Some guys walk into a season with hype. Others? They walk in with a target on their back, a finger from the head coach pointed dead at them, and the unspoken message of: “It’s on you now, big fella.” That’s where Georgia finds itself heading into 2025. Fresh off an 11–3 season that felt a lot more like a grind than a glory run, the Bulldogs and Kirby Smart need someone in the trenches to grab the standard, slam it into the dirt, and dare anybody to move it.

That name? Christen Miller — Georgia’s redshirt junior defensive tackle who’s already got a national title ring in his locker. On August 4, the insider at UGA Football on DawgPost didn’t sugarcoat it: “The guy that Kirby Smart wants to see step up as a leader there is Christen Miller. A guy that we’ve been talking about for a while. He’s in that 2022 class. Made an impact last year. I don’t think he’s ever been completely fully healthy, ready to go. But it starts with him.” The host said, almost like they were letting us in on a family secret. This isn’t a DL who’s been riding pine or rocking the bleachers. He started 10 games in 2024, racking up 27 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks. His real statement came in that playoff quarterfinal against Notre Dame — five tackles, two run stops, and the type of gap control that makes offensive linemen hate their job.

But here’s the kicker — according to Kirby, solid isn’t enough anymore. The Georgia insider spilled Kirby Smart’s take on Christen Miller: “Here’s what Kirby had to say about Christen Miller. He said, ‘We need him to be a playmaker, right? He’s been a leader…He’s been a guy you can depend on in certain situations. But they need him to be a playmaker. We need him to be disruptive… He’s taken on this role of knowing the burden lies with him to set a standard for that group. And we’re going to be good up front. We’re going to stop the run. And it starts with that group—the mentality in that room. And so far, he has approached it the right way.'”

That’s not just coachspeak — that’s Kirby drawing a line in the Georgia clay. Miller’s got the quickness, the experience, the reps. Now it’s about flipping the switch from dependable to dominant.

For context, you’ve got to rewind to 2022. Miller was a true freshman during Georgia’s second straight natty run. He low-key just played in four games, logging a single QB hurry, because that D-line was stocked with future NFL paychecks. But even in garbage-time snaps, he was getting a crash course in the “Dawg Standard.” Fast-forward to 2024, and he’s in the starting rotation. Problem is, Georgia’s defensive front wasn’t the nightmare fuel it’s been in years past. By PFF, they still graded around No. 7 nationally, but you didn’t see the suffocating pressure or the relentless rotation of trench monsters.

Some of that was health. Mykel Williams missed time with ankle issues. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins had setbacks. Depth took a hit, and when Georgia faced big-boy opponents like Alabama, the pass rush faded like cheap ink. The stat sheet said 87 tackles for loss and 37 sacks — good numbers — but they were padded by blowouts over lower-tier SEC teams. In the games that mattered? Edge containment slipped, mobile QBs escaped, and Georgia’s D-line looked… mortal.

And for a program that once lined up NFL-ready talent two-deep, that’s a big deal. Back in the 2021-2022 title years, you couldn’t breathe against this front. The 2024 version still held teams under 110 rushing yards per game, but they weren’t scaring anyone out of their game plan. See, the energy was steady, not scary. The dominance was conditional, not inevitable. Which brings us back to Miller — the guy Kirby says has to be the one to drag that standard back up.

Look, Georgia’s defense in 2024 was good enough to win the SEC, but not good enough to win it all. Kirby’s been around long enough to know the difference. The 2025 Bulldogs need a disruptive interior anchor. Miller is the most experienced trench player returning, and with the rotation getting younger (Jordan Hall, Xzavier McLeod, and others still proving themselves), his voice and his game are supposed to be the thermostat for the whole room. Kirby doesn’t want him just plugging gaps — he wants him wrecking plays before they start.

Kirby Smart on Bulldogs’ D-line

If you ask Coach Smart what’s got to change, he won’t sugarcoat it. “I want to see improvement,” he said last week. “I want to see experience… I want to see depth building… Defensively, it’s not the yardage given up rushing as much as it is the yards per carry. We wanna be very productive in those two areas.” Translation: the front seven has to be nastier, smarter, and more efficient — not just filling space, but killing plays.

The message applies to both sides of the trenches. The offensive line, usually a Georgia trademark, took a step back in 2024. They ranked 14th in the SEC in total rushing yards, 15th in yards per game (124), and 10th in total yards per game. “Our best teams since we’ve been here… they’ve been able to run it when they had to run it. They’ve been able to stop the run when they had to stop it,” Kirby reminded everyone. In 2024, they couldn’t do either at an elite level when the spotlight was hottest.

Defensively, the D-line has the tools to flip that script in 2025 — if the veterans lead like vets. Jordan Hall and Xzavier McLeod are names to watch, but the heartbeat’s supposed to be Miller. Stay healthy, be disruptive, and Georgia’s front could look a lot like the ones that terrorized offenses earlier in Kirby’s tenure. Lose that edge again, and the Bulldogs risk another season of looking good in the SEC but not scary in the CFP.

The good news? There’s still that “young, hungry” undercurrent in the room. Kirby’s betting on the mix of old heads like Miller and Hall with up-and-comers to reset the Dawg standard. “It’s a culture thing,” Smart said. “You get what you demand. We’re going to demand that you stop it.” Now it’s on Miller and company to make that more than just a talking point.