New Georgia outside linebacker Elo Modozie has not yet gotten to Athens. He’s still finishing up classes at Army, before arriving in Athens later in May.

Yet expectations are still incredibly high for the Army transfer.

Multiple national media outlets see Modozie as a ready-made replacement for Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams. Williams was taken with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

“Georgia entered the spring without a clear successor for Williams at the JACK position in the Bulldogs’ defense,” ESPN’s Eli Lederman said of Modozie. “But with the spring portal addition of Army transfer Elo Modozie, Georgia may have its answer. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound linebacker broke out for 34 tackles and 6.5 sacks in his sophomore season with the Black Knights last fall before landing with the Bulldogs on April 20. Modozie may need time to adjust to SEC football, but don’t be surprised if he ends up taking over Williams’ role on the edge at Georgia this fall ahead of less-proven returners like Gabe Harris Jr. and Quintavius Johnson.”

Modozie isn’t a carbon copy of Williams, as the latter was capable of playing defensive line as well. Modozie more traditionally resembles what Georgia has had at the outside linebacker position in players such as Chaz Chambliss, Nolan Smith and Azeez Ojulari.

When speaking about Johnson this spring, head coach Kirby Smart lamented that they did not have someone ready to contribute at the level of those past Georgia pass rushers.

“I’m proud of Q, I want to be clear on that. But he has to get better to be at the level of, let’s call it like it is, he’s gotta be where Chaz was, or Azeez was, or Nolan was,” Smart said. “He’s not there. He has the ability to be there, but he is not there yet. And I like Q because he works really hard.”

Modozie does bring proven production to the outside linebacker room, even if it did come against inferior competition. His 6.5 sacks led Army, while he also had 8.0 tackles for loss.

Georgia’s most veteran answer at the position, Harris, also missed all of spring practice for the Bulldogs, as he was recovering from labrum surgery.

“Modozie, a rare service academy transfer, signed with Georgia in the spring after leading Army with 6.5 sacks last season,” Will Backus of CBS Sports said. “He fills a huge need for the Bulldogs, though he’ll have to fend off veteran Gabe Harris Jr. and true freshman Isaiah Gibson -- the highest-rated edge rusher to sign with the Bulldogs in the 247Sports era -- for playing time.”

Georgia has to replace a significant amount of its pass rush production in 2025, as the Bulldogs lost 29.0 out of the 37.0 sacks from last season’s team. Much of that went to the NFL, though Georgia saw Damon Wilson transfer to Missouri.

Modozie was one of four transfer additions the Bulldogs made through the transfer portal this spring. Georgia also added running back Joshua McCray, defensive lineman Joshua Horton and offensive lineman Waltclaire Flynn.

Modozie does come to Georgia with multiple years of eligibility and he’s also someone who is only just scratching the surface of his potential. He arrived at Army as a wide receiver before switching over to the defensive side of the ball.

Georgia prefers to use the transfer portal to address needs. Modozie very clearly helps fill one for Georgia. At a minimum, Georgia can move around Harris to put him in advantageous spots.

But if Modozie comes in and successfully builds off what he did at Army last season, Georgia could have another incredibly disruptive player on the edges of its defense.

Whether it be Williams, Smith, Ojulari or Jalon Walker, that’s usually been a good sign for a strong defense.