ATHENS — Georgia didn’t hide from the fact that it needed to improve its pass rush this spring.

A season ago, the Bulldogs had just 20 sacks. It was a known issue and one Kirby Smart discussed multiple times throughout the spring.

In an attempt to address the concern this offseason, Georgia brought in Auburn transfer Amaris Williams, thinking another talented player could help solve some of the issues.

Yet Williams had a disastrous spring. He went viral during an early Georgia practice and then tore his ACL during Georgia’s 13th spring practice.

Smart confirmed the injury was noncontact and while the Georgia coach didn’t rule out a possible return, it’s clear Williams will be out for some time.

“We would never put a timetable on it,” Smart said following G-Day. “He doesn’t want to put a timetable on it. He wants to do what he can to recover and get better.”

Williams was one of two outside linebackers Georgia brought in this offseason. The other was freshman Khamari Brooks, who emerged as one of the stars of G-Day.

With Williams and outside linebacker Gabe Harris both out because of injury, Brooks came away with 2.0 sacks.

“He picks up the playbook fast, and right now he’s learning multiple positions,” Quintavius Johnson said of Brooks. “I kind of see him as myself, being that only freshman coming in and being able to take all those extra snaps, all those extra reps. And knowing that it all falls back on you being that freshman in the room.”

Brooks wasn’t the only Georgia pass rusher to make progress this spring, as Chase Linton really seemed to turn a corner. Johnson noted that Linton has really put in the work in terms of adding weight and helping as a run defender.

Yet the most encouraging part of his game is what he brings to the table as a pass rusher.

“We call him Cheetah so he’s always running to the ball,” linebacker Justin Williams said of Linton. “So Chase, he’s always going on a sprint as hard as he can, giving 100% effort, and so I’m so happy for him.”

Linton is entering his second season in Athens. He’ll look to make a significant leap after injuries derailed much of his freshman season.

While Georgia couldn’t tackle the quarterbacks on Saturday, the pass rush showed it had some bite to it. While playing a more vanilla defense, the Bulldogs had 4.0 sacks on the afternoon.

If Georgia can play at that consistent level in the fall, the pass rush worries will be silenced.

“In terms of pass rush, we’ve had some guys really grow, get better,” Smart said. “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. Some of the young guys have helped out, and we’ve gotten better push in the middle of the pocket.”

Getting Harris and inside linebacker Zayden Walker back from injury will give Georgia more options to attack the opposing quarterbacks. Harris is recovering from toe surgery while Walker had shoulder surgery. Both were able to do more as spring practice developed, even with neither playing on Saturday.

While it may have to wait awhile longer to get anything from Williams, the growth of players like Brooks and Linton have Georgia feeling confident in what it can accomplish this fall.

“As far as spring, I think we did a heck of a job,” Williams said of the Georgia defense. “I think everybody came together with a lot of things happening, things we couldn’t control. I think we all came together, and we worked really hard this spring, honestly.”