Georgia defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter will enter his junior season with a slew of momentum after Saturday's G-Day performance that included four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
It certainly beats the spiraling path he was on this time last year.
"I had my focus on other things instead of football," Ledbetter said Saturday in a news conference. "You're only here for a given amount of time, and what you do with it is really important. I realize that with everything I've been through, and I don't want to take that for granted."
The 6-foot-4, 277-pounder from the Atlanta suburb of Tucker had a turbulent 2016 that began with a March arrest at an Athens bar for underage possession and for possessing false identification. That case was dropped when prosecutors elected not to pursue charges, but Ledbetter was arrested again in July for driving under the influence and underage possession.
Ledbetter, who had worked his way to first-team status, was dropped from Georgia's official 125-player roster and began a substance-abuse treatment program for what coach Kirby Smart labeled "a serious problem." He wound up rejoining team practices in mid-August and served a six-game suspension before returning against Vanderbilt, when he collected four tackles.
Made available to the media Saturday for the first time since last season's stumbles, Ledbetter does not believe he had an alcohol problem.
"I feel like it was a mistake," Ledbetter said, "but I like how they handled it just to ensure, because you never know. From my coaches' perspective and UGA's perspective, they didn't know my background or roots, so it's a good thing to have in place, but I've definitely moved past that."
The talent always has been there for Ledbetter, who was a top-100 national prospect in the 2015 signing class according to Rivals.com (No. 48), ESPN (No. 62), 247Sports.com (No. 66) and Scout.com (No. 91). He got in seven games as a freshman that year, making four tackles.
Ledbetter made the most of the seven games he played in last year, collecting 24 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss and making four starts. The first of those starts occurred against Florida, when he responded with six tackles, including one for lost yardage.
In the 13-7 upset of No. 9 Auburn, Ledbetter tallied five tackles, including a sack.
He was listed last season at 251 pounds but has bulked up considerably. He said Saturday that the added weight has resulted in "heavy hands" and "explosion" that will make him more productive.
"That's what you need on the D-line," he said. "You need the upper-body strength to press a big man off of you."
The added weight certainly didn't affect his quickness, as Ledbetter received the defensive hustle award for the 15 allotted spring practices.
"They liked the way I ran to the ball this spring," Ledbetter said. "I definitely aim to do that more."
Smart move praised
Brenda Tracy, a member of the NCAA's Committee to Combat Sexual Violence, praised Smart for his dismissal Sunday afternoon of Bulldogs offensive tackle signee D'Antne Demery. The 6-7, 310-pound Demery reportedly shoved and hit the mother of his one-month-old child Saturday night in Athens.
"Just heard Kirby Smart released Demery," Tracy posted on Twitter. "Good job, Coach. Chalk this up as a win and a step towards changing the culture."
Tracy, who spoke to the Georgia team last Friday, was an Oregon State student in 1998 when she was gang raped by four men, including two Beavers football players. She did not report the incident until 14 years later but now speaks to student-athletes about sexual violence.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.