UGA Football Linebacker Talks About Why the Kentucky Game was Frustrating

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ATHENS - UGA Football‘s defense has been stifling to start the season.

Through three games, Georgia has only allowed 21 total points, all of them being the result of field goals. Nobody has reached the end zone on Kirby Smart’s defense in 2024, and some of that can be attributed to junior linebacker Jalon Walker, who has arguably been the best defensive player for the Dawgs so far. 

He did not record a traditional statistic against Kentucky, but he was in the backfield often, disrupting Brock Vandagriff’s timing. 

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On Tuesday, he met with reporters to talk about his growth and the most recent win for Georgia. Here is what he had to say: 

On the roughing the passer penalty against Kentucky…

“Mid game I was full of frustration, but I realized it’s football. It’s just a game where we’re protecting our quarterback a little more. They said the way I was driving him into the ground I landed on top of him, which caused a personal foul. So, I know now, but I mean it was a bang-bang play. I feel like it was a judgment play, but we move on and fight to the next day.”

On dealing with frustration during the game…

“I don’t sit too long on it. I just really go to the next play, try to make up for it. I’m not a guy who sits and thinks about the plays before. There’s so much going on to just worry about one play that’s in the past and that you can’t change. I preach to my teammates ‘next play, next play’, so we just got to get past it. It is what it is.”

On how he has evolved as a pass rusher…

“I feel like I’m just playing football out there. When the opportunity is gifted to me, I go get it. That’s just what I do. Being a high motor player, I like to go get the quarterback. Once I get the opportunity, the shot to do it, I’ll just do it.”

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