No.5 Georgia is leading No. 10 Texas 14-3 in the second quarter, but one of its top players left the game due to injury. Junior linebacker CJ Allen suffered a leg injury and went to the medical tent. He would then head to the locker room, favoring his left knee. Allen led Georgia with three tackles, along with a tackle for loss, when he left the game. Sophomore Chris Cole replaced Allen in the lineup. Allen did not return to the field in the second half, with ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge saying he is “out for now.”

Allen is one of eight semifinalists for the 2025 Lott IMPACT Trophy, given to the nation’s top defensive player who also exhibits the characteristics of Ronnie Lott by making an IMPACT (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, Tenacity) on and off the field. Allen is also a semifinalist for the Butkus Award.

In nine games, Allen leads Georgia with 75 tackles, second-most in the SEC, with 3.5 sacks, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.  Allen has posted double-digit tackles in the win at Tennessee, the win at Auburn, the win over Ole Miss, and the win over Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.

“Yeah, I thought he really showed up,” Smart said of Allen’s performance against Auburn. “When you go back and watch the tape, it’s one of the better games that I’ve seen him play. He was frustrated and disappointed after some of the earlier games. We thought it was the first time he looked as fast as he’s been. He’s been dealing with a hamstring, and he’s played through it. He’s a leader, man. He’s a special kid in terms of what he’s willing to sacrifice and give up for the team and how much he pushes our team. I thought he had a good performance.”

Allen played in all 14 games during the 2024 season, making 12 starts and finishing second on the team with 76 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and one interception. As Dawgs247’s Ben Wolk wrote in July, Allen was a prospect from Georgia who was the No. 1-ranked linebacker from the Peach State during his recruitment. For him, it was those relationships that played the biggest role in landing at Georgia.

He shared more about that past decision as one of Georgia’s SEC Media Days representatives.

“I think the development piece speaks for itself. There’s no other place you can go where you’re coached by the best and play with the best. I think the biggest thing is the people you’re around and the people in the building. It’s great people. I think elite wanna play with elite and the best wanna play with the best,” Allen said. “I think Coach Schu breaks things down to a tee. No stone goes unturned. He breaks everything down. Another big thing, coming out of high school, you think you know ball or something like that, but you really don’t know ball until you actually deep-down learn why you do this or why you do that. I think Coach Schu does a great job of breaking things down.”

Allen acknowledged this spring that going from a newcomer to one of the most-trusted players at his position happened quickly, but his main objective is to lead his room the right way.

“It’s definitely a blessing just being one of the older guys in the room, coming from being a younger guy. You kind of have the experience of being a younger guy and know what they’re going through and things like that,” Allen said. “You’re just trying to lead those guys in the room and lead a team.”