College football analyst Chris Low has set lofty expectations for Georgia linebacker Chris Cole.
The Georgia Bulldogs just watched 13 of their former players be selected during the 2025 NFL draft. One of them was linebacker Jalon Walker, who was selected in the first round with the 15th overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons. Walker was one of the best defenders on Georgia’s defense last season and now they are searching for his replacement.
While replacing a hybrid linebacker with the skill set of Walker’s is not an easy task, ESPN’s Chris Low said the replacement is already on the roster. And his name is Chris Cole.
“Since the day Kirby Smart took over at Georgia, the Bulldogs have specialized in developing linebackers and edge rushers,” Low wrote. “Walker was the latest and followed in a long line of Georgia defenders who made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. He won the Butkus Award last season as the nation’s top linebacker. Now, it’s Cole’s turn to show what he can do — and if he can move around and play all the same roles as Walker. The 6-3, 235-pound Cole was named to the SEC All-Freshman team last season, and this spring, branched out and showed his versatility. Fellow linebacker Justin Williams even said that Cole was “like J-Walk” in that he could rush, cover and play the run.”
Cole certainly can be a hybrid playmaker. Last season, he showcased those abilities by entering the game against the Texas Longhorns in the regular season and looked like a natural dropping into coverage as a true freshman.
However, while they are somewhat similar, their abilities are also different.
Walker was more of a zone dropper in coverage and a very compact athlete who possessed a lot of strength. Cole has the ability to play man-to-man coverage and his best ability as a pass rusher is his length and overall size.
Despite their differences, Cole certainly has the ability to be a hybrid linebacker for the Bulldogs and is on track to be one of the next great linebackers to come out of the program.
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