ATHENS — It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the top linebacker prospects in the country want to come play for Glenn Schumann.

The Georgia inside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator has signed a 5-star prospect in four of the previous recruiting cycles. The one he didn’t, he brought in Jalon Walker, who just won the Butkus Award which goes to the nation’s top linebacker.

Of the 13 5-star prospects on Georgia’s 2025 roster, four of them will play for Schumann. That’s the most of any position on the team. Georgia usually plays just two inside linebackers at a time, which would indicate a math problem in terms of getting these talented players on the field.

But Schumann finds a way to keep those linebackers invested and continue to develop them.

Consider that Georgia signed two 5-star linebackers in the 2024 recruiting cycle in Chris Cole and Justin Williams. The former carved out an immediate role for Georgia due in part to Smael Mondon’s midseason injury.

Williams though was limited to special teams duty. Yet Schumann is still very confident in Williams' future, especially with Mondon and Walker moving on to the NFL.

“I think freshman year can be difficult sometimes when you’re developing,” Schumann said prior to the game against Notre Dame. “But the rewards have to come with it. And I think you see a lot of players over the years. I think what I’ve seen from them, all of them, is a love for the game of football. And they work with great character. And I think they’ve gotten continuously better throughout the course of the year. And I think they have great futures. I can tell you they continue to work.”

Williams and Cole seem poised to take that next step and become larger contributors at Georgia. Mondon and Walker did the same in their second seasons at Georgia.

Raylen Wilson, another 5-star prospect, didn’t have to wait that long to make an impact. Due to injuries, Wilson and CJ Allen saw significant snaps during their freshmen seasons.

In 2024, Wilson had 47 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Wilson and Allen will be key leaders for Georgia who are looking to make leaps as playmakers. Walker, Nakobe Dean and Roquan Smith all won the Butkus Award in their junior seasons.

“CJ and Raylen have done a great job in their sophomore years, really growing up in a lot of ways,” Schumann said. “And they’ve been really vocal, they’re great signal callers. They’re really serious about how they go about their business. And that stood out when they were freshmen because they were trying to get on the field, but they haven’t become complacent at all once they’ve been on the field.

“They’re hungrier for more every day. They practice really hard. And guys that practice hard generally play well, and they’ve continued to get better.”

In addition to winning awards, Schumann routinely puts linebackers into the NFL. Since joining Kirby Smart’s initial staff at Georgia back in 2016, six different linebackers that Schumann has signed and developed have been taken in the NFL draft.

That number is expected to grow to eight this year and that doesn’t include someone like Jamon Dumas-Johnson, who spent his final season at Kentucky after transferring out. Georgia saw Troy Bowles transfer out this offseason, with the former 4-star prospect ended up at Michigan.

The linebackers that come to Georgia understand there can be a log jam in front of them. But Schumann’s success rate convinces those talented prospects that it is in their best interest to sit and learn.

“Honestly, I learned a lot just from the older guys, watching them every day in practice and meetings,” Cole said. “I’ve learned from them. So I learned a lot just as a person and just by playing linebacker too."

Schumann helps put players in positions where they can succeed. For Cole this past season, it was using his athleticism to work as a third-down linebacker. For Walker, it was his pass-rushing abilities that allowed him to lead Georgia in sacks as a sophomore, while still learning the finer details that come playing the inside linebacker position.

Even while losing multiple linebackers to the NFL, Schumann’s room figures to be a position of strength in 2025. He added Zayden Walker, another 5-star prospect who was the No. 1 linebacker prospect in the country.

Walker though won’t be expected to immediately replace Jalon Walker or Mondon. He’ll have the opportunity to ease his way into the position, much like most before him.

In large part that is because of the talent Scheumann has accumulated and developed over his time at Georgia. It’s clear that players trust Schumann, something that has been earned over his many years at Georgia.

Which is why the Bulldogs are in a strong position to add yet another 5-star prospect in Tyler Atkinson, who is the No. 1 linebacker prospect in the country for the 2026 recruiting cycle.