Freshman Faces: Jamon Dumas-Johnson
Georgia needed to replenish its inside linebacker room this year and the Bulldogs signed a historic group, which included the college-ready Jamon Dumas-Johnson.
Dumas-Johnson hails from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md., the first from the Free State since tackle Pat Allen in the 2015 class.
He often goes overlooked because of how special are his freshman counterparts. Smael Mondon has a chance to be an All-American down the road and Xavian Sorey made splash plays at one of the best high schools in the country, IMG Academy.
The most college-ready of the three, though, is Dumas-Johnson. He is the only one of the trio that has actually played a traditional inside linebacker role in high school and it shows when watching them play.
Instead of sprinting, he shuffles down the line of scrimmage patiently. He understands what it means to play with gap integrity, something that is paramount when playing for head coach Kirby Smart and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning. Everything about Dumas-Johnson screams that he is ready to play SEC football.
To play inside linebacker for Georgia, a player has to stay on the field for all three downs, no matter the situation. The one common thread between Roquan Smith, Nakobe Dean and Monty Rice is that none had glaring weaknesses.
The same is true of Dumas-Johnson. He was asked to do a little bit of everything in high school and often delivered.
He was named an SI All-American candidate, and the staff had some glowing words about what he brings to the table in college:
"Dumas-Johnson is a ‘backer that fits today’s game. He’s athletic, plays with range, and can close and finish in a hurry with a good wrap to not leak yardage. Although he needs to acquire more reps in pure man coverage, he possesses the athletic ability and eye discipline to develop into a starting off-ball/stacked linebacker at the next level."
According to reports, Mondon has been a fast learner and has worked himself into the No. 3 inside linebacker discussion on the depth chart. Dumas-Johnson is likely not far behind and could see some time this year, even if it is in blowout situations.
While his athletic ceiling isn't as high as Mondon or Sorey, he is simply a really good football player. He clearly understands the game and is going to be a difference-maker in college.
Inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann is regarded as one of the best linebackers coaches in America. He has a strong track record of developing players like Dumas-Johnson into NFL draft picks, and it appears that he will be the next project for Schumann at Georgia.
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