ATHENS — Isaiah Gibson and Chase Linton took different paths to get to the same position at Georgia. Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that even though both are now Georgia outside linebackers, they’re developing in different ways.

Gibson was a 5-star recruit in Georgia’s 2025 recruiting class. He was viewed as one of the top recruiting targets in the cycle and a major win for Kirby Smart and former Georgia outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe after flipping him from USC.

Gibson played for Warner Robins High School, where he was teammates with fellow Bulldogs Rasean Dinkins and Isiah Canion.

As for Linton, he was a late-rising recruit. Originally committed to Rutgers, Linton did not earn his offer from Georgia until July of his senior season. He played for North Atlanta High School, which is not exactly a prospect factory when it comes to Georgia recruits. Linton is the only North Atlanta High School prospect to play for Georgia in the 10 years that Smart has been in Athens.

Neither Linton nor Gibson saw much of the field as freshmen. Linton dealt with an unspecified injury that prevented him from stepping on the field until Georgia’s final home game against Charlotte. Missing that time stunted Linton’s growth in his first season on campus. He did take advantage of the extra practices before the College Football Playoff, as he did earn snaps in the 39-34 loss.

Gibson didn’t factor into the rotation at outside linebacker either, despite his lofty ranking. He played in only three games last season. With neither contributing, Georgia’s pass rush suffered, as the Bulldogs had just 20 sacks as a team last season. The outside linebackers combined for just 3.5.

If Georgia is to up both of those numbers, Linton and Gibson will have to play bigger roles for Georgia this season. That still holds true even as the Bulldogs bring back Gabe Harris and Quintavius Johnson and welcome Auburn transfer Amaris Williams.

For Linton, he seems to have turned the corner this spring for the Bulldogs, especially when it comes to pressuring Georgia’s quarterbacks in practice.

“He’s been a high motor player for us. I mean, he runs the ball really hard,” Smart said. “He plays with twitch, and he plays bigger than he is. I’ve been very pleased with Chase’s progress, and we need him to get better to give us some of the pass rush we need.”

Smart further praised Linton’s intangible abilities as a recruit. Now in his second year with the program, the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder has seemingly started to turn the corner for Georgia.

“He’s exemplified those things and probably tougher than I expected in terms of the guy likes contact and he likes hard work,” Smart said.

Linton has the body type of a designated pass rusher. While he might have to add further strength to be an every-down player, Linton’s spring showing has opened the door for him to be a part of Georgia’s third-down pass rush package.

As for Gibson, Georgia is aiming to turn him into a more well-rounded player. The Bulldogs have him working at multiple positions, instead of solely focusing on his pass-rush talents.

“Knowing that he’s learning multiple positions and he’s coming a long way,” Johnson said of Gibson. “Like, they’ve got him rotating at three positions right now and I feel like he’s executing at a high level right now.”

Gibson’s development arc may mirror that of Harris. During his first two full seasons at Georgia, Harris earned a reputation for doing the dirty work for the Bulldogs. Late last season, Harris finally began to break out as a disruptive player in Georgia’s defensive front, only for a toe injury to end his season in the team’s win over Alabama.

Harris is back this season for Georgia, though he’s limited in spring practice as he recovers from surgery. If Gibson can remain patient and committed, Georgia believes his time to blossom will come eventually.

It will just look different from what the Bulldogs envision with Linton.

“He’s a high effort, really tough, hard-nosed player,” Smart said of Gibson. “He’s bounced in between what we call the big end and the JACK, and he’s playing both those positions and helping us fill the role.”