BREAKING: Georgia Football Officially Loses Elite Defender to Transfer Portal
The Georgia football program is officially out as one of their top defenders for the 2024 season. Per Pete Nakos of On3 Sports, linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson has formally entered the transfer portal, ending his tenure with the Bulldogs.
Dumas-Johnson will immediately become one of the most sought-after defenders in the transfer portal. He posted 125 tackles, 17.0 TFLs, and 9.5 sacks in Athens, Georgia. He has missed his team’s last four games with injury.
Jamon Dumas-Johnson: Massive Production with Georgia Football
Jamon Dumas-Johnson joined the Georgia football program in 2021 as a top linebacker prospect from Baltimore, Maryland. The six-foot-one, 235-pound defender recorded 21 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, and an interception as a true freshman. He earned the starting role in 2022, posting monster numbers for the undefeated Bulldogs. He has 70 tackles, 9.0 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, and one forced fumble in 15 games. Dumas-Johnson registered four tackles and a sack during the College Football Playoff.
Dumas-Johnson suffered a forearm injury this season, resulting in the second-level defender playing just nine games in 2023. He had started the previous 24 games for Georgia. He finished the year with 34 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 3.5 sacks. His best game of the season came against the Kentucky Wildcats in early October, tallying four tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks in the win.
Georgia Bulldogs: Immediate Replacements for Dumas-Johnson
Freshman C.J. Allen and Raylen Wilson took over for Dumas-Johnson after he suffered his forearm injury in Week 10. Allen played well, registering 35 tackles and a sack. He had 22 tackles across his team’s final four games. Wilson had only six tackles during that span, giving way to Allen for most reps. Meanwhile, fellow inside linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. posted 68 tackles in 2023. He had 5.0 TFLs and 3.0 sacks.
Former Georgia QB Aaron Murray Sounds Alarm on Program’s Transfer Portal Losses
The transfer portal has brought on an unprecedented level of player movement in college football, and even the back-to-back national champions aren’t immune. Georgia has seen an exodus of players seeking to transfer elsewhere. As of Friday, 17 players are in the portal according to On3. Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson and cornerback A.J. Harris, two former blue-chip recruits, are among the latest entrants into the portal. UGA isn’t alone in losing a number of talented players to the portal, but that hasn’t stopped one notable former Bulldog from ringing alarm bells. On Friday, Georgia great Aaron Murray, a quarterback for the program from 2009 to 2013, expressed concern over the losses.
“Idk if I have seen this many 5 leave a program before,” Murray posted on X (formerly Twitter). “What is the world is happening in Athens? These top recruits not liking all the competition?”
Brock Vandagriff, a former five-star quarterback recruit, is among the most notable transfers out, and has already committed to another SEC program: Kentucky. Defensive lineman Jonathan Jefferson is SMU-bound. Wide receiver Jackson Meeks is heading to Syracuse, where former UGA assistant Fran Brown has taken over as head coach. On Friday, offensive tackle Austin Blaske committed to North Carolina. Meanwhile, the Georgia staff, which is prepping for the Dec. 30 Orange Bowl against Florida State, has not yet landed an incoming transfer in its 2024 recruiting class. The program has once again thrived in traditional high school recruiting, with 28 players currently committed in a top-ranked class, though quarterback Dylan Raiola-the top-ranked player in the class-has caused some consternation with his impending visit to Nebraska.
The departures probably shouldn’t be overly concerning to Murray and the rest of the Bulldog faithful, however. Kirby Smart’s program is still 41–2 over the last three years, with a pair of national titles and compete for the nation’s best recruiting class on an annual basis.
