Georgia Football: Unlikely New Bulldog Could Be X-Factor on Defense

The Georgia Bulldogs have big holes to fill at the middle linebacker positions. Departed seniors Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson posted career statistics that were staggering: 68 combined starts, 587 career tackles, 42 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three interceptions.

That's a lot of production to replace.

Fortunately for Georgia, an unlikely new Bulldog could be the X-factor in the defense. Jake Ganus, a UAB transfer, is poised to offer some relief in the wake of Herrera's and Wilson's departures, and he could contend for a starting spot immediately.

Coming out of high school in 2012, Ganus was a little-known athlete from Chelsea, Alabama. At 6'2" and 191 pounds, the 2-star athlete garnered just a handful of scholarship offers from the likes of Air Force, Navy and nearby UAB.

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

As a freshman, the first of several unexpected twists turned in Ganus' favor. He enrolled early and made an instant impact for the Blazers, starting 10 of 12 games and finishing fourth on the team in tackles. The unheralded recruit, who was rated as the 17th-best member of UAB's 2012 signing class, was suddenly one of the brightest young stars in Conference USA.

He went on to lead UAB in tackles and tackles for loss in both 2013 and 2014, racking up 163 total tackles, with 24.5 coming behind the line of scrimmage over that two-year stretch.

Along the way, Ganus bulked up to 225 pounds and developed a reputation for playing his best against the toughest competition.  

As a freshman, he defended two passes and recorded an interception in a game against South Carolina. The next week, he registered nine tackles in a game at Ohio State. As a sophomore, he was second on the team in tackles and registered two tackles for loss against Vanderbilt. Against Arkansas in 2014, Ganus logged 11 tackles (two for loss) and a 12-yard sack.

Gentry Estes of Dawgs247 described Ganus as a player who "always seemed to be around the football." 

Georgia needs a player like that, but even Ganus is surprised about where the Bulldogs found one.

"It was a roller coaster, that's for sure," he told ESPN.com's Edward Aschoff. "You beat Southern Miss on Saturday to become bowl-eligible and then the next day you find out you're losing your team. Two weeks later, I find out I have an offer from Georgia."

That offer wasn't made out of benevolence or because of the premature end to Ganus' career at UAB. It was made because he can help Georgia right away.

Ganus can flat-out play football, and he plays a position that desperately needs depth and experience. At the very least, he can provide both of those qualities.

At the most, however, he could be a full-time starter. 

Reggie Carter and Tim Kimbrough are the presumed depth-chart leaders at middle linebacker, and both have played well as reserves. On paper, the two open jobs are theirs to lose. But Georgia didn't bring in a senior transfer just for show. It brought him in to compete—and possibly win—the starting job.

Questions about his ability to adapt to the Southeastern Conference remain unanswered, but for his competition on the defensive side of the ball, those questions are equally taxing. In fact, when compared to Carter and Kimbrough, Ganus has been more productive against SEC competition.

Player	Total Tackles	Tackles for Loss	Sacks	Turnovers Forced
Jake Ganus	29	4	1	1
Reggie Carter	16	0	0	0
Tim Kimbrough	14	1	0	0

There's no reason to think the senior won't learn coordinator Jeremy Pruitt's defense and capitalize on his wealth of college football experience to improve this team.

If Ganus sneaks into Georgia the way he flew under the radar at UAB and makes a comparable impact, it will be a fairy-tale ending to his tumultuous college journey. But he may help the Georgia defense even more than the new opportunity helps him.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports and all statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.