During his interview on Monday, senior safety J.R. Reed was asked what he’s seen out of redshirt freshman Azeez Ojulari so far this season and how the outside linebacker is emerging as a young leader on the team.

“He just works hard every day. Azeez comes out there, he’s not going to do a lot of talking. He’s going to go out there and he’s going to work. He’s going to bring energy. He’s going to hustle,” said Reed. “And if he is having a bad practice, he’s always going to hustle. That’s one thing that Azeez brings.”

Ojulari had 3 tackles and 2 quarterback sacks in Georgia’s 43-14 win over Tennessee on Saturday. All of the Volunteer’s points came in the first half as the Dawgs’ D put up an impenetrable wall around the end zone in the third and fourth quarters. After the game, Ojulari talked about the defenses’ mindset, which echoes what Reed stated about the young linebacker.

“We continued to keep chopping. Keep going. Just keep working,” said Azeez. “This is an SEC road game. It’s definitely going to be a challenge coming into Knoxville and the crowd, the noise, and everything. Just keep going no matter what.”

Head Coach Kirby Smart shares J.R. Reed‘s praise for Ojulari.

“Azeez is a great leader on our team. He was captain for this game. To do that as a freshman is pretty special. He leads the practice. He plays the right way,” said Kirby. “He’s everything you want in a student-athlete. And he’s a credit to his family. They’ve done a great job with him.”

J.R. Reed, Azeez Ojulari, and the Bulldog defense will look to “keep chopping” against the Gamecocks as Georgia host South Carolina between the hedges for a 12 Noon kickoff on ESPN.