ATHENS — The biggest strength for Georgia’s defensive line this season was thought to be its depth.

Christen Miller was the lone contributor to depart from last season’s team, as he landed with the New Orleans Saints.

However, the Bulldogs have since lost another starter just days before it begins the 2026 season. Xzavier McLeod stated on a TikTok video last week that he was “done with football” and retired from the sport.

“I found out, probably when you found out, to be honest with you, I didn’t really know,” Georgia defensive lineman Elijah Griffin said. “Obviously, me and Xzavier were close, but we didn’t really talk about those off-the-field issues or so. But no, that’s just up to Coach (Tray) Scott and Coach (Kirby) Smart, I have no idea.”

McLeod started six games for Georgia last season while appearing in all 14. He had 17 tackles, 6 quarterback pressures and 2 pass breakups for Georgia last season.

McLeod transferred in from South Carolina ahead of the 2024 season. He had two years of eligibility remaining, but it now seems he will not be using those.

With McLeod gone, there’s a void to be filled in the middle of the Georgia defensive line.

The positive about all the depth is that the Bulldogs have options it can turn to.

Jordan Hall is the most established of those options as he enters his fourth year in the program. The problem is that injuries have limited Hall in each of the previous two seasons.

The former 5-star prospect suffered a knee injury against Florida last season. But by all accounts, he’s trending toward being available this coming Saturday when Georgia opens against Tennessee State.

“With him, now going into his fourth year, he’s been really good for some of the rookies, just helping them guys,” Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott said. “Hey, look, this is what Coach Smart wants. This is what Coach Schumann wants in terms of how they prep and learn their defense and stuff. So it’s been really good having him around, pouring into the guys.”

The most promising of those young options is freshman defensive lineman Valdin Sone. He was the No. 133 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class per the 247Sports Composite rankings last cycle.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart has said Sone will play a role for Georgia’s defensive line this fall, even before the McLeod news was known.

“He’s really athletic,” Smart said of the Swedish import. “Maybe could get stronger and, you know, be able to hold the point better. But when it comes to getting off blocks, running the ball, chasing the ball, he’s gonna make us better. He’s gonna have a role this year and play in some form or fashion. He plays on special teams because he can run. He’s bright, he’s intelligent, he loves football.”

There are older options Georgia will lean on, as it has a handful of second- and third-year players who have waited for their opportunity.

Smart spoke about some of those players, specifically on the interior of the defensive line, on Monday.

“We’ve got a few more twitchy guys with JJ (Hanne) sliding in and playing a little more time inside,” Smart said. “We’ve got the size with Nnamdi (Ogboko) in there and Nasir Johnson playing. Both those guys have been good at run-stopping for us. What we need is the twitch, the athleticism that EG (Elijah Griffin) and some of those guys to make us a better pass rush.”

If there is a star on the defensive line for Georgia this season, it will be Griffin. Expectations are high for Griffin, as he was the No. 1 defensive prospect in the 2025 class.

Griffin had 22 tackles last season, with 2.5 going for loss. He picked up a sack in Georgia’s late-season win over Charlotte. He forced a fumble that turned into a Georgia touchdown against Ole Miss.

Georgia hopes Griffin can make more of those disruptive plays in 2026.

“I think for myself personally, just being, everything’s faster. Things come a lot easier,” Griffin said. “Like last year, obviously coming in, I didn’t really know what to expect. But now I know going to my second year, I know what to expect. I know the speed of the game.”

McLeod is not an irreplaceable player, even if he likely would’ve been a starter for Georgia this coming weekend.

With a game against Tennessee State coming up, there’s a bigger spotlight on the young interior defensive linemen on Georgia’s roster in 2026.

“With McLeod and his situation, that’s up to coach Smart to handle,” Griffin said. “Collectively as a defensive line, we’re striving each day in practice to become better than we were before.”