ATHENS — From an on-field perspective, Georgia linebacker Chris Cole had a quiet spring.

He’s entering his third season in the program, so it’s difficult to call him a young or ascending player. He did lead the Bulldogs in sacks last season with 4.5.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was asked only once about Cole, and that came in regard to his February driving arrest. In terms of on-field play, Smart had only one small note about his junior linebacker.

“In terms of pass rush, we’ve had some guys really grow, get better,” Smart said following G-Day. “We’re going to have to get some help from our youth, too. But, you know, the pass rush is something that’s done as a group, not as one person. Chris Cole stepped it up a lot this spring.”

Cole works primarily as an off-ball linebacker for the Bulldogs. With CJ Allen now a member of the Indianapolis Colts and Raylen Wilson limited with a knee injury, Cole and Justin Williams got a majority of the first-team reps in Georgia’s spring game.

For as much talk as there has been about Cole as a pass rusher, he’s actually proven to be more comfortable when moving backward in pass coverage. That’s due in no small part to his time as a high school safety, which we’ve seen translate early in Cole’s career. As a freshman, he got on the field as a third-down linebacker to assist in coverage, rather than attack the opposing quarterback.

Cole has the athletic gifts to do everything in Georgia’s defense. For as much talent as the Bulldogs have, he’s the only player you could say that about on the defensive side of the ball.

His role and mold in 2026 is whatever Georgia ultimately wants it to be.

Given the emphasis placed on impacting the opposing quarterback, rushing the passer might be how Cole is best measured as a player in 2026. He could well lead Georgia in sacks again, but it would have to be at a much higher number if he is to meet his lofty expectations.

“Chris Cole is of the highest character kid we’ve probably had in our program in a long time,” Smart said. “I mean, he does it right academically, on and off the field. I can’t speak high enough for his character.”

The recent string of early 2027 NFL mock drafts gives us an early idea of who the elite talents in college football are entering this season. Cole is not yet on that list, even if he has all the raw tools to do so.

The key for Cole will be putting it all together this fall. Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese did so for the Buckeyes this past fall, going from a national unknown in an elite program to the No. 5 overall pick.

Cole is a more proven player to this point in his career than Reese, who finished with 10.0 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for Ohio State last season. Reese was listed at 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, while Cole measures in at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds.

Among those early mock drafts, Georgia defenders Ellis Robinson and KJ Bolden were identified as possible first-round candidates.

In the event that Cole joins them, he’ll likely have translated his potential into proven production.

How you do anything is how you do everything. For a player like Cole who can do anything and everything for the Georgia defense, there is finally a clear outline for what the Bulldogs want him to be.