The Georgia Bulldogs have not consistently replicated the pass-rush production that powered the first of their back-to-back national championship seasons in 2021. Defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann believes the experience returning along the edge can reverse that trend in 2026.
The Bulldogs ranked fourth nationally with 49 sacks during its first championship season under Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs won another national title in 2022 but recorded 35 sacks before finishing with 30 in 2023 and 37 in 2024.
The decline became more pronounced last season. Georgia produced only 20 sacks, ranking 107th nationally and recording its lowest total since Schumann joined Smart’s staff in 2016.
That drop places additional responsibility on Gabe Harris Jr. and Quintavius Johnson, two veteran edge defenders who handled expanded roles in 2025. Schumann believes their game experience can help them turn practice development into more disruptive production.
In a piece published by On3 Sports’ Jed May, the Bulldogs defensive coordinator explained why live repetitions provide a level of development that practice cannot fully reproduce.
“We take a lot of pride in how we practice here, right?” Schumann said. “We always want to say that we want to make practice harder [than] the game. Players buy into that, we buy into that, but there’s nothing that replicates game experience, and the flow of a game and getting into a rhythm that way and gaining confidence when you’re under the lights, in front of the people in the stands.”
Georgia football needs Gabe Harris, Quintavius Johnson to fuel pass rush
Harris recorded 26 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and one sack across 13 games last season. Although his sack production remained limited, Schumann saw meaningful improvement after Harris assumed a featured role.
Johnson underwent an even larger transition. After playing sparingly in 2024, he started all 14 games and finished 2025 with 35 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups and one forced fumble.
May additionally relayed Schumann’s assessment of Johnson’s development after the edge defender became an every-down contributor:
“It was interesting because (Johnson) went from playing not very much at all, and then he was playing every snap,” Schumann said. “So when you look at that, his growth over the course of the season was immense.”
Schumann pointed to Travon Walker as evidence of how rapidly an experienced Georgia edge defender can develop. Walker primarily contributed as a third-down specialist during his first two seasons before becoming a complete defensive weapon in 2021. He then became the first overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Harris and Johnson do not need to replicate Walker’s rise for Georgia’s defense to improve. However, the Bulldogs need both veterans to convert their experience into pressure after producing their lowest sack total in a decade.
Their development could determine whether Georgia’s pass rush remains a concern or again becomes one of the defense’s defining strengths.
