Kentucky adds former All-American, Georgia national champion linebacker as transfer
Kentucky football’s first transfer portal addition to its defense will bring a resume to Lexington few UK players in program history could rival.
Former Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson committed to the Wildcats Wednesday, offering Kentucky a potential replacement for Trevin Wallace at inside linebacker after Wallace declared for the NFL draft. Dumas-Johnson was a two-year starter for the Bulldogs, earning All-America honors in 2022 on Georgia’s national championship team.
Here is what you need to know about Kentucky’s newest defender.
Jamon Dumas-Johnson has never lost a game he started
A four-star recruit in the high school class of 2021, Dumas-Johnson played in 14 of 15 games as a reserve linebacker for Georgia’s 2021 national championship team then moved into a starting role in 2022. He started every game for Georgia during the undefeated 2022 run to a second consecutive national championship.
As a sophomore, Dumas-Johnson ranked second on the team with 70 tackles. He added nine tackles for loss and four sacks. The Sporting News and ESPN named him a first-team All-American. The Associated Press, AFCA and The Athletic named him a second-team All-American. Johnson totaled four tackles and two quarterback hurries in the national championship game versus TCU.
Dumas-Johnson started the first nine games of the 2023 season, all Georgia wins, before fracturing his left forearm against Missouri, ending his season. In nine games, Dumas-Johnson totaled 34 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Georgia depended on Jamon Dumas-Johnson as a leader on defense
As Georgia’s starting middle linebacker, Dumas-Johnson was responsible for communicating calls to his teammates and making sure everyone was aligned properly.
“A good leader,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Dumas-Johnson in September. “He’s been a little more vocal this year, which I think is important. He has the pulse of the team of when to push somebody and when to back off a young player and help him and pat him on the back. So, he’s done a good job, in terms of that.”
That communication could be particularly important at Kentucky considering inside linebacker D’Eryk Jackson has had to work to come out of his shell vocally. Jackson was close with Wallace, so he will need to build chemistry alongside a new inside linebacker partner.
Why did Jamon Dumas-Johnson leave Georgia?
Dumas-Johnson’s decision to enter the transfer portal is surprising on paper considering the role he filled for the Bulldogs across the last two seasons, but there is at least some reason to wonder if his share of the inside linebacker snaps might have decreased had he stayed in Athens next season.
Freshman CJ Allen, a top-50 recruit in the high school class of 2023, started the final four games this season with Dumas-Johnson hurt, totaling 23 tackles and one sack in that stretch. Allen was twice named SEC Freshman of the Week this season. Allen’s classmate and fellow inside linebacker Raylen Wilson, a former five-star recruit, was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team. Georgia coaches have also suggested they view edge rusher Jalon Walker, who leads the team with five sacks, as an inside linebacker long term, and the Bulldogs hold a commitment from five-star linebacker Justin Williams, the No. 1-ranked prospect at his position and a top-10 prospect overall in the high school class of 2024.
Dumas-Johnson was one of several Georgia players arrested last offseason on reckless driving charges, but punishment for that arrest was handled internally before the 2023 season started.
“For me, I’m definitely disappointed about the decision I made,” Dumas-Johnson said of his arrest in August. “I’ve been disciplined for that. Just really looking forward to moving on from that. I made a bad decision, but I take full responsibility for what I did. Me and the team, just take it day-by-day. Just work to move forward.”