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Georgia Bulldogs 2026 Positional Preview: Linebackers
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- Georgia Bulldogs 2026 Positional Preview: Linebackers
(USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect)
The Georgia Bulldogs are headed into the 2026 season looking to get back on the top of college football and find a way to win their first national title since 2022.
Both teams who won the back-to-back titles to kick off the decade and put Athens at the center of the college football universe were marked by similar philosophies: toughness which squeezed the life out of teams and this all starts with a fearsome defense.
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At the center of that defense is the group of inside linebackers, a position Georgia has been an assembly line to the NFL Draft for. This year looks not a whole lot different and the Bulldogs have one of the best units in the nation. Here are four names you absolutely need to know, all of them returning to Athens with unfinished business on their minds.
Raylen Wilson , Senior
Wilson is one of the leaders of this defense and one of the most important players on the team, likely to step into the green dot signal calling role of the now departed CJ Allen to the NFL. After being named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2023, Wilson has followed it up with playing in every game for the Bulldogs over the last two years and doing it at a high level.
As dependable as they come, Wilson is going to be huge once again in 2026.
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Justin Williams , Junior
Williams is trying to take a similar path to Wilson after playing rotationally as a freshman then seeing the field in every game as a sophomore in 2025. A former five-star who was the top linebacker in the nation and top-10 overall player in 2024, he has not quite yet lived up to the billing just yet, but 2026 could be his major breakout.
The duo of Wilson and Williams is one of the best in the nation, and it's only half of the outstanding returning production.
Chris Cole , Junior
Though Cole made just one start in 2025 to follow up his SEC All-Freshman Team campaign in 2024, he played in every game and made a huge impact when he was on the field. Finishing with 59 tackles, 35 solo, seven tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks, Cole seemed to be everywhere on the field at all times.
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Cole might be the biggest X-factor in this group and takes the linebacker room from solid to best in the nation potential. Fans cannot wait to watch him take the field in 2026.
Zayden Walker, Sophomore
The Bulldogs have had a formula when it comes to these young linebackers, and Walker saw the first stages of that formula in 2025 when he appeared in 10 games. Another former top linebacker in the nation and top-25 player in the nation, hopes are high that he is ready to step into a bigger role in 2026.
Georgia does not need him to be superman before any injuries, but Walker might just be too good to keep off the field this year, and he will force his way into a bigger job.
