Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart, sophomore linebacker CJ Allen and junior guard Dylan Fairchild met with the media on Tuesday afternoon. Here are some takeaways from their comments.
Linebackers leading the way
Smart spoke highly of the linebacker room and the leadership that several players within it have shown. He said freshmen Chris Cole and Justin Williams will be “tremendous leaders” one day for the team, and added that redshirt sophomore Terrell Foster has stepped up in a big way in fall camp.
“He is a warrior in terms of competitive toughness, special teams and makes plays,” Smart said of Foster. “That [linebackers] room has no shortage of talent. It may have a shortage of experience, but they rely on each other, and there’s several good leaders in there.”
Smart also said that Allen is a natural leader who “plays like he’s a little bit older” than a sophomore. Allen was pressed into action last season as a true freshman after an injury to Jamon Dumas-Johnson, and held up quite well. Now, with his first year under his belt and a full fall camp as a starter, Allen said he feels like the game has slowed down for him.
“I’d definitely say it’s slowed down, but really it’s [about] learning more,” Allen said. “I’m trying to get better with what I did wrong last year or what I did good last year, and just picking up off of that. We’re just getting better.”
Learning from the best
Georgia, under Smart, has become notorious for its intense practices and high level of competition. Smart has repeated the “iron sharpens iron” mantra several times over the years, and it’s something the players have completely bought into. Days after linebacker Chaz Chambliss said he believes Georgia has the best offense in the country, Allen repeated the same sentiment.
“Facing our offense [in practice], I feel like we have the best offense,” Allen said. “So, going against [them], my mindset is that’s the best team we’re going to face. So going against our offense is good, really good.”
Fairchild spent two years on the scout team and has practiced with multiple first-round picks on both sides of the ball. The scout team can be a lonely grind at times, especially since scout team players don’t travel with the team, and Fairchild admitted that those two years were tough for him. Still, he noted how much he benefited from lining up against the likes of Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter and Devonte Wyatt every day. Fairchild also spoke about how much he has learned from senior guard Tate Ratledge.
“Tate’s been a guy that I’ve taken a lot of pages out of his book and put them in my own,” Fairchild said. “I really love the way that Tate cleans the pocket … a big thing that I’ve enjoyed about having Tate in the room is I learn a lot. I ask a lot of questions to him, and he’s got a lot of answers.
An anticipated return
One of the most anticipated storylines entering this season has been the looming return of running back Branson Robinson. The redshirt freshman ruptured his patella tendon last August and was sidelined for the entire 2023 season. Since then, however, he’s been recovering at a much faster rate than expected, and it’s made quite the impression on the team.
“He’s got an incredible mentality,” Fairchild said. “He was dealt some hard hands just with the injuries that he had being back to back. There’s a lot of guys on the team, me being one of them, [that] felt bad for him, but I don’t think he had an ounce of feeling sorry or self-pity in him. He was just ready to get back on the field and it shows. It shows in the way he shows up every day.”
Robinson rushed for 330 yards and three touchdowns in a reserve role as a true freshman in 2022. He was expected to make a big leap in 2023, but was robbed of his breakout year before it could even begin. While it’s difficult to set any expectations for his 2024 season since he is returning from a very severe injury, anything Robinson can provide the Georgia offense with should be looked at as an absolute positive. He’s a powerful runner with plenty of “thump”, and was sorely missed by the Bulldogs in 2023.
“From the time of the injury, he never pouted, cried,” Smart said. “He just understood that was part of the game, and it was a significant injury…It’s been great having him back from a physical toughness standpoint, a reliability standpoint, ball security, third down pickups, special teams. He’s just a really good football player.”
