For pretty much his entire tenure at Georgia, Glenn Schumann has consistently landed elite linebacker prospects. It’s a big reason why Georgia’s inside linebacker room has almost always been a strength for the Bulldogs over the past decade.

Georgia’s linebacker room once again figures to be one of the most loaded position groups in the sport. Brad Crawford of CBS Sports had Georgia’s linebackers ranked as the No. 7 overall position group entering the 2026 season.

That’s even when factoring in the departure of CJ Allen, who was taken by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Allen was a Butkus Award finalist last year.

This fall, Georgia has three players who could ascend to that level in Raylen Wilson, Chris Cole and Justin Williams.

“Wilson has been battle-tested in big games, understands every aspect of Glenn Schumann’s scheme and enters the season as productive as they come at the position,” Crawford wrote. “His instincts, sideline-to-sideline range and physicality set the tone for Georgia’s front seven.”

Wilson arrived at Georgia in the same recruiting class as Allen, yet the former elected to remain at Georgia for his senior season.

He’ll be flanked by juniors Cole and Williams. Cole led Georgia in sacks last season and figures to be a significant part of the Georgia pass rush in 2026.

As for Williams, he’ll look to soak up a lot of the snaps vacated by Allen from last season. Williams arrived at Georgia as the No. 1 linebacker prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.

He’s eager to validate those lofty expectations.

“It’s my third year, I don’t really have that much time to waste,” Williams said this spring. “And as far as the linebacker room, we’ve just been attacking every day. This is the most excited I’ve been for a linebacker room. And we had a great one last year. So that says a lot. So I’m very excited to see what we can do and see how we can go attack it.”

The top of the depth chart is strong for Georgia’s linebacker room in 2026, but there’s also intrigue further down. Zayden Walker really started to come on at the end of the season for Georgia, picking up sacks against Texas and Alabama.

He missed spring practice after recovering from shoulder surgery but his athleticism will make it hard for him to be kept off the field.

The Bulldogs also saw improvements this spring from second-year linebacker AJ Kruah.

“That’s been the secret to Georgia’s sustained dominance. The Bulldogs don’t just develop one standout linebacker every few years -- they stack future NFL players at the position and allow them to learn within one of the nation’s most demanding defensive cultures,” Crawford wrote.

Georgia opens the 2026 season on Sept. 5 when it takes on Tennessee State. The game is set for a 3 p.m. ET start and will be broadcast on ESPN+.