Georgia football linebacker Chris Cole has been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
Cole earned the honor after a standout performance in Georgia’s 41–13 win over Oklahoma in Athens. The junior recorded eight tackles, including a sack, and recovered two fumbles — returning one 85 yards for a touchdown.
Below is the SEC’s summary of Cole’s performance:
Georgia’s Chris Cole, a junior linebacker from Salem, Va., tallied eight tackles, including a sack, and recovered two fumbles, returning one 85 yards for a touchdown during the Bulldogs’ 41-13 rout of Oklahoma. With Georgia up 14-0 in the second quarter, Cole recovered a fumble and went 85 yards — the fourth-longest fumble return in school history — to give the Bulldogs a 21-0 edge. It marked Georgia’s first fumble return for a touchdown since Daylen Everette went 47 yards against Ole Miss in the 2026 Sugar Bowl.
Later in the quarter, Cole collected his second fumble recovery and returned it to the Oklahoma 11, and Georgia scored its fourth touchdown two plays later. He is the first Bulldog with two fumble recoveries in a game since Roquan Smith did it in the win over Auburn in the 2017 SEC Championship Game. Cole helped keep Oklahoma scoreless in the first half and held to only 65 yards on the ground, and the Bulldogs have yet to allow any points in the opening period this season.
Cole, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound junior from Salem, Va., has now totaled 18 tackles (13 solo), three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries on the season.
Georgia returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 3, when the Bulldogs host Vanderbilt in Athens. Kickoff is set for 12:45pm ET on the SEC Network.