Chris Cole has been a fall camp darling for a couple of years now, and he is ready to make a name for himself during the 2026 season. But Georgia needs all the pass-rush help it can get , so an expanded role for the player who led the team in sacks last season doesn’t sound all that unreasonable. Smart said the defense has “got to generate more havoc”, and pointed to Cole as having “one of the best offseasons” of anyone on the team.