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Olivia Sayer
Georgia inside linebacker Smael Mondon, Jr. (2) in action during the second half of a NCAA college football game between Vanderbilt and Georgia at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Georgia won 37-20. (Photo/ Mady Mertens; @MadyMertensPhotography)
At the end of the regular season last year, Smael Mondon Jr. had a decision to make: The linebacker could either declare for the NFL Draft or return to the Bulldogs. He chose one more season between the hedges.
“I just wanted to finish things the right way,” Mondon told reporters in March. “I was kind of banged up throughout the year, and at the end of the season, we didn’t really finish off how we wanted to.”
Foot surgery kept Mondon out of Georgia’s spring practice. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder initially suffered the injury last spring but played through it before the bone broke. Although he admitted the injury nagged him throughout the season, Mondon did not want to use it as an excuse.
“Everybody’s out there hurting,” Mondon said. “So I’m [not] going to make [any] excuses about it.”
This season, Mondon is the leader of a relatively young linebacker room. The four-year veteran said he is trying to “help” and “guide” the younger Bulldogs, and his teammates have taken notice.
“He’s vocal,” sophomore Damon Wilson II said of Mondon. “He’s loud. He’s always calling the plays, and he’s always doing the right thing.”
Wilson shined playing on the outside for the Bulldogs last season, while the now-sophomore duo of CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson teamed with Mondon on the inside. All four, along with third-year Jalon Walker, aim to wreak havoc on the star-studded opposing offenses featured on Georgia’s schedule.
Mondon’s speed and intuition make him stand out on an always talented Georgia defense. Despite playing through injury in 2023, he is the Bulldogs’ top returning tackler with 68 stops, three sacks and five tackles for loss.
His most notable play came against Florida and running back Trevor Etienne, who is now a teammate of Mondon’s. At the start of the second quarter, the Gators lined up in a Wildcat formation on fourth down. Once he got the snap, Etienne appeared to try and throw a pass on a trick play. The running back had less than five seconds before he was on the ground, courtesy of Mondon.
“That was really the first thing I said to [Etienne] when I saw him was like ‘why y’all try to do that?’” Mondon joked.
Mondon’s versatility allows him to make plays such as the one against Florida. The Bulldogs can have him drop into coverage, rush the passer or move sideline-to-sideline. His ability to play anywhere translates to playing time for the former 5-star, who received snaps in 15, 13 and 13 games through his three collegiate seasons thus far.
Mondon’s physical stature is also a suitable fit for Georgia’s mint defense. The scheme prioritizes smaller, faster linebackers that can run and scrape. Mondon’s blitz capability and quickness allow him to thrive in the package, which the Bulldogs employ to limit spread offenses.
With a schedule featuring quarterbacks such as Quinn Ewers, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and former Bulldog Brock Vandagriff, Mondon’s role will be important in limiting explosive offenses, and if executed correctly, a third national championship in four years would be a fitting way for Mondon to end his Georgia career.