The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dynamic duo back to man middle of defense
Jamon Dumas-Johnson ATHENS — and Smael Mondon Jr. grew up 700 miles and an 11-hour drive apart. But since they’ve been at Georgia, the two linebackers couldn’t be much closer, on the field or off.
Manning the middle of the Bulldogs’ defense last season, their job is to snatch down any ball carrier who happened to slip through Georgia’s formidable front. Occasionally, when the opposition was least expecting it, one or the other would shoot through a gap and blitz the quarterback. Though manning separate positions, the two linebackers worked in tandem as if one entity.
They didn’t win every battle, but they won most. And the fact that they’re back bodes well for the Bulldogs.
“When me and Smael are on the field, we know what each other is doing,” said Dumas-Johnson, aka “Pop,” who hails from Hyattsville, Maryland, a suburb of Washington. “We don’t even have to talk or say anything. I give him a look, he gives me a look, and we know what we’re going to do.”
Said Mondon, who is from Paulding County: “I remember seeing him in one of the first 7-on7s after he got here, and he caught a pick. When I saw that, I knew he was good. After that, I just kept seeing him flash, and now he’s the player he is.”
It was Dumas-Johnson and Mondon, mostly, who were charged with replacing the irreplaceable after Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker and Channing Tindall moved on to the NFL before last season. They answered that call with exclamation points, leading the Bulldogs with a combined 146 tackles, five sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 49 quarterback hurries.
Mondon missed two games with injuries, and Dumas-Johnson basically played the final third of the season “banged up.” But they always were present on Saturdays.
“It’s the SEC, so nobody is 100% after the first game,” said Mondon, who led the team in tackles behind the line of scrimmage. “We spend a lot of time in the ice tub.”
Mondon and Dumas-Johnson handled most of the defensive snaps inside because their backups, Rian “Trouble” Davis and Trezmen Marshall, battled more serious injuries. Davis’ healthy return will help bolster the middle of the defense in 2023, while Marshall, somewhat surprisingly, transferred to Alabama.
But the Bulldogs are stacked besides them. Xavian Sorey and E.J. Lightsey are back, and Lightsey is fully healthy and ready to show his wares after a redshirt season. Unknown as yet is how much C.J. Washington, who suffered a serious neck injury as a freshman last season, might be able to contribute.
There are more questions, but no less talent, at outside linebacker, where Georgia has to replace stalwarts Nolan Smith and Robert Beal. But inside the tackle box, the Bulldogs have to feel great to know Dumas-Johnson and Mondon are back to man the middle.
“I feel like we’re just as hungry,” Mondon said of returning for a second national title defense. “We’re not going to be complacent.”