvis Jones (2011-2012). Jones transferred to Georgia from USC in 2010 when the Trojans wouldn’t clear Jones to play because of a neck injury. The Bulldogs did clear Jones and the rest is history. Jones was a consensus All-American in both seasons in Athens and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2012. DawgNation remembers Jones most for his game-winning play versus Florida in 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It4l48iLKSo
“A lit stick of dynamite, the USC transfer missed two games in 2012 but still led the country in tackles for loss (23.5), saving his best performances for the biggest moments: He had 4.5 TFLs against Florida and three in a heartbreaking SEC championship loss to Alabama.”
The third and final Dawg on the list is former Georgia defensive lineman David Pollack (2002-2004). He comes in at No. 6 and you could argue he should even be lower. Pollack was a three-time first team All-American election, a three-time All-SEC first team selection and was named SEC Player of the Year twice (2002, 2004). Pollack is both a member of the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Mandatory Credit: Photo By Paul Chapman-USA TODAY Sports
Copyright (c) 2005 Paul Chapman
“One nondescript year into his career, one would have never known was to come. But Pollack began his sophomore season with one of the most famous plays in school history — his in-one-motion strip sack and touchdown against South Carolina — and proceeded to live up to that standard in every following game. By the end of his career, he had recorded 59 TFLs and 36 sacks. And in 2020, he became a CFB Hall of Famer as well.
Here are the names ranked ahead of Pollack:
5. DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh (2010-13)
4. LB Khalil Mack, Buffalo (2010-13)
3. DE Terrell Suggs, Arizona State (2000-02)
2. S Ed Reed, Miami (1998-01)
1. DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska (2006-09)
You can check out the full list here.
Check out a new episode of “UGA Football Live with J.C. Shelton” here! This will get you caught up on Georgia’s pro day.