Georgia coach Mark Richt had to stop mid-sentence when naming leaders on the Georgia defense-there’s too many to mention in just one breath.

When asked who had displayed leadership ability, Richt named nine players.

Nine leaders.

Linebacker Rennie Curran is at the top of the list, and refers to the unit as “my defense,” but he’s no dictator.

“Rennie is a big part of it, but some years, quite frankly, that leader is outnumbered,” Richt said. “It looks like an overwhelming cast, but Rennie has a bunch of guys like him that are very motivated to do well, to do it the Georgia way.”

Safeties Bryan Evans and Reshad Jones have become leaders, Richt said. Cornerback Prince Miller, linebackers Darryl Gamble and Akeem Dent and defensive linemen Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins and Rod Battle were added to the list.

“I can say without a doubt that we all trust each other and we know how hard each of us individually have worked,” Curran said. “I look to my left and my right and just feel comfortable knowing that this guy is going to be where he’s supposed to be on a certain play and my defensive tackles are going to do their job, my safeties are going to do their job.”

The defense starts five seniors and five juniors, with a lone underclassman, cornerback Brandon Boykin, in the lineup. That adds up to serious understanding and familiarity.

“You can’t be anything but confidant about this defense when you look around and see the type of experience that you have,” Curran said.

Richt said the leadership has made practice run smoothly, with less time spent pushing guys to perform at a high level, and more time teaching.

“Just a group of men decided that they wanted to make a difference in the leadership. Our seniors and other key guys in each segment-there’s just been a very strong buy-in.”

Players refer to each other like brothers-like family. They speak about a collective effort and if there are individual goals, players are keeping quiet about them.

“Just knowing how hard we worked, how much we love each other and how much we care for each other,” Curran said. “We want to see each other being successful. That’s the biggest thing-is just playing for each other, and knowing if we work together we can accomplish anything.”