Trenton Thompson is gone following a junior season that wasn’t as explosive as many expected, and which culminated in his going undrafted in April (Thompson signed a free agent deal with the Browns, but was recently released). Also gone is senior John Atkins, an underappreciated stalwart inside for the past several years at the nose.
And that’s it. While the Bulldog defense lost tons of talent in the linebacking corps (all four starters gone) and the secondary (three of four starters moving on) the defensive line returns much as it looked in 2017, only a year older and perhaps just a little deeper.