ATHENS — A number of Georgia Bulldogs will hear their name called on draft night, as the 2021 NFL Draft is set to begin on April 29. In the run-up to the draft, DawgNation will profile each potential draftee as a part of our Dawgs in the Draft series. Today’s entry will focus on Mark Webb. 

Azeez Ojulari keyed Georgia’s football Peach Bowl win

The Georgia football team, like many others outside of the College Football Playoffs, had players opt out of the team’s bowl game. Azeez Ojulari, however, was not among them. It’s a good thing for the Bulldogs he wasn’t.

Ojulari delivered an MVP performance in Georgia’s 24-21 win over previously unbeaten Cincinnati in a battle of Top 10 teams. Indeed, it was Ojulari who came through with the game-changing play early in the fourth quarter with the Bulldogs trailing 21-10.

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Ojulari. who had three of UGA’s 8 sacks in the game, came around the end and stripped the Bearcats’ quarterback of the football, resulting in a turnover at the Cincinnati 25 that flipped the momentum and set up a short TD drive.

Azeez Ojulari led the Bulldogs in sacks in 2019 and 2020

Ojulari was Georgia’s sacks leader in 2019 as a redshirt freshman with 5.5 in addition to his eye-popping 39 QB Pressures in 14 games.

There was more of the same last season, as Ojulari recorded a team-high 8.5 sacks along with 29 pressures in just 10 games amid the Covid-shortened season. Ojulari’s 12.5 tackles for loss also led the team and were more than twice the team’s runner up in that category (Adam Anderson, 6).

Azeez Ojulari was Kirby Smart’s first-ever freshman captain

Ojulari redshirted in 2018 coming out of Marietta (Ga.) High School where he had suffered a torn ACL his senior season.  Ojulari played sparingly in two games before seeing his first extensive action in the Sugar Bowl loss to Texas with D’Andre Walker having suffered a season-ending injury.

Ojulari’s work ethic was such that he beat out incoming freshman Nolan Smith, who was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the nation in 2019. Ojulari-s no-nonsense approach and work ethic resonated with teammates and coaches, and Smart appointed him a team captain for the Tennessee game.

The Redshirt freshman responded with two sacks and 10 QB Hurries in the Bulldogs’ 43-14 victory over the Vols in Knoxville.

Ojulari was also one of seven semifinalists for the FWAA Freshman Player of the Year in 2019 and earned Freshman All-American honors.