Georgia linebacker CJ Allen will not return for his senior season after a remarkable year as a junior, instead declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, Dawgs247 announced Monday. 

Allen was one of 12 players named as a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, awarded to the nation’s top linebacker. While the award ultimately went to Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, Allen solidified himself as the leader of the Georgia defense — a team that finished the season 12-2 and defeated every team it faced.

The junior standout led the Bulldogs in tackles this season with 88 — 47 of which were solo. He also had the second-most sacks on the team with 3.5, and was the only player to force multiple fumbles. Allen’s marquee performance came in Jacksonville, Florida, on Nov. 1, where his career-high 13 tackles and strong fourth-quarter showing was crucial to Georgia pulling off a 24-20 victory over the Gators. A Bulldog recorded double-digit tackles in a game seven times this season, and four of those games belonged to Allen.

Late in the season, Allen battled with injury. He suffered a meniscus injury against Texas on Nov. 15 that required surgery, but only missed one game against Charlotte, returning to start in the final week of the regular season to face Georgia Tech. 

Allen never reached more than five tackles in that rivalry game against Georgia Tech, the SEC Championship game against Alabama or the College Football Playoff quarterfinals against Ole Miss. However, he turned in respectable starts in each of those games, further solidifying himself as an elite NFL prospect who is likely to be selected in the first round.

The Barnesville, Georgia, native spent his entire three-year collegiate career at Georgia, immediately contributing as a freshman in 2023 by appearing in all 14 games and starting in five. He’s been a key piece of the defense ever since, recording over 200 tackles in his career.

While losing Allen for the 2026 season is a tough loss for the Bulldogs, it’s one the team saw coming, and producing new star defenders to replace outgoing ones in the Kirby Smart era has not seemed to be a major challenge. Two other stars at linenbacker, Chris Cole and Raylen Wilson, are both expected to stay with the team, as Cole is a sophomore and Wilson is a junior who has not yet declared for the draft.