A look at Georgia’s linebackers this spring, while eyes are on a transfer option

Throw in that junior Gabe Harris is out this spring after labrum surgery, and Johnson finds himself atop the depth chart.

Which means plenty of pushing from coach Kirby Smart.

“I’m proud of ‘Q,’ I want to be clear on that,” Smart said. “But he has to get better to be at the level of, let’s call it like it is, he’s gotta be where Chaz was, or Azeez was, or Nolan was. He’s not there.”

Johnson is the most experienced player currently working at outside linebacker this spring. Georgia moved Kris Jones from inside linebacker to outside linebacker, a position switch that isn’t all that surprising given the wealth of talent Georgia has at inside linebacker at the moment.

Behind Johnson and Jones, Georgia has three freshmen in Isaiah Gibson, Chase Linton and Darren Ikinnagbon.

Those three all have bright futures. But they aren’t the present at the position. That would be Johnson.

“Yeah. Q’s an all-around dog, high-effort energy guy,” linebacker Justin Williams said. “Every time I’m down, he’s picking me up.

“He’s a work-hard guy, even in the weight room, outside of the weight room. In the locker room, he’s always picking me up, and Q’s just a great guy. I love playing with him, playing right next to him. He just, he can do pass rush, he can cover, he can do everything. I love playing with Q, he’s my dog.”

Getting Harris back will be significant for this group. Even if he has spent more time in his Georgia career with the defensive line, he’s by far the most experienced option the Bulldogs have.

Which is why this spring is so important for Johnson. Smart and outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe know there is no replacement for the live reps a player accumulates during a game.

For all the tools he has, Johnson is lacking in the moment.

“I want him to be ahead of where he is and he’s not,” Smart said. “And it’s not his fault. Again, he hadn’t been here, he’s been here a year and like what, two months? A year and three months? So when you’re thrust out there into action against experienced tackles, an offense that moves and motions and you have to adjust.”

For Johnson, the only way to gain that experience comes in practice. Georgia has completed nine of its 15 spring practices to this point.

The Bulldogs, though, do still have a way of adding talent at the outside linebacker position. There will be a second transfer portal window that opens April 16 and ends April 25. Outside linebacker was long thought to be a position that Georgia would look at, given all the Bulldogs have lost there.

And while the transfer portal doesn’t open for all until April 16, those who play for Stanford have the opportunity to enter the transfer portal following the firing of coach Troy Taylor.

One of those players who has already entered the transfer portal is outside linebacker David Bailey. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound prospect should be one of the big names to enter the transfer portal this spring, given his talent and production.

In his time at Stanford, Bailey notched 111 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. He has proven production at the Power 4 level. Even including Harris, Georgia’s current outside linebackers have totaled only 24 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.

Bailey played for Mater Dei High School in California, the same one that produced current Georgia running back Nate Frazier. While Georgia wasn’t involved in Bailey’s recruitment out of high school, USC was, when current Georgia cornerbacks coach Donte Williams was on USC’s coaching staff.

Georgia also has taken a player from Stanford in recent history, as Benjamin Yurosek transferred to Georgia before last season.

Bailey certainly fits what Georgia needs from an outside linebacker position. While the Bulldogs certainly won’t be the only team interested in Bailey, he’s someone Georgia should certainly pursue as an option.

It’s not a certainty that Georgia could even land Bailey. Which again puts the focus on Johnson.

To this point, the addition of Bailey would be a want for Georgia. It still needs Johnson to continue to develop this spring, so as not to put all of its eggs in the Bailey and transfer portal basket.

“He has the ability to be there, but he is not there yet,” Smart said. “And I like Q because he works really hard. And then we got a bunch of young guys at that position. And Gabe’s out for the spring. So he provides us depth, but he’s not getting work right now.”