This article was originally published with Dawgs247 on August 20, 2015 and can be found here.

The nickname started as a joke. Some of Georgia’s outside linebackers were together watching a documentary on wolves. After learning about the animal’s relentless drive to track its prey, someone compared it to the efforts of the players in attendance.

It didn’t take long before the group realized how well the comparison fit.

“We literally do the same thing all summer and all week before the game,” sophomore linebacker Lorenzo Carter said. “Once it’s time to attack, we go. As a wolf pack, we go for the quarterback as one.”

Leading the way with the wolf pack are upperclassmen Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins. The two are fresh off an impressive season for Georgia and combined for 125 tackles and 11 sacks one year ago. They work together as the alpha dogs, pointing out where to be and how to take down the target.

The young pup has to be Carter by default, but he certainly didn’t look it in 2014. The true freshman came on as the season progressed. He ended the year with a respectable four-and-a-half sacks, seven tackles for loss and seems poised to improve those numbers this fall.

Carter has made strides in his first collegiate offseason, particularly against the run.

“Point of attack is the most important thing,” Carter said. “We’ve been working on point of attack since the season ended. I’m just been working on striking blockers and being physical.”

Much like a wolf pack, a defense needs individuals to play as one in order to be successful. When a defensive unit has someone not follow the other 10 players, it throws the whole hunt off. A lone wolf will only make its deserted pack weaker.

Luckily, Georgia’s wolf pack worked to prevent that.

The time that Carter, Jenkins and Floyd spent together both on and off the field helped the trio improve their communication. With a great sense of what the other linebackers will do next, the players have also worked alongside the defensive linemen to get a feel for their play. Now all it takes is a quick glance at a teammate to provide the almost-animalistic instinct of what to do next.

This companionship must leave defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt licking his chops. His first year coaching the Georgia defense created noticeable improvement thanks to 29 forced turnovers and only 337 yards allowed per contest. He won a national championship in his first year at Florida State, and if he wants to add another title in his second season at Georgia, he’ll need his established linebackers to make the most of their new aliases.

Although it was all fun and games in the beginning, this wolf pack mantra isn’t a laughing matter now.

“Now it’s kind of like an enforcer thing,” Carter said with a smile.. “Don’t make us call the wolfpack.”

If Georgia wants to meet some of its lofty goals, opposing quarterbacks need to be on top of the list.