ATHENS -- Just 17 hours after a dominating, game-saving performance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari announced his declaration for the 2021 NFL draft.
No one could blame him. Though he still has two seasons of eligibility remaining with the Bulldogs, Ojulari’s sensational performance in the bowl likely only improved his stock. He already projected as a first-round pick in April before earning Defensive MVP honors in the win over No. 8 Cincinnati.
Ojulari leaves Georgia in the wake of one of the more sensational individual defensive performances in school history. Ojulari had three quarterback sacks in the fourth quarter of the Bulldogs 24-21 come-from-behind win over the Bearcats in the Peach Bowl on Friday. Two of those sacks produced fumbles, one that led to a touchdown and the other a safety as Georgia erased an 11-point deficit in the final frame.
“As far as what’s next, I have decided to declare for the 2021 draft,” Ojulari said in message on his social-media platforms posted Saturday morning. “Wherever the next chapter takes me I will always be a Dawg.”
As a high-projection draft prospect, Ojulari could have opted out of Georgia’s bowl like five other players did. But he said after Friday’s game that was never a consideration.
“It was important for me to just to make sure the seniors go out the right way,” Ojulari said. “Their last game, they worked so hard in this unpredictable season. You never know. Just got the opportunity to play for another game, so I took advantage of it, to play with my brothers. And it was great.”
At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Ojulari was considered somewhat small for the outside linebacker position when he signed with Georgia out of Marietta High as a 4-star prospect in 2018. But he burst on the scene with a chance to play against Texas in the Sugar Bowl at the end of his redshirt season.
He put on 10 pounds before the next season and quickly developed into one of Georgia’s star defensive players. Leading the Bulldogs with six sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss, Ojulari earned freshman All-American honors.
Up to 240 pounds, Ojulari again led the Bulldogs with 8.5 sacks. He’ll leave Georgia with 14 sacks in two seasons, as well as 71 tackles 19.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and an eye-popping 64 quarterback pressures in 24 games.
“Playing between the hedges is something I’ll be proud of forever,” Ojulari said. “To my teammates, my brothers, y’all are family for life.”
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