What's the state of Georgia football pass rush heading into new season?

The name of a player who isn’t practicing with the Georgia football team in the lead up to the new season was mentioned twice by coach Kirby Smart in his press conference this week even though he wasn’t asked about him directly.

That’s an indication of the type of blow that Amaris Williams’s torn ACL near the end of spring practices was to plans for the Bulldogs getting after the quarterback better.

Williams was a key transfer portal acquisition from Auburn and whether he’ll be able to play at all this season isn’t clear.

Georgia had positive signs in its pass rush in its second scrimmage last Saturday, according to Smart, with some sacks and ‘havoc,' created.

A sign that Georgia is seeing progress in rushing the quarterback?

"Well, I don't know if I've seen that,” Smart said. “I mean, we didn't have a sack fest out there. That was not what it was at all. I mean, we aren't where we need to be in terms of pass rush, because we're missing some guys in terms of, dealing with Amaris not being out there and some talent there, we're having to do it in other ways. And we'll have to do that probably all year in terms of the way we create pressure and how we go about it. So to say that we're where we need to be pass-rush-wise, I don't know that we are.”

Georgia ranked 10^th in the nation in scoring defense last season and 14^th in total defense despite registering just 20 sacks, its lowest total since 2000.

It returns players that accounted for 20 of those sacks led by linebackers Chris Cole with 4 ½, Raylen Wilson with 2 ½ and Zayden Walker with 2 each and outside linebacker Quintavius Johnson with another 2.

Big things were expected of Williams who had 2 sacks last year in his second season at Auburn and 6 tackles for loss even without starting.

Where will Georgia get more pressure this season?

It will help if defensive end Gabe Harris can stay healthy. He had 6 ½ tackles for loss and a sack last season, but his absence due to a turf toe injury was felt in the 39-34 Sugar Bowl loss to Ole Miss when quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for 362 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Second-year defensive tackle Elijah Griffin amassed 44 sacks during the former 5-star's high school career in Savannah. He had 22 tackles, 2 ½ tackles for loss and one sack last year in a backup role.

Griffin drew a preseason All-SEC second team nod this year but coaches aren’t putting pressure on him publicly.

Asked what he’s looking to see from Griffin this season, defensive line coach Tray Scott said: “Nothing outside of what he’s already done because a lot of it comes to working every day. A good attitude towards work mindset so he doesn’t put any more added pressure on what he already came into. Doing the most simplest things better than his opponent and the competition and the rest of it’s going to work itself out.”

Georgia hired Larry Knight as outside linebackers coach after spending last season at Arkansas State which was sixth in the nation in sacks.

Georgia “is being extremely diligent as much as we can on focusing on the finish with everything that were doing,” Scott said.

Johnson, who started every game last season, said outside linebackers are more comfortable as pass rushers with a focus on “knowing your keys” with offensive personnel.

“Your get-off is 90 percent of the pass rush,” Johnson said.

Second-year player Chase Linton could emerge at outside linebacker this season.

Georgia is also employing freshman four-star PJ Dean from Winston-Salem, N.C. more as an outside linebacker this preseason rather than defensive end.

“He's a little bit lighter than we imagined he would be, but he can run,” Smart said. “And with Amaris Williams being out, we've gotta find ways to rush the passer, and I do think he's going to help us add depth. He's a tremendous kid. He loves to work."

Johnson said first and second down is just as important as third down for a defense where sacks are not the end all and be all.

“The four goals to being a championship defense,” Johnson said, “is stopping the run, eliminating explosives, no scores in the red area and getting off the field on third down. That’s just winning first and second down, stopping the run and being able to pass rush on third down.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: What's the state of Georgia football pass rush heading into new season?