Sam M’Pemba: What you need to know about Georgia football 4-star edge rusher
DawgNation Staff
M’Pemba was a major recruiting win for first-year outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe. With Nolan Smith and Robert Beal moving on to the NFL, edge rusher was a critical position for the Bulldogs.
Breaking down Sam M’Pemba, Georgia football 2023 edge rusher commit
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 235
- School: IMG Academy, Saint Louis, Mo.
- Early enrollee: Yes
- 247Sports rankings: No. 66 overall, No. 9 edge rusher, No. 21 player in Florida, No. 36 in the composite, No. 6 edge rusher, No. 9 player in Florida
- On3 rankings: No. 97 overall, No. 13 edge rusher, No. 15 player in Florida, No. 34 in the consensus, No. 4 edge rusher, No. 9 player in Florida
- Rivals ranking: No. 8 overall, No. 1 edge rusher, No. 2 player in Florida
- ESPN300 ranking: No. 29 overall, No. 2 edge rusher, No. 7 player in Florida
- Finalists: Tennessee, Miami
- All-American Game: Under Armour All-American Game
- High school stats or honors: 20 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss
- Sentell’s Intel on Sam M’Pemba: “Give him about a year or so to develop and practice to the standard in Athens. He’s athletic with great length. Given time the former tight end could provide what Nolan Smith did for the “Dawgs. He won’t have to play right away early at UGA and that could set the table for an ALL-SEC career.”
What you need to know about Georgia football edge rusher Sam M’Pemba
Georgia got some much-needed good news on Dec. 4 when M’Pemba committed to Georgia. The same day the Bulldogs learned they would be the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s College Football Playoff, it got a major piece for its future in M’Pemba.
The Bulldogs were able to beat out Tennessee and Miami to land M’Pemba, who is the latest prospect to make his way from IMG Academy to Athens. Others include Nolan Smith, Warren Brinson, Isaac Nauta, Daylen Everette and Xavian Sorey.
One of M’Pemba’s teammates at IMG Academy this year was fellow edge rusher Gabriel Harris Jr. The pair will be tasked with replacing Smith and Beal, who saw the most snaps for Georgia this year at outside linebacker.
Georgia is also in the running to land 5-star pass rusher Damon Wilson out of Venice, Fla. as well. Adding him along with M’Pemba and Harris would help re-tool Georgia’s outside
M’Pemba is still new to the game of football, as he did not begin playing until he was in the seventh grade. As recently as his junior year at IMG Academy he was playing tight end. He will be tasked with further developing as an outside linebacker at Georgia.
“Just the brotherhood,” M’Pemba told DawgNation’s Jeff Sentell earlier this year. “Do you know what I mean? I talk to them just about every day. Honestly. Just keeping up with them. Just the guys that they got with development. I feel like the biggest thing for them they have got is development. Definitely. For sure.”
While M’Pemba just misses out on 5-star status in the On3 consensus rankings, he enters the early signing period as Georgia’s second-highest-ranked recruit. Only cornerback AJ Harris has a higher recruiting ranking at the moment.
Sam M’Pemba stories you need to read from DawgNation
- Sam M’Pemba: 5-star EDGE decides it is time to be a ‘Dawg
- Sam M’Pemba: Why the ‘Dawgs are hunkering down to try to land the 5-star EDGE rusher
- Sam M’Pemba: What he thought of that Sanford Stadium lap with Kirby Smart and the next steps of his process
- Priority 5-star target Sam M’Pemba wears old school Kirby Smart jersey on official visit photo shoot
- Sam M’Pemba: Decision day is here for the priority 5-star target
Sam M’Pemba highlights
Sam M’Pemba photos
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