The Monster Unleashed: Georgia Football has a Superstar Again

The Georgia Bulldogs have a superstar on its roster again. Zachariah Branch was close to that status. Jalon Walker walked the line. It has been since Brock Bowers that Georgia has had a guy like this.

Chris Cole is the monster that has finally been completely unleashed in his junior season. Now, he is a full-time starter and he has elevated past his five-star recruit status into an all but guaranteed NFL first-round draft pick this upcoming spring.

He is 6’3” and about 230 pounds. His arms are so long that his teammates call him the "tarantula." He runs an estimated 4.6 40-yard dash time. He can play in coverage, he can stop the run and he can rush the passer. Cole does everything for this Georgia defense, and his rise is part of the reason why a largely returning unit has been better in 2026.

Cole is second on Georgia in tackles and sacks behind Raylen Wilson, who has been a star in his own right. Wilson has two more tackles and a half a sack more. Cole is tied for second on the team with three pass deflections. He has recovered three fumbles and has taken two of them to the house for touchdowns of 66 yards or more. His side-to-side speed to track down scrambling quarterbacks and wide receivers on screen passes pops off the screen each and every game.

Georgia has been significantly better at rushing the passer than it was a year ago. It has already surpassed last year’s sack totals in about half the games. Cole’s presence has helped that and Kirby Smart acknowledged that on Monday without his name being brought up by reporters.

“We have inside linebackers that are good blitzers. That's helped with that. Chris Cole accounts for some of that. He does a little bit of everything, edge and inside,” Smart said.

He gave the monster the credit he deserves, but then he was later asked directly about Cole, and his answer was long-winded. He compared him to some Georgia linebacker greats, and hinted that he could be even better than them.

“This guy's really intelligent. He is very purpose driven. He's not a silly kid that wants to go around. He loves football. He's very smart. He's uber talented because he's been blessed with length and height and speed. He's got all these attributes, but he's smart. He understands football. He's well coached. He listens. He's different from some of these linebackers we've had. He's different from Jalon [Walker]. He's different from Roquan [Smith]. He's different from Quay [Walker]. He's different from Nakobe [Dean]. He's different from all those guys, but he's very good, a very good different,” Smart said.

Georgia is going to face off against a monster in his own right in Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss on Saturday night. It could be easier this time because of how well Cole has played this year.

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